Emphasis mine. That is a major, major "if". It isn't as if we could not work out some ways of securing food supply without just going back to business as usual.
D&D and the rising pandemic
Emphasis mine. That is a major, major "if". It isn't as if we could not work out some ways of securing food supply without just going back to business as usual.
Levistus's_Leviathan
5e Freelancer
Exactly my point. The government has been sending out stimulus checks, but they take too long, the banks can seize them if you have debt, and are not large enough to support Americans through this lockdown.
We could increase taxes on the uber-wealthy to pay for food. We could make it so it's against the law to be evicted due to not paying for rent. We could find ways to support those who are running out of food, moneys, and homes, but the national government is currently leaving that on the shoulders of the states.
There are solutions we can do, but it will cause monetary sacrifices. Lives have no price, we should do anything we can to prevent them.
Zardnaar
Legend
Monies not really the problem with did supply.
In a processing plant you can't do social distancing without cutting production.
Similar problem with agriculture in the packing houses etc.
Food production and supply was essential here. They closed one plant down and others cut production 50% to space the workers out.
This is what I meant about lockdown not being sustainable long term.
Most people don't have much idea about supply chains and food production at least on the practical level.
Storage is another issue. In normal times a supermarket has around 2-3 days supply, the distribution centers have a few weeks and the warehouses a few months.
So yeah USA gonna have food shortages. More in terms of variety not starvation.
They're still exporting as well. They can use emergency powers to shut that down though.
In a processing plant you can't do social distancing without cutting production.
Similar problem with agriculture in the packing houses etc.
Food production and supply was essential here. They closed one plant down and others cut production 50% to space the workers out.
This is what I meant about lockdown not being sustainable long term.
Most people don't have much idea about supply chains and food production at least on the practical level.
Storage is another issue. In normal times a supermarket has around 2-3 days supply, the distribution centers have a few weeks and the warehouses a few months.
So yeah USA gonna have food shortages. More in terms of variety not starvation.
They're still exporting as well. They can use emergency powers to shut that down though.
Oh, money is a problem. The CDC has a whole stack of recommendations that can help control the risk. But implementation costs money. Proper PPE costs money. Testing of workers to get sick but asymptomatic people out of the workspace costs money. Health insurance for workers costs money. Sick time off for workers costs money. Paying them more to work night shifts if you go to a 24-hour work schedule to maintain capacity while decreasing contact costs money. Training new people to work those lines costs money. Increased sanitation at the plant costs money.
Zardnaar
Legend
Up to point. Do plants run at capacity for example. Do they run a night shift already etc.
Assuming you had the money things just fall apart. You can't really train up night shift workers over night. Assuming you can recruit them, force your normal workers into night shift etc
There's a definite skill to knife work. And then it raises things like why are we working when the office workers are at home etc.
Can't do much on a farm at night either.
ad_hoc
(they/them)
The food and the shelter and the healthcare is there.
Giving someone a hair cut does not produce any of those things.
It's a crisis. When we're talking about money what we're really talking about is how much the government is willing to cut into capitalist's profits.
Other countries are not 'more wealthy' than the USA and are able to supply these things for their citizens for longer periods of time just fine.
Giving someone a hair cut does not produce any of those things.
It's a crisis. When we're talking about money what we're really talking about is how much the government is willing to cut into capitalist's profits.
Other countries are not 'more wealthy' than the USA and are able to supply these things for their citizens for longer periods of time just fine.
Yep.
Given that in the US, we waste about 30% of our meat, poultry, and fish, if we stop wasting it, we can cut production significantly, and still feed everyone quite handily.
And that's not counting that we eat more of the stuff than we ought to or need to to remain healthy.
So, government officials may be concerned about cutbacks in meat production, because Billy is used to having 16 ounce steaks, and will be annoyed in November if he can't have them so often. But I find myself unconvinced that anyone is going to literally starve due to a drop in meat production.
Zardnaar
Legend
Money helps with a lot of things. You're still going to restrained by capacity though either in factory, production plant, staffing or even freight.
We had a fairly strict lockdown. Most if them are a bit if a joke about a 2.5 in pure terms.
Obviously food production, distribution etc are essential.
Organization is also key. Sweden for example was willing to pay a higher price in blood but things didn't fall apart afaik.
You're gonna have a blood price regardless. It was already to late for containment by the time people realized.
ad_hoc
(they/them)
Money is not actually a thing though. The solution to people not being able to afford rent is to suspend rent payments. The shelter doesn't disappear if the tenant didn't cut enough hair to pay the rent.
Sweden is getting hit much much harder than Norway or Finland.
Sweden also has the best healthcare in general in the world and among the best social safety nets. I'm sure their amount of people with pre-existing conditions is much lower than many other countries and the societal infrastructure is there to assist people economically as needed.
Still, they could have avoided thousands of deaths if they actually had a lockdown.
Zardnaar
Legend
You would also have to freeze mortage payments as well.
