Dying to work: Robert Reich on 'reopening' while COVID-19 continues to claim lives

[turbinetree]

Published 1 min ago on May 27, 2020
By Robert Reich- Commentary




Most of Europe and all fifty states of the US are in various stages of “reopening.” But why, exactly?

The pandemic is still with us. After the first tentative steps to ease the lockdown in Germany – the most successful large European country to halt the spread of the virus thanks to massive testing – the disease has shown signs of spreading faster.

At least Germany is opening slowly and waiting until almost no new cases are occurring there, as is the rest of the EU.

By contrast, the United States – with the highest death rate and most haphazard response to Covid-19 of any advanced nation – is opening chaotically, each state on its own. Some states are lifting restrictions overnight, although relatively few tests for the virus have been conducted.

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/05/dying-to-work-robert-reich-on-reopening-while-covid-19-continues-to-claim-lives/

-snip-

Many Americans must return to work because they need the money, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Rich economies can support their people for years if necessary. During World War II, America shut down most of its economy for nearly four years.

The obstacle right now is a lack of political will to provide such support, at least until enough testing and tracing provide reasonable evidence the pandemic is contained.

-snip-

In truth, there is no good reason to reopen when the pandemic is still raging – not getting the economy moving again, or workers clamoring to return to work, or the cost of extended income support, or because workers should be “free” to endanger themselves.

Let’s be clear. The pressure to reopen the economy is coming from businesses that want to return to profitability, and from Trump, who wants to run for reelection in an economy that appears to be recovering.

Neither is reason enough.


Labor Sec. Reich...................I agree..............

[virgogal]

1. The reason in my area

is people who are hurting without a salary,Reich is not hurting.

[DBoon]

2. as stated in the article

Many Americans must return to work because they need the money, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Rich economies can support their people for years if necessary. During World War II, America shut down most of its economy for nearly four years.

[marybourg]

5. I have to disagree with the idea that America shut down

its economy for four years. The economy changed to war production on a prodigious scale: ladies garment manufacturers turned out millions of uniforms, food production expanded to meet the needs of a fighting force, auto manufacturers turned out tanks. A new plane or ship rolled off a production lines every 40 minutes. We were an industrial powerhouse. People who hadn’t worked in a decade, or who had never worked, had a job. Teachers taught, doctors and nurses and dentists practiced their trades. Only civilian goods stopped being produced, but that’s not the same as shutting down the economy. I know many New Yorkers for whom the war was their making as manufacturers and set them up for a comfortable life thereafter.

[DBoon]

6. The economy transitioned from civilian to military during WWII

and managed to maintain full employment with a reasonable survival standard of living (people could afford housing, food and other necessities)

His point is that a similar transition to reduce the impact of the pandemic is entirely possible. We have not done so as a matter of choice.

We require people to expose themselves to a deadly virus in order to work as a matter of public policy choice, not as a matter of necessity.

[marybourg]

7. That's right, it transitioned to produce different items

in quantities never before seen. What does that have in common with “shutting down”?

[DBoon]

9. The economy is "shut down" only because our political and business leaders lack the courage ...

to make a similar transition.

An economy can recover. 100,000 dead people are gone forever.

How many more people do you advocate killing to bring back the economy? Are you willing to meet with the family of the deceased and explain to them why the deaths of their loved ones are necessary to "bring back the economy"? Are you willing to take moral responsibility for these deaths?

Are you willing to become one of the dead?

[Laelth]

3. Hear! Hear! k&r n/t

-Laelth

[DBoon]

8. We are "reopening the economy" by brutal human sacrifice.

We have sacrificed over 100,000 lives in 3 months because we were unable to do the right thing at the start of this pandemic. Dying of Covid-19 is painful. You suffocate to death in isolation It is an extremely cruel way to die.

"Needing to make a living" means inflicting this on someone else.

Those are the ethical priorities of a moral monster.

By contrast, the Aztecs were thought to have sacrificed about 10,000 a year to their sun god. The cruelty of their sun god is nothing compared to our money god.