I don't agree with Gov. Abbott's decision to end the mask mandate and open businesses, but...

[Yavin4]

Last edited Tue Mar 2, 2021, 09:26 PM - Edit history (1)

given that the federal govt has still not passed the relief package and that there's talk about it being watered down even further, the people of Texas need the option to go back to work to take care of themselves economically at least.

It's elitist of us to sit here and condem this move by Abbott while Joe Manchin is waffling on supporting more relief help. What do you want the people of Texas to do?

Our government is not providing the economic relief necessary to demand that the public fully support these restrictive measures.

--On Edit--
As I wrote in my OP title, "I don't agree with Gov. Abbott's decision to end the mask mandate and open businesses", so no, I do not agree with the governor ending the mask mandate. However, without federal govt economic assistance, it becomes nearly impossible for people to support themselves and follow public health measures. For example, people are not going to wear masks while they're eating out at a restaurant or at a bar, and people need to work in that restaurant/bar.

[demmiblue]

1. No, it isn't elitist. At all. It is about public health. n/t

[Yavin4]

5. Economic support is part of public health.

Making them depend on the whim and whimsy of Joe Manchin is elitist because some of us don't have to.

[Clash City Rocker]

24. Economic support does you no good if you're dead

[Laelth]

2. The labor market has been devastated.

There are no jobs left for unemployed people to “return” to. Abbott’s order will do no more than sicken the entire state.

-Laelth

[mobeau69]

3. They have masks don't they?

Why toss that mandate?

[Yavin4]

6. As I said in my OP, I don't agree with that. n/t

[mobeau69]

8. I know that. The question is why end it? Nt

[choie]

28. because he's Abbott is a

libertarian asshole.

[Mr.Bill]

4. keep in mind that both Texas Senators will likely vote against that relief bill.

If they would vote for it, Manchin wouldn't be holding anything up.

[Yavin4]

7. Not everyone in TX voted for those two senators. n/t

[walkingman]

13. You got that right!! Sadly a majority did. It doesn't surprise me.

[Mr.Bill]

15. Do you really think I don't know that?

Change is coming in Texas, I'm sure. It will be blue again.

[old guy]

9. Wish I'd said that.

[sheshe2]

10. Abbott is a HUGE part of the problem.

Sure open up and keep the mask mandate! FFS, he can't even address the power outages and his own constituents that froze to death. He blamed it on green energy when it was gas and oil.

You are making this all about Manchin when it is not.

[bdamomma]

33. Abbott

is a failure, now he wants more death in his state. Why is this criminal still there? Olivia Troye on Chris Hayes said Abbott does not care about people well she is correct about that.

[sheshe2]

36. I have no clue why he is still there.

He wants people to die, he just hopes it is the right people, poor, black and non white.

[Skittles]

11. Abbott is a piece of repuke SHIT

he does NOT CARE about people, ONLY about power

he really, REALLY wants attention taken away from the Texas grid disaster that HE AND HIS PARTY helped to facilitate

[Catherine Vincent]

29. ...

Yes, this. Get folks to start talking about something else besides the grid failure.

[Skittles]

30. he has also politicized the virus in every way

even now, saying the state should not be able to tell us what to do - apparently the state of Texas was fine with interfering with election results....fucking HYPOCRITES

we are not ELITIST for hating that piece of shit, we are HUMAN

[area51]

37. This. n/t

[Javaman]

12. Yeah okay

Do you live I Texas? I do.

And because of asshole Abbott, who can’t fucking wait until a least a majority of us are vaccinated, we are now going to have a spike in cases at the end of the month.

[Skittles]

32. THANK YOU

TWO WEEKS after millions of Texans were forced to huddle together in the dark, FREEZING, also due to the incompetence of Abbott and fucked up party

[Jirel]

14. FFS. Masks are not elitist. Masks stop no business from happening.

You can sit in an office wearing a mask. You can get nails done wearing a mask. You can even do most hair services masked.

This is a Rethug talking point.

You know what you can’t do WITHOUT masks? Keep a pandemic from shutting schools and businesses, and filling hospitals to the breaking point. THAT is bad for business. Spring break week is going to be a massacre.

[Ferrets are Cool]

19. This x 1000

[CreekDog]

41. masks allow you to stay open

opening without masks is a sure way to have an outbreak and close again.

[Mersky]

16. Don't feed into the stupid idea that there's nothing more abbott could have done

Repugs like him were hostile to wearing masks from early on, and have made the outcomes worse. They’ve prolonged the pandemic’s impact with their misinformation and politicizing masks. It’s too early to return to 100% open and no mask mandate.

No masks will not help anyone forced to return to work in an unsafe environment, and I’d say it’s rather elitist to expect workers to accept it.

We’re still recovering from the grid disaster, and we haven’t even seen the numbers from virus exposures during that horrid week and the hurried scramble to make repairs.

[Ferrets are Cool]

17. I could not disagree more with your subject line

What the HELL is wrong with requiring masks???????????????????

[kcr]

18. Opening up early will not help economically

if it results in another wave. Everything will simply have to shut back down again and further drag out the whole shebang.

[gulliver]

20. Republicans want to get past the part of the covid story where they killed too many people...

...and hurt the economy more than it needed to be hurt by aiding the virus in its war on Americans. Abbott and the Republicans also screwed up the Texas electricity supply. Same thing. They crave a headline where they place a big bet and win a plushie, even though they lost the house, their wedding rings, and their souls in the first two big bets.

[hatrack]

21. The government that is failing here is Texas' state government

And hundreds, maybe thousands will die who didn't have to.

But I guess stating the blazingly obvious make me an "elitist". Mkay.

[Iggo]

22. You maybe. Not me.

[Blue_true]

25. I have done everything since eat in dining since the pandemic

started. I took to wearing a mask in February, before the CDC or Dr. Fauci said to do so.

I think the Abbott rescinding the masking edict is stupidity on his part, but that doesn’t prevent a person from wearing a mask. It may create a problem for businesses that ask their employees to wear a mask, but businesses are private and have the option of regulating conduct on their property.

Here in Florida, DeSantis prevented localities from implementing mask wearing, until he was beaten back and allowed it for localities that wanted to mandate mask wearing requirements. In my area, you can’t get into a government building without a mask on and if a person takes it off, they get escorted out by security or the police. Private places are hit and miss, most have mask wearing that is not enforced.

I believe that race plays a subtle role in shaping the decisions that people like Noem, DeSantis, Abbott and most other republican governors are making. Covid is disproportionally sickening or killing people of color. I can promise you that if we one day have a virus that selectively kill Whites, boneheads like Abbott, DeSantis et al would be falling over themselves to lockdown all activity.

[Chainfire]

23. Texas is going to be Texas, and the Texas Governor is going to be a Texas Governor.

Same here in Florida. Everything for business nothing for people. Open it up Gov! Ignore the Virus, your people will love you for it. The Freeze damage is not a good reason for risking the health of the state, it is an excuse. People get the government that they deserve.

[LowerManhattanite]

26. Texas had been on my "no travel dollars" list before...

...but even more so now.

Along with West Virginia, Florida, Alabama and Kentucky.

It’s not a safe or governmentally sane place to travel during this pandemic and I’m not going to reward it afterward with tourist dollars.

[choie]

27. Sure! Let them infect the rest of the country...

so that they can be libertarian assholes. No problem! And then we in NY can spend our tax money to help these fuckers!

[pnwmom]

31. It's not elitist to condemn his decision to end the mask mandate. I want the people of TX

to have some common sense.

Maybe TX needs to reopen its businesses. But the LAST thing they should do is to choose this moment to also end the mask mandate.

[Dorian Gray]

34. He could have opened businesses

and kept the masks. That was an option.

[In It to Win It]

35. ...but ending the mask mandate? He's trying to whip up liberal anger and start some culture war BS

[DFW]

38. IF Abbott cared at all about the people in his state

He‘d be on the phone to our two Senators, Cornyn and Cruz, yelling at them to support the relief bill.

But he doesn‘t and he won‘t.

[JCMach1]

39. You understand that VERY FEW businesses have had any restrictions for months in TX, right

Even bars found ways to magically becomes restaurants ex post facto...

What this does is allows maskholes and people who just aren't paying attention to endanger everyone...

Having said that, it looks like at least some businesses, sites will maintain strict mask policies...

[CreekDog]

40. if you open and there's an outbreak, businesses close even without being forced to

and those jobs are stopped or lost yet again.

and if there's an outbreak, people stay away, even if you're open.

[roamer65]

42. It's shitting on other states in this so-called union.

States that are trying to actually protect their residents with common sense public health policy.