Sunday, March 29, 2020

Should We Sacrifice Grandpa?


 Texas Governor comes right out and asserts that we should all sacrifice our lives for the economy while he works from home. (Dallasnews.com)

 

American's are being asked to make a call--To assert their choice of life or money. 


We are not one's to hide from hard work. This country came together and won WWII by filling factories with workers who had never worked outside their homes before. We are a nation of men and women who, despite our differences, work together for the greater good during times of struggle. It is our adherence to our social duty to make a united stand that makes us strong. 
But we don't organize and find a common path alone. We accomplish it through good leadership- smart leadership, fair, and just leadership. 

Roosevelt was an actual war president who brought a nation together. He said, 


He was right. But we aren't the ones in power and it is not our responsibility to protect those who are...  A leader willing to take responsibility and stand behind his word is precisely what the representatives of today are missing. What is our responsibility as a society? Is it our duty to risk our lives, go to war, for money? Are we so expendable that our sentience is outweighed by our monetary potential? I think not.

A wartime president does not lead out of incompetent, self-glorifying, delusion. He does not shift his responsibility onto others or tie ego-stroking requirements to life-saving measures. 

THE PRESIDENT: I think they should be appreciative because you know what? When they're not appreciative to me, they're not appreciative to the Army Corps. They're not appreciative to FEMA. It's not right. These people are incredible. They're working 24 hours a day. Mike Pence — I mean, Mike Pence, I don't think he sleeps anymore. These — these are people that should be appreciated.
He calls all the governors. I tell him — I mean, I'm a different type of person — I say, "Mike, don't call the governor of Washington. You're wasting your time with him. Don't call the woman in Michigan." All — it doesn't make any difference what happens —
Q You don't want him to call the governor of Washington?
THE PRESIDENT: No, no. You know what I say? If they don't treat you right, I don't call. He's a different type of person. He'll call quietly anyway. Okay? But he's done a great job. He should be appreciated for the job he's done.

Trump makes ridiculous decisions, blatantly asserting his personal opinion, and then when his ignorant decision tanks, he hides from the repercussions with lies and blame. Any reasonable mind can follow a timeline and discern what happened- if they care to. When Trump blames the Governers for harming the economy and denies the severity of this pandemic, he puts undue pressure on the Governors. Then those governors take all that excessive pressure and pass on to the Mayors. Our poor mayors must try to weed through the nonsense strewn by the higher-ups so they can try to help the people of their communities. People who are also inundated with misinformation and despite all logical processing, actively fighting against staying at home and demanding aid from our government. This wide-spread dissonance places real facts- that their decision puts every other person at risk- behind their want to continue business as usual.  
We who understand what is at stake, who are following the science, realize we are at the mercy of the most ignorant, greedy, and misinformed among us. We cannot give in to their demands. We cannot sit idle while our Fox News neighbors and officials decide that we should sacrifice our lives for their economic needs. 
As thinking people, we know we should never place money ahead of human beings. As we watch what is happening, will they realize? Will they see in time that we must ignore this uneducated, yet highly opinionated President and his poor decisions? Denial will be harder and harder as our nation is sicker, and millions are dying, and those who survive are angry. Kissing Donald Trump's ass is going to become a painful discrediting of your own intelligence and integrity. Mistakes are being made, and people depend on leaders to listen to our doctors and do no harm.

Who worries about an economy or their political campaigning strategies when their country is fighting a pandemic? 
People who get to sit in their homes while others risk their lives to keep the economy running.

Who withholds aid to American communities because their governor disagrees with him? 
Malignant narcissists who feel they are owed exceptional treatment for negligent behavior.

Who says he will not abide by a bipartisan bill passed by both houses but instead do as he likes? 
A president who has no understanding of his limitations and who thinks he is above the law.

The facts are that Trump is defeating himself by allowing American's to suffer and succumb to an utterly beatable virus. If Trump had listened to experts, we would not be in the situation we are in now. We could have recovered quicker if they had locked everything down. Experts are still saying shelter in place is the fastest way to get back to our regular economy. Business minds are panicked and are not thinking long term, but we are going to lose millions of lives because he is stubborn and egotistical, and people are listening to him without using their brains to the weigh facts.
Does Trump think we will forget these decisions? Does your boss think you will forget? Does Trump think he can lie his way out of this as usual? I doubt it psychology tells us that death is a pretty powerful emotional re-enforcer of memory and anger. 
We have a group of spineless leaders and business owners who will not stand up for their fellow man. They resort to manipulation and bullying to try and get their needs met while discrediting any logical conversation that does not meet their immediate needs. The problems are compounded when our local officials allow businesses to influence their better judgment with illogical arguments. They second guess safety concerns that threaten a buck rather than stay strong for their constituents.

We've talked about leaders but what about heroes? What about those among us who go beyond the average?

"What would a "hero" do in a pandemic?"

 A hero would first take the measures that save others from hurt, suffering, and death. They whip into scary situations and stare into the face of horror to do all they can to stand between innocent people and tragedy. They don't act for glory or notoriety. They need no pat on the back for doing well by others and they do not base their ethics on what looks best for economic advantage. Heroes act on innate reactions and respond to people's immediate needs to stay alive and healthy. They help in times of need because they value life and it is empathy that propels them. To put it simply, they do good because they are good. We need that right now. We need people who see others as worthy and necessary. This is a time of extraordinary need and as the thinkers of this world, we must discard our hierarchy of privilege and realize that every life is precious, equal, and worthwhile. 

Watch who does what now. This is our chance to clean out the corrupt. We are being handed the perfect situation to elect politicians who embody our American morals. People who place value on humans and humanity. Politicians work for us. We pay them through tax revenue to represent us, and that means it is their job to serve, protect, and ensure our safety. They should be focused of every human's right to life. That is the whole reason we form governments and the main point to consider when choosing who represents us. The well-known and influential philosopher on government said
 that the fundamental law of nature is that, as much as possible, mankind is to be preserved.

"Locke used the claim that men are naturally free and equal. Legitimate political government requires a social contract where people transfer some of their rights over to the government to ensure the stable, comfortable enjoyment of their lives, liberty, and property."

This moment is telling because a person with leadership qualities is humble and knows his/her limits. 

Forbes says of leaders:

  1. "Being a good leader is standing up for team members in crisis and conflict.
  2.  It’s giving proper credit for accomplishments, acknowledging mistakes, or putting safety and quality first, great leaders exhibit integrity at all times.
  3. They know that listening is an integral part of communication.  
  4. They hold themselves accountable first and foremost.  
  5. They inspire, motivate, mentor, and direct. A good leader has faith in their ability to train and develop the employees under them. Because of this, they have the willingness to empower those they lead to acting autonomously. 
  6.  Every one of these qualities is absolutely essential to great leadership." (Forbes, 2018) 

A capable representative of the people puts the best mind's at the table with him to provide himself/herself an informed base for his important decisions. Without enough brains, you only have brawn. Ineffective leaders resort to sarcasm, lies, silencing, and brow-beating to demand everyone abide by their biased opinions rather than facts. The resort to threats and harassment to control rather than lead. See:

14 Signs of Psychological and Emotional Manipulation

I believe we have to support rational discussion and make arguments for responsible and ethical decisions but to decide who "should" sacrifice themself for the economic betterment of others is not only unethical, it is illegal. Laws prevent discrimination for many things, including age. Let's vote for leaders who set aside their self-interests to make decisions for the greater good while the traits are clear and easy to discern. Human-based values are safety, protection from harm, and support of society. It is leadership that takes responsibility for decisions, work practice, and never wastes time blaming others.  

Will you forgive these economy-obsessed leaders after they have killed your loved one? Will that paltry $1200 check afford you peace?

 Will Trump still be your hero when you are sharing a ventilator with two other sick people, and an exhausted nurse dressed in a trash bag and wearing a three-day-old mask is caring for you? 

What are you going to think when your husband, wife, or child is gasping for their last breath, and you can't even be in the room with them

Will you still be wearing your MAGA hat?

Roosevelt also said, "We must go on to do all in our power to conquer the doubts and the fears, the ignorance, and the greed, which made this horror possible." He was talking about Nazi Germany, of course, but I'm saying we must do that same thing about Trump- right now.

I am a damn good grandma. I am healthy and strong, and I am one little girl's Ninny--Now, by God, I am worth more than dying for a stockmarket, a paycheck, and a bunch of rich slave-drivers. And so are you. 

DEFY THE HIERARCHY AND STAY HOME. PROTECT THE PEOPLE AND SHUT EVERYTHING DOWN. WAKE UP AND REALIZE WHAT MATTERS.



When we look back on this, we will recall the acts done and the decisions made. Make sure you can be proud of you.


Monday, March 23, 2020

Informed Decisions in Unprecedented Times


Image result for Ethics
Making Ethical Decisions for Your Family, Employees, and Children
We live in a time of misinformation. No one trusts due to political agendas and personal ideologies that pervade many people’s ability, to tell the truth. It is a fact that every person skews information in the direction of their opinion and many do not do it on purpose. There is a real tendency to create maladaptations of information by humans known as cognitive bias.
We all have implicit cognitive biases that cause unintentional and unrecognized logical fallacies in our ideas and beliefs. (If you're interested in learning more about logical pitfalls, I recommend checking out yourlogicalfallacyis.com.)
Understanding this simple psychological concept makes you a more accurate thinker and a better decision-maker. (Interesting fact: This is the human characteristic that is often exploited for manipulation by propaganda.) 
If we know the best ways to choose sources to get factual data, we can then use critical thinking to weigh all the relevant components and derive a logical perspective that fits our character, ethics, and beliefs. 
There are many places we get news and some are more trustworthy than others. Scholarly sources are usually our best bet for real intelligence. "Scholarly sources are those that have been approved by a group with recognized expertise in the field under discussion. Books published by University Presses fall into this category, as do articles published in peer-reviewed journals—journals where the editors send pieces out to be read by experts in the field before deciding to publish them. Scholarly sources are not infallible, but their publication process includes many steps for verifying facts, for reducing political bias, and for identifying conflicts of interest (for instance, for informing readers when a drug company has funded research on its own product)." (Yale University) 
To ensure integrity in compiling factual data I used credible and reliable sources of information. All sources used are cited and linked. Please look at the citation information to make sound judgments and use then use this information to think critically. We should come to educated conclusions that stand to reason rather than following illogical ideology for safety and fairness. It is important to look for conflicting information as it is often presented even within one article. Small nuances in wording make big differences in one's comprehension of the message.
It would be best if you made decisions from the facts based on your values and reasonings. Remember, all sources have a bias. Determining whether the writer's perspective matches your own values is paramount. Do they put most importance on family, truth, life, justice, equality, money, etc.? These understandings factor into the decisions you make about the source.

"By identifying our values, we can begin to design a life that is in better alignment with our true self. Keep in mind that values are different for everyone—you are the only one who can identify your values." (Davis, 2018)

Not sure if you should be working or not? Read the guidelines here: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/cutting-through-the-fog-how-to-navigate-72516/

https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/CISA-Guidance-on-Essential-Critical-Infrastructure-Workers-1-20-508c.pdf

Important Facts to Consider:

    The coronavirus often infects clusters of family members, friends, and 
work colleagues. Leading experts agree on the steps that must be taken immediately.

  1.  Americans must be persuaded to stay home, they said. There should be a system put in place to isolate the infected and care for them outside the home. 
  2. Travel restrictions should be extended, they said; productions of masks and ventilators must be accelerated, and testing problems must be resolved.  
  3. “The American way is to look for better outcomes through a voluntary system,” said Dr. Luciana Borio, former director of medical and biodefense preparedness for the National Security Council.

·       Experts are united in the opinion that politicians must step aside and let scientists lead the effort to contain the virus and explain to Americans what must be done. (Just as generals take the lead in wartime —medical experts should now explain complex ideas like epidemic curves, social distancing, and potential medications.

·       If all Americans froze in place for 14 days the whole epidemic would sputter to a halt. The virus would die out on every contaminated surface and it would be evident who is infected.

·       If we had enough tests for every American, even those with no symptoms, cases could be found and isolated. The crisis would be over. But we do not have enough tests.

·      The goal of lockdowns and social distancing is to approximate that "freeze."

·      The chief medical adviser to the White House Coronavirus Task Force agrees and advocates restrictive measures all across the country.

·      The weaker the shut-down that we employ, the more people will get sick and potentially die in overburdened hospitals. This extends the time it takes for the economy to restart.  
Source reliability information:



Facts about coronavirus:

 https://www.factcheck.org/a-guide-to-our-coronavirus-coverage/

·      The virus causes a pneumonia-like respiratory illness that varies in severity but can be deadly. Symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
·      In some cases, people are infected but have no symptoms. 
·      It’s not yet known how frequently people die from COVID-19. The reported fatality rates have fluctuated, hovering around 2-3% in late January, and around 4% as of March 18. (For comparison, SARS killed around 10% of infected people, if not more, while seasonal influenza typically kills 0.1% or less.)
·      According to a February study by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 14% of cases in mainland China were severe and 5% were critical.
·      People who are infected do not show symptoms until around 4 days later. That time could range from 2 to 14 days. Even though they have no symptoms, people can transmit the virus to others during that period. Because of this, people who have few or no symptoms may be responsible for the bulk of the disease spread.
·      It is possible to contract the disease by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching your face. A study released in mid-March found the virus could be detected for up to 24 hours on cardboard and much longer on hard surfaces including plastic and stainless steel — the virus can live for up to two to three days.
·      It’s unclear exactly how infectious the virus is. Using a variety of methods, figures generally range from 1.5 to 4. This suggests the transmissibility is roughly in line with that of SARS, but below that of the measles virus, which has an R0 of around 12 to 18. Measles are one of the most infectious viruses in the world. https://www.factcheck.org/a-guide-to-our-coronavirus-coverage/

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The statistics from Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) on infection/death rates are no longer reporting a nation-wide number of deaths. They are now breaking it down by state- or in some cases, counties within a state. They even listed the two separate cruise ships as entities. 
 Adding every county up by hand, the U.S. has 392 deaths as of 10am per this John-Hopkins map. That puts the U.S. in 5th place for # of deaths. Far above Germany and just behind France. We are currently in 3rd place for confirmed cases of the virus (although that number of cases is extremely low versus the reality because testing is not being done and we must consider that people are contagious before ever showing signs that they are sick.) https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6















Citations:

Brandeis University. (2020, March 12). Retrieved March 23, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandeis_University

Center for Science. (n.d.). Global Cases at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). Retrieved March 23, 2020, from https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

Davis, T. (2018, July 12). 39 Core Values—and How to Live by Them. Retrieved March 23, 2020, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/click-here-happiness/201807/39-core-values-and-how-live-them

Factcheck.org. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2020, from     https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/?s=factcheck.org

Health System Tracker. (n.d.). Hospital beds per capita. Retrieved March 23, 2020, from https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/indicator/quality/hospital-beds-per-capita/

Mcneil, D. G. (2020, March 22). Harsh Steps Are Needed to Stop the Coronavirus, Experts Say. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/22/health/coronavirus-restrictions-us.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage

Media Bias Fact Check: New York Times. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2020, from https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/new-york-times/

Yale University. (n.d.). Scholarly vs. Popular Sources: Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning. Retrieved March 23, 2020, from https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/writing/using-sources/principles-citing-sources/scholarly-vs-popular-sources