Before I begin, let me just get this off of my chest, as I have pretty much not said this during the last year.
During the absolute disaster known as 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, it's been tough. For a while, I had a lot of rage issues. Losing so much to the pandemic -time, doing this I spent a number of years planning, not being able to see people in person, someone I know died from the COVID- as well as knowing that this pandemic wasn't ending anytime soon, I was angry. I was also angry with the incompetent response to COVID-19 from the state, local, and federal government. The disinformation, the appeals to emotion, appeals to authoritarianism, and the inability for people to stop politicizing the pandemic (either claiming it's fake and that wearing masks = communism, or claiming you hate people and want them to die unless you mask up and stay home), and the absolute joke of a stimlus package that the split Congress passed that was full of pork for special interests... and people wonder why people say "taxation is theft". I was also frustrated since I knew that no matter what arguments were made, neither side cared, and were just going to virtue signal make dishonest arguments to anyone who dissent.
I know, the pandemic doesn't end just because we want it to, but you seriously cannot expect people to just comply without growing restless, and then really confrontational after awhile -especially when politicians who tell us to stay home, get caught not staying home. And how can anyone get upset with the statement "I want my life back"? After all, a bunch of people who don't know you are claiming to know what's best for you and are telling you that you will be much better off giving up so much. I have given up quite a bit, but at some point, we all have to say "no." These people have asked for long enough, and at some point, people must override their requests, reasonably.
Yes, we can wear masks, socially distance, wash our hands, and stagger our time in public (one group is in a spot at one point, another group is there in another time), and I'd say that's a fair compromise. You are well within your rights to make recommendations, and people are well within their rights to say "no", and natural selection will take care of them, if they are reckless. I am no anti masker, I believe COVID-19 is a threat, and we cannot be reckless, but the thing that is so frustrating is that the CDC has originally discouraged mask wearing, before changing their mind, but people used that to attack them, and the CDC's reputation took a big hit during the pandemic, due to them changing their guidelines on critical issues due to pressure from the President who downplayed the pandemic. No striketrhough, that's what happened.
N95 masks are stronger than cloth masks, but they aren't used by the general public, since the medical workers are the top priority. Also, apparently a bunch of fake n95 masks were captured, recently. All I can say is that if we could ramp up production of n95 masks, I'd be much less tired of wearing masks, especially during break, at work.
With that out of the way....
I stay sane by keeping the consumption of negative news to a minimum (I have always done this), and I read. I read whatever books I have nearby, and I simply just read. I listen to music, shuffling the playlist, and seeing what happens. I write (whether it's this or not), I read about policies I support (and oppose), and I have pre COVID nostalgia trips, and make post pandemic plans, such as:
1. Respectfully asking "At what point will these requests stop? I'm not demanding to be served without me wearing a mask. I'm not demanding that people stop wearing masks, but what I am asking is when this all the demands from those who want state sanctioned mask mandates, and (a small group of people -private citizens most likely-) mandatory lockdowns going to stop?"
2. Drafting an example of State Constitutional amendments that would restrain a Governor or Mayor's powers to use executive orders to act like dictators and using tragedies to silence dissent. (I have thought about this an awful lot, and it's the only necessary way to stamp out conspiracy theorists and to rebuke the authoritarians who don't let a tragedy go to waste).
3. Drafting an example of new legislative rules that would prohibit "pork barrel" legislation, since the 5,593 COVID-19 stimulus bill of 2020 saw:
"Exhibit A: 'Of the funds appropriated under title III of the Act that are made available for assistance for Pakistan, not less than $15,000,000 shall be made available for democracy programs and not less than $10,000,000 shall be made available for gender programs.'"
If a Country "needs" "democracy programs", they are helpless. If a Country "needs" "gender programs", then they can pay for it themselves or they aren't getting it. It's things like this that bring nationalists and their bile around.
"Exhibit B: Funds for "Resource Study of Springfield (Illinois) Race Riot." That riot occurred in (checks notes) 1908."
Learning history is important, but this isn't relevant to the bill, and the bill should have failed for this being included (as well as the other examples).
"Exhibit C: 'Statement Of Policy Regarding The Succession Or Reincarnation Of The Dalai Lama.'"
I'm not familiar with who that is, and not a single member of Congress should care enough to know either, considering that this person isn't relevant to the legislation.
Safety is important, this is not relevant to the bill, and people who don't know that can learn through natural selection.
"Exhibit E: Another $40 million will be allocated "for the necessary expenses for the operation, maintenance and security" of The Kennedy Center, which received $25 million in another COVID-19 relief bill earlier this year. Also in a related story, the Kennedy Center has been closed."
The Kennedy Center deserved to be shut down for getting a dime in taxpayer funds (no center should unless it's fighting cancer, or some disease in general, the arts can fend for themselves).
"Exhibits F, G, H, I, J: $86 million for assistance to Cambodia; $130 million to Nepal, $135 million to Burma, $453 million to Ukraine, $700 million to Sudan."
No more foreign aid. I'm no isolationist, but we cannot forever give aid to the rest of the world without them giving back, and they never will.
"Exhibit K: The bill creates a Women's History Museum and an American Latino Museum as part of the Smithsonian. Overall, the Smithsonian gets (checks notes again) $1 billion."
I have zero problem with these museums existing, as long as taxpayers who don't want them to exist don't have to pay for them. And after this reckless bill, I'm in the "no more stimulius" camp. Congress cannot be trusted to avoid jamming their pet projects in there. They have poisoned the entire thing.
4. A Constitutional amendment giving the President the line-item veto remove this nonsense from legislation since these pet projects would never survive on their own.
5. Drafting articles of impeachment against Mayors and Governors who abuse their authority in the name of "security". Both Democrats, and Republicans.
6. Going to public events (political and apolitical) to remember what the pre-COVID-19 life was like.
7. Being grateful it's over. Need I say more?
8. Moving on.
I stay calm by avoiding the hellscape of the politics of COVID-19, knowing that one side will assume you want people to die if you oppose the power grabs by Mayors and Governors, and the other side will accuse you of being a communist for wearing masks, and socially distancing. I stay calm knowing I have followed the health guidelines, and only complain when people say "lockdowns now", or "mask mandates" now. Business have the right to mandate it (although the CDC says "don't argue with anti maskers", which means that this whole mask wearing situation is a fucking joke), and I'll comply, but if no one is near me (outside) and someone says "wear a mask", I'm not complying. Ciao.
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Preceded by: "He's Acquitted, The January Exception Is Hereby Enacted."
Succeeded by: TBA
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