Yesterday Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins announced a new mechanism for measuring the spread of coronavirus in our 909 mi² county and thus a recommendation-only for the public movement or outings by residents of Dallas County.
As of yesterday, May 11, 2020, new infection cases of COVID-19 in Dallas County reached 253. For at least the last 10-12 days the county has seen new cases hit about 250 per day. Jenkins was reluctant to say with certainty that we have finally plateaued with new cases, but he was willing to speculate that we might be getting there soon. Judge Jenkins did remind Dallas County, however, that we are still in the Red-phase of highest concern and precautions. Let me restate and emphasize that again: We are still squarely inside the Red-phase of public health and safety! Red is the recommendation to stay home unless your’re performing essential (critical) activities.
What exactly are those “essential” (critical) activities? Fortunately, he and Dallas County health experts spelled them out precisely here in this public document! Below is the top of page 3, but I hope you can take a quick look at the entire table.
The full Table begins on pages 3 — 6 and list exactly what the acceptable activities should be and by default exactly what is NOT acceptable or recommended.
Personally, I am undecided as to the real projected effectiveness of this measuring system then recommendation-only guideline for an already restless, rebellious, very self-consumed (minority?) population in our county, the DFW metroplex, and many specific 2016 demographic areas across Texas. Therefore, I wanted to ask my Followers and visitors your thoughts. Share below your opinions about this new Color-coded Alert system. Do you think it can be effective for 2.7-million residents of Dallas County? If so, why? If not, why not? Your feedback is valued and appreciated. Meanwhile…
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It probably isn’t a horrible idea? But it brings back memories of the color coded terrorist alert system which no one paid any attention to, and I suspect most people won’t pay any attention to this either. Certainly not the “I need a haircut and I don’t give a f*ck if it spreads and kills your kid with diabetes and your grandparents” crowd.
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I agree with you Grouchy, “I suspect most people won’t pay any attention to this either.” If the growing minority of white American Republicans haven’t abided by the March — May (June?) restrictions/orders to Shelter-at-Home, how is a color-palette expected to inspire civil obedience for public health and safety!? These people didn’t take any enforcement/fines seriously over disobedience, why should they now?
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If you allow a community medical team to establish the local risk by means of a colour chart (displayed and updated on a regular schedule), then everyone in that community has a single source to reference rather than an over- or under-concern dictated only by personal belief or vague recommendations from who knows who. Businesses can reference it to justify their activities. Politicians can reference it to support policies and practices. Law officials can use it to underscore enforcement. Medical facilities can use it for staffing needs and requested supplies. And so on.
It’s a really good idea and should be supported at the state level so that local and state officials are on the same page from the facts on the ground when dealing with the federal government and media. A consistent, evidence-based, team-based and regularly updated public message goes a long way to build confidence and public trust and significantly helps reveals who the wingnuts are and who are reasonable and responsible citizens.
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Well Tildeb, I do agree with you. The “theory” is a good step in the right direction of united management, a guide for real teamwork, hopefully to the state level… or higher. However, my gut tells me that I know pretty well the average Texan, their mentality of The Lone Star within this less authoritative Union and federal government—that tRumpfy ‘I do/say what I want in the end, EFF YOU if you don’t like it’—and many Texans of a specific socioeconomic demographic and skin color will NOT respect this new color system and its justified use.
I would LOVE to be proven horribly wrong though!
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You can’t not supply income to people and then tell them to stay at home and reasonably expect them to comply. Well, you can, but all one is really accomplishing is the right setting for civil disobedience and social disharmony. No chart will bridge the gap.
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That point is well taken and can’t be completely denied, of course. However! 😉
Fortunately for me Tildeb, I come from an incredibly frugal paternal family of remarkable discipline and will-power to resist the non-stop bombardment of big business consumerism and material hoarding… often called Keeping Up with the Joneses.
Myself and my paternal family are long-time minimalists and have NEVER believed in showing off one’s wealth to the world. They’ve always put it all into either savings, investments, and then to keep a lid on ridiculous borrowing and high-interest credit cards. And I could list 2-3 pages of other Minimalist ways to save for emergencies… just like the one we are all in and suffering from now. But sadly this type of financial mentality/conservatism in the U.S. is almost unheard of since 1946! That said, I know perfectly well that there are exceptions to the rule/habit and one’s ability to do so. Many MANY Americans are very disadvantaged; in poverty simply by what zip code they were born and raised. For that reason me and my paternal family have almost all been service-oriented Americans, i.e. military, Democrats in government positions, medical-health workers, educators, volunteers, and in my case working in the Psych/A&D field and Special Ed in public schools. IOW, very few of us have concerned ourselves with hyper-ambitions of becoming millionaires or billionaires. 🙂
Nevertheless, personally I can sustain about 8-10 more months of this no-paycheck pandemic. I truly hope it doesn’t go that distance, but by comparison to most typical Americans? I am and my paternal family are apparently a dying breed of frugal Americans who could care less about the Joneses! So…
Here are the stats/percentages Tildeb of how well Americans put money/income away, save it not spend it, for emergencies or a rainy day according to Bankrate’s Financial Security Index July 2019:
There are many reasons why Americans and American families do not get into the habit of and STAY in the habit of not spending hard earned income needlessly on perishable, depreciating, impulsive, unimportant stuff, consumer products that 90% – 95% of the time we really DO NOT NEED to live our lives comfortably, decently, much less survive! The reason the U.S. is a vital major world economy contributor is mostly because big business—especially post-WW2—has turned Americans into consumer addicts with less control to buy too much stuff! This is why for the last 3-4 decades the storage unit market has gone thru the roof and become so lucrative. It still is today due to highly successful sales & marketing firms convincing Americans they cannot live without products to fill THREE 2,500 sq ft homes… with 2-3 car garages, a swimming pool, hot tub, tennis courts, and an average of 3-4 pets, including exotic 200-gallon aquariums or snake terrariums! Geeezzzzz! 🙄🤦♂️
Hence, is it any surprise at all that the vast majority of Americans cannot sustain a 2-3 month pandemic with barely any to no income!!!!??? Tis tis. The bottom-line is that 75% to 85% (or more?) of what most Americans spend their wages/income on contributes very very little, if at all, to a safety-net, emergency, rainy-day fund for a COVID-19 pandemic. I have already helped out several of my own friends on many occasions just because I could. But I cannot do that for everybody. Wish I could, but I and my paternal family do our part for the “team” and have always done our civic parts for the team! 💜
Maybe this crippling economic pandemic will teach Americans a huge, painful lesson as to what is REALLY most important in life other than hyper-consumerism and materialism. Maybe? Hopefully?
* – Source: https://www.bankrate.com/banking/savings/financial-security-june-2019/
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There is a tendency to always blame the victims… usually to make ourselves feel better, feel we have a certain amount of control, that our choices are the important ones, that the misfortune of others are because of some kind of moral failing. This is a strong tendency, in my opinion, strong enough to overshadow much larger systemic problems. And one the most pressing problems is the indisputable trend of income inequity, a trend that is causing a significant decline in the middle class not upwards but downwards. You cannot alter a strong domestic economy into an import economy without altering the working class status downward… while hoping, of course, the laid off will gain by reeducation and retraining and entrepreneurial skill. How much or little this happens really is not dependent on the individuals strength of moral fiber as it is on programs and policies that support the shift.
So the question is whether or not programs and policies have insured this shift. And in the States, we see tuition skyrocket, federal retraining programs get defunded, and fundamental aspects of a social safety net decay. This intentional practice explains the downward economic trend for the vast majority of Americans regardless of their moral fiber. Just as a quick example, Warren Buffet admits that he pays a much lower rate of tax that the cleaning woman he employs for slightly more than minimum wage. Where exactly are these savings for her supposed to come from? And the small house she wants desperately to buy advances in value at a greater rate than her ability to save for a downpayment. Moral fiber I think has very little to do with systemic problems like living paycheck to paycheck and going into debt when borrowed money is cheap to procure. It’s especially cheap for those who have equity in things like… homes.
In Canada, the very first federal response to shutting stuff down was a guaranteed and fast access to $2000 per month for ANYONE laid off due to the shut down. Remove that financial desperation and you create a civilian population willing and able to stay home. Without that, we see populations under ever-mounting stress to go to work regardless of the health risk. They have families to feed and if they have to risk their lives to do so, then why the hell not gather in groups, too, because it seems NO ONE is looking out for them.
I think this kind of problem is a two way street. Bailing out businesses with 1.5 trillion dollars and then distributing .5 trillion to all the other agencies and states and local governments and essential workers before considering the average working house cleaner tells me in no uncertain terms who is valued and who is not. So, to be fair, how much loyalty and dedication to the public welfare should so many people have when they know perfectly well they are at the very back of the line?
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Well, I’m sure I don’t have to say it or clarify (defend?) myself because I know Tildeb you were not singling me out. But today and in my previous comment above I do not blame the unfortunate, the disadvantaged, the impoverished, or the disappearing lower-middle class and middle-middle class of the U.S., especially during this hard, crippling pandemic. No, that wasn’t my implication. Apologies if it came across that way. However…
It is exactly those demographics of society that always suffer the most and the worst compared to the upper 10% of the nation. They suffer in wars/conflicts—because our military must recruit from those populas-sectors who otherwise have very few or no career opportunities after H.S. or a GED—and very very few of our society’s upper-classes would ever consider enlisting in our military. Whatever for? And usually during and after some natural disaster, or catastrophic natural calamity, i.e. Hurricane Katrina, etc, it is almost always those citizens who could not afford to live in non-flood regions (turned into residential real estate cheaply, duh!), or too near active volcanoes, or on top of fault-lines of earthquakes, etc, etc. This is civilization’s history over many centuries. Can we change that today? Can we KEEP progressing forward in changing those danger-zones in those demographics?
Of course we can over several generations! It is a never-ending battle Tildeb. We need more altruists and philanthropists (with pure virtues) to keep fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves simply because of the zip code they were birthed inside. There is most definitely a clear-cut ceiling for what one human being needs to live well, live decently, and a ceiling for every family. Beyond that… the extra cream, icing, and perfectly GOOD leftovers (from excess) SHOULD go to the less fortunate. Period.
That’s what I was stating, implicitly and explicitly, perhaps poorly. As Hillary Clinton coined wisely and profoundly to remember, always… “It takes a village.” 🙂 ❤️
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I was trying to raise the issue that setting up the economic conditions for success by government with a medically sound stay-in-place order I think plays a key, role and that those conditions were not met; instead, the economic conditions were allowed to dictate a return to work regardless of the virus, regardless of medical advice, regardless of the very real danger to others in doing so. The blame for that lies squarely with the failure of the federal government to set the necessary conditions.
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Ah, yes. On that I wholeheartedly agree Tildeb! This entire coronavirus cluster-fuck could’ve been addressed much, much quicker, managed and organized much, much better had the warnings of medical experts been heeded by first the federal government, then second the states… overseen by Washington D.C. Had that been done back in January and February this economic cluster-fuck, unemployment claims, hospital insurance claims, etc, etc, could’ve not only been soften, but shortened too by months. Instead, our POTUS has shot himself in his own foot and exacerbated exactly what he feared most in Jan – Feb: our crippled/failing economy and work-forces! Such a dim-wit.
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This cluster-fuck is the inevitable result of believing that narrative trumps reality (no pun intended). Trump spent months pretending his narrative – if he just spoke to enough people – would define reality… and he’s still doing it. What is astounding to me (you’d think I wouldn’t be surprised anymore) is that because people WANT to believe something is the case, they will insist it MUST be the case… hence the dogged loyalty to the Trump narrative. To do otherwise would tear down the framework in which the world is understood. And that’s asking too much. That’s why the attempt is often falsely described as ‘hateful’ and ‘disrespectful’ and ‘intolerant’; it’s really disturbing!
This following the narrative is no different in my opinion than the religious believer who, honestly and earnestly and filled with good intentions, thinks it’s effective trying to pray away the gay, or pray away the disease, or pray away the harshness and indifference of the natural world, and thereby pray away the suffering and pain and sorrow by believing a replacement world will soon be available… but only to those who believe in the same framework! The core problem here – once again and in capital letters – is BELIEF in thisn religious sense of the term. And once you make this faith-based belief the virtue, and facts and evidence and reality the vice, then there’s no way back… unless the believer has some cause to doubt that faith-based belief IS the virtue.
This is why it’s so important to steer away from empowering faith-based belief in preferred narratives and back towards justified confidence – evidence-based beliefs – in reality to arbitrate our beliefs about reality. It’s really important to steer people away from politicizing, say, the virus, where partisan narrative becomes the examining tool, and framing using and relying on reality alone, framing it as purely a medical issue with facts and evidence and explanations and experimental results of effective physical responses as the measuring tool.
It’s really hard to change a person’s framing (but incorrect framing very often threatens us all) so I continue to harp on why supporting any reality-denying narrative is always a bad idea… because the method (epistemology) undermines the results (ontology). It becomes circular in justification. In other words, how we try to figure stuff out very much determines what we figure out, what we believe, what we think is true, right, moral, and proper.
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Very well stated Tildeb! Particularly the part about ‘steering away from empowering faith-based beliefs’ instead of evidenced-based beliefs! 👏🏼👍🏼
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This video shows my neck of the woods about 45 days into the shut down. All essential businesses and government infrastructure are open, transit is free for those workers, and people are free to be outside for exercise, get to and from work, and restock as needed. But people are urged to stay in place as much as they are able. This is the result (the city is about 450,000).
I don’t think you can have this level of cooperation if people cannot rely on timely and easily accessible financial help not just for income replacement for individuals to have money deposited to their bank accounts to meet immediate needs but insurance, commercial rent, bridging loans, municipal, provincial, and federal tax payments rescheduled, across the board lowering of utility rates, back end deferred mortgages, and so on. There are many different programs for small, medium, and large businesses, increases of minimum wage for all essential workers, danger pay for any front line worker, lump sum payment to seniors to offset additional charges to stay home, and so on. Nearly 90% of active cases in this province are in or directly attributable to long term care. Community spread is extremely low and the numbers are dropping steadily. The definition of an ‘outbreak’ is now 1 and testing is ramping up.
There is a very strong feeling that everyone is in this together. The voice overs are from our Prime Minister and Premier who continue to offer daily briefings and lead governments that continue to respond to raised issues… like the loss of summer employment for students, the criteria for testing, the additional costs to seniors for staying in place with drug prescriptions and shopping delivery, and so on. The response by the community and those who can help (like retired doctors, nurses, personal support workers, the military ) has been nothing short of inspiring. The most common question seems to be, “What can I do to help?” And so I feel this is possible, I think, only because of such a strong feeling that everyone is in this together and treated as equally important by all levels of government that allows people to be their best rather than allow conditions to deteriorate for fiscal reasons so that it draws the worst out of people.
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That is a great video. 🙂
Yes! What can I/we do to help each other within very safe parameters of virus-protection. We do have many people here in Texas Tildeb that share the same attitude and teamwork as you Ontario, Canadians. We just need many more! These are the type of public disasters, health disasters that rear our State’s long, long ugly history of PROUDLY being that audacious Big Lone Star! This is taught (driven into our brains) in our public schools for generations! Case and point, did you know…
Here when I was a Special Ed teacher, we had to recite, standing up, the Texas Pledge of Allegiance FIRST, then the U.S. allegiance last. Many Texans today fond and proud of our 1861-65 Confederate heritage boast that we don’t need the U.S. and can secede again if we choose. 🙄 This is the ingrained collective egotism to which I refer belonging to a specific socioeconomic demographic here with a particular skin-color. THIS is what chaps my A**, well chaps my chaps and spurs 😉 going thru this COVID-19 pandemic more polarized than “together.” 😔
* – Source: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2014/7/4/1311444/-Seventeen-states-have-flag-pledges-Two-include-vows-to-die-for-their-flag
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Tildeb, this posted about 15-mins ago on our NBCDFW.com website* …
Dallas County May Lose Crucial Federal COVID-19 Testing This Month — Dallas County officials working with federal government to again extending coronavirus testing at two drive-through locations. An excerpt:
Emphasis mine. And THAT is one huge reason why I think Gov. Abbott and his imbecile Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are being pushed/forced to do the bidding of their GOP supporters and protesters—again, a specific socioeconomic demographic in Texas with a specific skin-color—and not what the true experts with vast amounts of experience, high-quality education, and resources from many other experts around the country and world, and NOT what is in the best long-term interests of public health and safety FOR ALL TEXANS!
* – Source: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/coronavirus/dallas-county-may-lose-crucial-federal-covid-19-testing-this-month/2368096/
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While I think it is a wonderful idea, I don’t believe “non-essential” businesses will take heed and close/work from home on those days, which forces people to go into work whether the medical team deems it high risk or not.
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First of all Stephanie, welcome WELCOME Lady!!! 😍 Please come around more often and share! Engage! I would love it! ❤️
I totally agree with you, and I especially get irritated/infuriated that some/many people will be PUSHED back into a work environment side-by-side with defiant, rebellious Me-doers, not wearing necessary masks and gear to protect everyone. Case and point…
From my later addendum in my May 10th blog-post A Salute Before the Storm. Does anyone want to have a coworker like Kevin Bain!? 🥺
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Stephanie, on a completely different topic, but one very close to both our hearts and love for dancing… 😢😩
Did you hear about, know about this?
https://www.fox4news.com/news/lizard-lounge-in-deep-ellum-shutters-its-doors-due-to-coronavirus-pandemic
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Considering the current sensibilities of many Texans, perhaps it won’t be effective. However, such a simple, easy to recognize warning system is a prudent thing for government officials to do. Even if it only marginally inhibits the spread of infections, and only ends up saving a few lives, I’d say it was worth the effort.
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Like Tildeb was also commenting Robert, I agree with both of you. The “theory” is a good step in the right direction, from a more unifying, simplifying management standpoint. But you are right, that specific socioeconomic demographic of Texans, with a specific skin-color, regularly do NOT take restrictive orders very well at all!!! I mean, just take a look at their custom-made arsenals here which can equip an Army Battalion!!! 😲
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Like everything else in Texas, the gap between theory and practice is… BIG!!!
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😆 Very true! Everything is bigger in Texas, especially our big empty craniums with EXTRA BIG egos! 😉 😛
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Did you see this? I shouldn’t laugh, but I am.
Texas Woman Who Claimed COVID-19 Was ‘Media Driven’ Hoax Dies From Virus
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2020/04/texas-woman-who-claimed-covid-19-was-media-driven-hoax-dies-from-virus/
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Shhh… don’t send this to chicagoja; he knows the truth, that the whole Covid-19 pandemic is really a liberal media driven conspiracy. Anything so biased as facts, data, and evidence – even deaths – have no place in his bubble world.
Imagine what could happen to his imaginary ethical and truth-seeking quest if that bubble were to burst? So messy. Very sad. A lot of people tell me it’s sad when lies are exposed. Many people might not know this, but I know lying… I’m a stable genius when it comes to lying. The best liar. Nobody knows lying – and conspiracies – better than I do. Except maybe chicagoja.
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And the beat goes on. It’s hard to believe/accept that people can be so taken in by such utter nonsense …
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Powerful lies. Beautiful lies. The best lies. People are saying they’ve never seen lies like this.
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OH MY, MY, MY!!! Thank you so very much John for sharing that!!! Yes, I shouldn’t be chuckling either, I know… poor taste and all. 😬 But seriously? Don’t F*CK with virology, science, and Mother Nature!!! DUH! You’ll never win!
That was gold John! Thank you 100x Sir! 😁
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Thank Lord Twitter 🙂
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I tend to agree with tildeb on this. Having something in writing can eliminate (or at least reduce) the “fake news” that so many want to hang their hats on. Of course there’s always the issue of who will abide by it …
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Yes, you, Tildeb, Grouchy, Stephanie, Robert, etc, are correct Nan. Theory is one thing, actual execution is a completely different monster all together. 🙄
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Just a slight step off the path …
I was just reading tildeb’s latest contributions related to how the Canadian government has taken care of their own during this crisis (of course I’m exceedingly envious). And then we consider what’s happening in the U.S. 😖
Anyway, this thought snuck in while I was reading. While we most definitely want a new leader for our country, I so wish we had the opportunity to choose from a young, forceful, innovative individual — one that would truly give us the assurance that s/he was in control and was doing everything possible to offset the fear, the uncertainty, AND the misinformation related to COVID-19.
But alas. Our choice seems to be limited to an old man who most likely has neither the physical nor mental energy to stare down this virus and its relentless efforts to rule. No doubt his efforts will be far superior to what we’re currently experiencing, but …
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Well, it’s a different political system altogether set inside a country of vastly different populations where compromise has to be paramount because divisions of power are very real. Working together is essential for anything to get done.
In addition, the Prime Minister is only the second in command (next to the Crown) and holds the position only with the support of the Cabinet – people who are also elected but hold Ministerial positions, like Defense Minister, Health Minister, and so on. It’s much more a team-based approach from representatives from all these disparate geographies and populations. So it’s not like how the pandemic is addressed falls on having a good leader; it falls on the entire party in power… in this case a party that holds a minority position (and so has to work with opposition leaders to pass anything) working with and through much stronger provincial leaders.
As you can imagine, getting something done is very hard so it is a national achievement involving dozens of leaders to come up with and pass into effect the dozens and dozens of programs and polices. Trudeau is simply one of the many faces, the national talking head in this case with a fair bit of popularity, of what you’re seeing and hearing. (BTW, one of the retired Ministers of Health Jane Philpott is volunteering time working at a Toronto home for disabled adults. These politicians, more often than not, really are outstanding and highly patriotic citizens.)
Just as an aside, Hillary would have made a fantastic Prime Minister I think (Canadians were truly shocked and dismayed she didn’t win) because getting stuff done by working with competing elements is a rare skill set held in high regard here. Talk is cheap; getting stuff done admirable. (The closest leader to being a true Canadian in spirit would have been Roosevelt in proposing and implementing a national strategy.) I also think the US in the long run would benefit greatly by a Biden presidency, especially if a longer view from the Oval Office is taken on grooming for the next Democratic presidency that can bring the center back into voting for a President more concerned about the country’s welfare than his or her own wallet. But the level of toxic partisanship – to the wild cheering of all of the US’ enemies – is poisoning the Republic to the extent where it might either actually collapse on itself or effectively split into achieving the South’s aim of the Civil War, the supremacy of the individual States.
We live in interesting times, n’est pas?
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I’ve often disliked or loathed our strictly Two-Party system Nan most of our nation’s history. Yes, we’ve had in the past smaller, less significant, less influential third-parties or fourth-parties, but for all intents and purposes the U.S. has known only TWO dominate parties throughout its very young life. Naturally this very limited binary-only system has serious drawbacks and flaws now for a modern USA. The dominate 2-party system is certainly antiquated now and it is past time to construct a more efficient, progressive 3-party system at the least—America and Americans are simply way too diverse, too complex now to have everything political to be black or white, A or B.
I feel that at least three dominate parties will encourage much more compromise, tolerance for understanding, thus more political patience, AND push Americans to THINK more regarding important civic, government, legislative, etc, issues than they do today. Therefore Nan, yes… many times in the past I wished there was a third (better?) candidate than we are sometimes stuck with every 2 or 4 years.
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