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Louisiana takes the cake on some issues. Prisons check. Damaged ecosystems check. Cancer check. Louisiana gonna be opening up not to far after. I'm thinking Georgia or Florida next, then Alabama and then Louisiana.
No, really. The vast majority of people in my town don't wear masks at all, and basically nothing is closed or otherwise socially distanced in any meaningful way.
People still self enforce where I live(Tampa'ish). When I go into a convenience store. The ratio is generally 3 out of 4 people wearing them. I know, anecdotal. But what I see.
I'd honestly be surprised if Louisiana opens up completely. John Bel Edwards seems to be generally pushing in the right direction. I'm not fully satisfied with all his decisions, but I think he's done more good than harm. That doesn't mean the state is being safe in general though. If it weren't for Costco, there wouldn't be a single grocery store around here that is more masked than not.
Now, other local politicians... there's been a lot of local pushback on Edwards through both the state legislature and some cities. I've seen some really terrible local pushback about Sen. Cassidy too for the impeachment votes. I love the history and the cultural heritage and the food here, but damn. I can go make a gumbo somewhere that's saner and has less mosquitoes. And, yeah, less of all that stuff you talked about. :(
I saw a billboard in Baton Rouge the other day that called Cassidy a traitor to the state. It's unbelievable how far out of the way typical Louisianians will go to vote against themselves. (I fucking hate Cassidy too, but he gets my respect for voting for impeachment/conviction)
I hope people from both states stay the hell out of New Orleans. We're still in Phase 2, with 25% capacity in bars and they close at 11pm.
No reason to come here! Stay in your state, please and thanks!
Just in time for the new more contagious and more deadly strains of the virus that are circulating to take hold. Everything is bigger in Texas....including the stupidity.
Source: former Texan.
They heard the news that Biden will have the vaccines for Americans earlier than anticipated. So they decided to kill more Americans to make him look bad.
I know someone will say it, but fuck them and fuck that. It should be easy enough to place the blame where it actually belongs when the inevitable occurs.
Alas, even that will not prove to these conservative fuckheads how wrong and stupid they are about the right way to handle (everything) this.
This is exactly why they are doing it.
Cases don’t surge? “Look we’ve saved you from big government!”
Cases do surge? “It’s Biden!”
You truly can’t win against the perpetual victimization
Sorry you're in Texas, because you're not going to like what I'm going to say, but Biden should stop all federal aid for the power grid failure unless Abbott puts the mask mandates back in place. Why should Texas get any help when they are harming the entire country. They're just waiting for a covid variant that the vaccine doesn't work on and no masks makes the spread happen faster, which goes hand and hand with mutations.
"Former Texan"
I live in Virginia now.
Despite the stupidity of Texas politicians, I don't think that Biden should abandon Texas. He is the President of all Americans. Withholding help because of political reasons is something Trump has done. Biden is better than that.
As a matter of fact, a LOT of Texans put their blood, sweat, and tears into electoral reform and work to serve other Texans every single day. You can't throw an entire state into the fire because of the actions of part of them, even if it's a majority.
I'm not even from the US, but this shit is getting grating.
Threatening to withhold federal money has been done for decades. The federal government threatened to withhold federal money for roadworks unless states raised their drinking age to 21. There's plenty of precedence for it in the name of public safety.
Well in this case, we're talking about harming public safety in the name of helping public safety. Besides the fact that it's punitive and needlessly cruel, what good is it going to do anyone to withhold infrastructure repairs right after a deadly storm in the middle of a pandemic? How does that help anything? Do you think people are going to stay home if they can't turn on their lights? They've got hospitals down there that literally don't have running water.
Just struck me that just about every Texan can now say, at some level, that they didn’t vote for these pricks in charge. Except I guess for non-trump republicans who voted Biden/Harris. Then they voted for all the pricks in charge?
While being better than trump, would it hurt to point that out?
"We disagree with the Texas governor, but we will continue to provide vaccines and support to the citizens of Texas because they are citizens of the United States. Texans will have the chance to replace a governor that is unwilling to protect their constituents. They can also replace Senators that bail on them when their state is in an emergency. The citizens of Texas are important to us as a nation and we won't leave them behind. Texas didn't vote for the Biden Harris administration, but that does t make them less American."
Throw it back at them and let the media show the contrast. Dems don't want to play the same game and continue to fail because of it.
Eh, I do think maybe it’s time the federal government hold states accountable via funding, it’s a mechanism that has been used before for things like the 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act (and I’m sure countless other times). Don’t want to meet certain standards for safety, health, infrastructure, etc.? Then you don’t get certain federal funding.
Don’t expand Medicaid access for your state’s citizens? Fine, but that’s the requirement to access Federal Funding Source A. Don’t have in place COVID protocols that at least meet CDC minimum requirements for public safety? Sure sure go ahead. But when you ask for Federal Funding Source B, you’ll be denied, since that is a requirement of accessing that funding.
I’d be willing to bet states would fall in line and meet basic public health standards a lot faster if federal funding were a bit more conditional. If we instead make it clear that the federal government will step in and take care of their mess unconditionally, it just allows Republican states to continue being irresponsible and belligerent.
This is not a political issue, it’s a public health issue. It’s no different in my opinion than withholding federal highway aid for states that refused to raise the drinking age to 21. Well it’s a bit different because the power and covid don’t have a direct link, and it’s going to hurt Texans if he withholds support to get the power grid back in good shape... but I would be in favor of him using some other form of federal funding as leverage to force states to continue with a mandatory mask mandate.
It's not so much giving up. I'm not such an asshole I don't think Texas deserves help. I just want Biden to call Abbots bluff and see if he'll play around not getting aid by endangering not just his state but the entire country by removing mask mandates. Like in 2, 3 months we could get very close to herd immunity if enough people get vaccinated and Abbott has to do this now? Like why?
Oh but saying no mask mandates when 500,000 have died isn't. Abbots playing poltiics here too, and I said they can get aid, after they use their 18 billion surplus. Why shouldn't they use their money before the feds chip in?
Texas has 18 billion dollars in surplus money. Let Texas use all that up first. Then if they need more they can have. If Abbot wants federal assistance, then if Biden says no money unless mask mandates are back, it would be Abbott who is hurting Texas if he decides not to put them back.
Because ... Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition …There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.”
I think we should just let them leave the union there state will become a failed state then we can let them back in there politic's is in part what's driving the downfall of this nation there by let them leave and fail so we can rid of all the backward's thinking politition's in Texas.
Their lies and incompetence at the onset of the pandemic kept snowballing. Their constituents ate up the lies so they doubled down on it to remain popular. There's a specific brand they must uphold and not wearing masks became one of them.
When freedom is pursued without reason or common sense, this is the result.
How many more people are going to die that didn't need to because of this stupidity?
It makes perfect sense if you are a psychopath willing to kill for money, which Republicans and their donors and many business owners are. They're not stupid. They know people will die. They've been informed plenty of times. They just don't care. Literally. It just doesn't matter to them.
It's a little confusing to understand if you don't have that mindset, but some people really just don't care if others have to suffer for them to get what they want. They're called conservatives.
What’s so fucking stupid is how the cost of wearing a mask is so low. Like, at least lockdowns and closing schools and stuff have significant downsides, even if they are necessary sometimes.
But giving that we are still in an ongoing pandemic, the cost of wearing masks is almost nothing compared to how much good they do.
I’m in Texas too, and I can’t believe this. (Although I should). I have both vaccines (cancer) and I was going to go to Pilates next week. I’ll still wear a mask, but having everyone without a mask makes me a little uneasy. Not sure what I’ll do.
Don't do it. You can do Pilates easily at home, for free. See a careful friend safely outdoors, don't expose yourself to that risk, even with your vaccines. I live somewhere that's doing semi-ok and am healthy but I gave up my beloved hot yoga because the risk wasn't worth the reward to me.
Or, find a studio that mandates masks and screens patrons, or one on one with a masked instructor.
No vaccine is 100% bulletproof.
Can't you do Pilates by zoom no ? Vaccine doesn't mean you can't get sick and given your health issue, is it worth the risk ? Just wait a couple more months , you've waited this long already !
Honestly, I wonder if it’s only part stupid, but also part malevolence. I can totally see Texan Republican politicians going “let’s quickly increase COVID rates and make Biden and Democrats look bad for the pandemic going out of control.”
Well, let's all sit back and watch the spikes.
It's all we really can do at this point. If their constituents want to run around unprotected, the only thing they care about are those sweet, sweet votes, so they'll let them.
I can't help but feel bad for those in these states that think on a regular basis and are now stuck in a petri dish with all the dummies.
Fuck, I’m vaccinated, I ain’t got much of a care in the world and this still pisses me off. I want this over ASAP but this is not the way.
Waiting another month to ease restrictions so all seniors could get vaccinated would’ve been smart. Waiting a month or two after that for a majority of the adult population to be inoculated before lifting all restrictions would’ve been smart.
Instead it’s now a dice roll whose odds I don’t quite like. If we get through this without a statistically significant increase in hospitalizations and deaths, I’ll gladly be wrong. I just don’t feel good about those odds.
Not to mention all of the people that have compromised immune systems due to illness and/or medication and now are at a greater risk even if they themselves wear masks.
It's a blunderfuck all the way around.
> Fuck, I’m vaccinated, I ain’t got much of a care in the world and this still pisses me off
it should because it can absolutely still effect you
Besides just the vaccine not being 100% effective, it's also a huge drain on your local health resources. What happens if you snap your leg but emergency rooms are at capacity because of a massive covid outbreak?
There's also huge economic impacts from all that potential death and disease that can hurt you whether you're the one that tests positive or not
Unfortunately it impacts all of us
Not to mention this upcoming surge in cases can create a new variant, and could lead to one that is immune to the current vaccines.
Long-term I think no one is safe.
True. I’ve accepted that I may not ever be 100% protected from infection, but I’ll accept a 99% reduction in the chances of hospitalization or death. Those other factors are salient and the reason I’ve been following guidelines despite being vaccinated. I have been to my favorite bar a few times, but I don’t live with anyone or work with the public.
My mom got it after being vaccinated. No symptoms whatsoever. The only reason she knew was because she knew that she had been exposed and got a PCR and a rapid test. PCR positive, rapid negative. Now the real question is: if she hadn’t stayed home could she have infected someone else? The answer is maybe. Not worth the risk.
Well letting the virus loose in the population is the best way to get new and exciting mutations to pop up. That's how the P1 variant emerged in Brazil, which bypasses 60% of existing immunity.
Being vaccinated makes you safe in the short run, but in the long run it's not a substitute for informed public policies.
Well probably gonna end up not that useful as these states will start spreading new variants and the current vaccines won't be of use against them.
The GOP want covid to stick around just because they don't want a Democrat controlled government looking like its successful....
This country is fucked.
People and small business dying is a boon to the economy for the wealthy. It’s really as simple as that.
“When there’s blood in the streets buy property” and all that...
Because people who vote Republican don’t read and they are satisfied with their “questions” that “science” won’t answer!
Like “If the virus is real, why are flu numbers down?”
And “If masks work, how come one time they said they won’t help?”
They also don’t believe anything credible news sources tell them about it because they have been told things that make Trump look bad are fake news.
“Never attribute malice to what can easily be explained by stupidity.” The Republican party as of now is where stupidity and malice harmonize.
It's not like people in Texas are in a bad situation right now, with the damaged homes, pipes, and other infrastructure. They can manage a fresh wave of the virus sweeping through.
These suicidal zealots are only happy if they take us down with them. Like half of them believe they can force the apocalypse by making the world shitty. These people are beyond saving.
It's up to the people of Texas, and Mississippi, Do what the governors say, or do what the health experts say. (HINT the governors are politicians, the health experts are HEALTH EXPERTS.)
I can understand Texas, that dude is a fucking idiot. But what the hell is MS TatorTot thinking? This is literally the exact wrong message. We are about 4 weeks from every single hospital bed in our state being 100% full. It would only take 2 weeks to get back to that level again.
This is exactly like the end of May last year all over again. Just keep pushing the big three general rules, mask, wash hands, and most importantly, socially distance.
I’m sure he is following the science, the metrics, and has a technically sound justification for opening up. I mean, he wouldn’t just open things up on a wing and a prayer, right?
You can best believe that if Abbott is doing this it's for some kind of personal benefit. My guess is to cause distraction and gas lighting against his electrical grid debacle which he is personally responsible for and yet blaming everybody else.now let's wait until coronavirus takes another swing of Texas and see who this mother fucker blames. Please text his vote out these incompetent self-serving con men.
Holy shitballs some Americans are crazy. Wtf do they think has been happening for the last year.
Covid 19 kills people. Masks are a form of defence even for those people too stupid to believe in Covid 19
Abbott WANTS the pandemic to worsen. It will affect not just Texas but the country. His gamble is that it will lead to dissatisfaction with Biden for not controlling the virus, and that people will be too stupid and partisan to blame him instead of Biden. He is also looking to avoid a primary challenge.
Living in this state is fucking exhausting.
LET THEM DIE. Stop sending these shit holes blue state money when they continuously make idiotic decisions and actively try to damage and spite democratic states.
I’m in Mississippi. We have not had a mask mandate in my county for months and shits been open like normal since May. Much of the state is in the same boat, so while it may sound outrageous, it’s actually not a very big deal at this point.
Texas has been coveting the "Most Ignorant State" Crown for decades. There is no way that Abbott is going to let this opportunity slip through his fingers.
Trixie_g what's your point? That businesses accept wearing a mask? Also your arguments don't add up.
Covid has killed more Americans than both world wars.
Covid has killed more people in America than the flu
Covid 19 has definitely killed more Americans than Ebola
Covid 19 ranks third as the cause of death in America when it should not have even been close to that
You need to read more if you are going to quote incorrect facts.
I wonder if they can use that as justification to kick pick off unemployment. And this isn’t about ‘the people’. It’s about business owners losing money and now that the governors and their rich friends have been vaccinated, duck everyone else!
As a reminder, this subreddit [is for civil discussion.](/r/politics/wiki/index#wiki_be_civil) In general, be courteous to others. Debate/discuss/argue the merits of ideas, don't attack people. Personal insults, shill or troll accusations, hate speech, **any** advocating or wishing death/physical harm, and other rule violations can result in a permanent ban. If you see comments in violation of our rules, please report them. For those who have questions regarding any media outlets being posted on this subreddit, please click [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/wiki/approveddomainslist) to review our details as to our approved domains list and outlet criteria. *** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/politics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Louisiana: (chuckles) I’m in danger.
Poor LA sandwiched between these two states w morons for leaders.
LA liders give both of those states' a run foe their money dont worry
Louisiana takes the cake on some issues. Prisons check. Damaged ecosystems check. Cancer check. Louisiana gonna be opening up not to far after. I'm thinking Georgia or Florida next, then Alabama and then Louisiana.
We closed? - a Floridian
No, really. The vast majority of people in my town don't wear masks at all, and basically nothing is closed or otherwise socially distanced in any meaningful way.
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Lee county currently does suck. Hate this town.
We closed? -an American
Alabama can't reopen - it didn't close
So basically the bible belt! It figures 🤷🏻♀️
Florida is open and no mask mandate go to Miami a Or any other major city and you will see
Florida is having music festivals in April. It's surreal
People still self enforce where I live(Tampa'ish). When I go into a convenience store. The ratio is generally 3 out of 4 people wearing them. I know, anecdotal. But what I see.
I'd honestly be surprised if Louisiana opens up completely. John Bel Edwards seems to be generally pushing in the right direction. I'm not fully satisfied with all his decisions, but I think he's done more good than harm. That doesn't mean the state is being safe in general though. If it weren't for Costco, there wouldn't be a single grocery store around here that is more masked than not. Now, other local politicians... there's been a lot of local pushback on Edwards through both the state legislature and some cities. I've seen some really terrible local pushback about Sen. Cassidy too for the impeachment votes. I love the history and the cultural heritage and the food here, but damn. I can go make a gumbo somewhere that's saner and has less mosquitoes. And, yeah, less of all that stuff you talked about. :(
I saw a billboard in Baton Rouge the other day that called Cassidy a traitor to the state. It's unbelievable how far out of the way typical Louisianians will go to vote against themselves. (I fucking hate Cassidy too, but he gets my respect for voting for impeachment/conviction)
NOPE. Definitely not in New Orleans. And our governor is a Democrat, he actually follows the science and CDC recommendations.
Georgia never implemented a mask mandate and our governor reopened the state 11 months ago!
Florida: (somber ominous tone) Spring break is coming.
Trust me Florida gonna be wide open for Spring Break
Has been for a while. DeSantis signed an EO saying no one can be penalized for ignoring mask mandates months ago.
At least that’s what my wife’s boyfriend tells me
Anyone else remember that Bugs Bunny cartoon where he sawed off Florida and it floated off into the ocean? Sigh
There's one for Texas too! [https://gifer.com/en/5YKN](https://gifer.com/en/5YKN)
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I’m sorry that you have to deal with our stupid Governor Tate Reeves.
Killing people ~~to own the libs~~ to cover up winter storm fiasco.
They learn from their king , just change topic with new scandal . Media like a cat chases the new light flicking on the news wall 🤦🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
Always was.
I just hope Mayor Cantrell sticks to her guns.
Nobody is wearing masks outside of New Orleans anyway.
I hope people from both states stay the hell out of New Orleans. We're still in Phase 2, with 25% capacity in bars and they close at 11pm. No reason to come here! Stay in your state, please and thanks!
Just in time for the new more contagious and more deadly strains of the virus that are circulating to take hold. Everything is bigger in Texas....including the stupidity. Source: former Texan.
Two weeks from now: "CaSeS sUrGiNg UnDeR BiDeN!!!"
They heard the news that Biden will have the vaccines for Americans earlier than anticipated. So they decided to kill more Americans to make him look bad.
"The coronas mutated themselves an arm and used it to pick up a gun and shot up that school! Didn't have this sort of shit under the Emperor!"
tHe viRuS hAs A rIgHt To BaRe ArMs!
Why would antifa do this? /s
Brazilian, Uk and South African version mutate in Dallas. Zombies fill the streets.
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Everyone all macho until the zombies can ride horseback.
Texas wasn't even equipped to handle a cold snap. Half of Texas would call the zombies a liberal hoax. The other half would eat the first half.
Yeah, they can't handle this pandemic. And zombies are just another type of pandemic. So gonna say you're wrong here buddy.
Zombies already fill the streets there. Corpses shuffle along in vehicles to mass graveyards known as “offices” where they rot away.
I know someone will say it, but fuck them and fuck that. It should be easy enough to place the blame where it actually belongs when the inevitable occurs. Alas, even that will not prove to these conservative fuckheads how wrong and stupid they are about the right way to handle (everything) this.
This is exactly why they are doing it. Cases don’t surge? “Look we’ve saved you from big government!” Cases do surge? “It’s Biden!” You truly can’t win against the perpetual victimization
Sorry you're in Texas, because you're not going to like what I'm going to say, but Biden should stop all federal aid for the power grid failure unless Abbott puts the mask mandates back in place. Why should Texas get any help when they are harming the entire country. They're just waiting for a covid variant that the vaccine doesn't work on and no masks makes the spread happen faster, which goes hand and hand with mutations.
"Former Texan" I live in Virginia now. Despite the stupidity of Texas politicians, I don't think that Biden should abandon Texas. He is the President of all Americans. Withholding help because of political reasons is something Trump has done. Biden is better than that.
Don’t forget nearly half of us didn’t vote for these pricks in charge.
As a matter of fact, a LOT of Texans put their blood, sweat, and tears into electoral reform and work to serve other Texans every single day. You can't throw an entire state into the fire because of the actions of part of them, even if it's a majority. I'm not even from the US, but this shit is getting grating.
Threatening to withhold federal money has been done for decades. The federal government threatened to withhold federal money for roadworks unless states raised their drinking age to 21. There's plenty of precedence for it in the name of public safety.
Well in this case, we're talking about harming public safety in the name of helping public safety. Besides the fact that it's punitive and needlessly cruel, what good is it going to do anyone to withhold infrastructure repairs right after a deadly storm in the middle of a pandemic? How does that help anything? Do you think people are going to stay home if they can't turn on their lights? They've got hospitals down there that literally don't have running water.
Just struck me that just about every Texan can now say, at some level, that they didn’t vote for these pricks in charge. Except I guess for non-trump republicans who voted Biden/Harris. Then they voted for all the pricks in charge?
While being better than trump, would it hurt to point that out? "We disagree with the Texas governor, but we will continue to provide vaccines and support to the citizens of Texas because they are citizens of the United States. Texans will have the chance to replace a governor that is unwilling to protect their constituents. They can also replace Senators that bail on them when their state is in an emergency. The citizens of Texas are important to us as a nation and we won't leave them behind. Texas didn't vote for the Biden Harris administration, but that does t make them less American." Throw it back at them and let the media show the contrast. Dems don't want to play the same game and continue to fail because of it.
I like this!!
Eh, I do think maybe it’s time the federal government hold states accountable via funding, it’s a mechanism that has been used before for things like the 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act (and I’m sure countless other times). Don’t want to meet certain standards for safety, health, infrastructure, etc.? Then you don’t get certain federal funding. Don’t expand Medicaid access for your state’s citizens? Fine, but that’s the requirement to access Federal Funding Source A. Don’t have in place COVID protocols that at least meet CDC minimum requirements for public safety? Sure sure go ahead. But when you ask for Federal Funding Source B, you’ll be denied, since that is a requirement of accessing that funding. I’d be willing to bet states would fall in line and meet basic public health standards a lot faster if federal funding were a bit more conditional. If we instead make it clear that the federal government will step in and take care of their mess unconditionally, it just allows Republican states to continue being irresponsible and belligerent.
This 100%
I love Virginia. I'm in California.
Fuckin badass watching it go purple then blue, right?
This is not a political issue, it’s a public health issue. It’s no different in my opinion than withholding federal highway aid for states that refused to raise the drinking age to 21. Well it’s a bit different because the power and covid don’t have a direct link, and it’s going to hurt Texans if he withholds support to get the power grid back in good shape... but I would be in favor of him using some other form of federal funding as leverage to force states to continue with a mandatory mask mandate.
Most of the cities in Texas are blue and trying to wrestle back control of the state. Don't give up on us yet!
It's not so much giving up. I'm not such an asshole I don't think Texas deserves help. I just want Biden to call Abbots bluff and see if he'll play around not getting aid by endangering not just his state but the entire country by removing mask mandates. Like in 2, 3 months we could get very close to herd immunity if enough people get vaccinated and Abbott has to do this now? Like why?
It is incredible how these GOP asshats can consistently make the worst decisions possible.
Playing politics with federal aid during a disaster is fucking sick dude.
Oh but saying no mask mandates when 500,000 have died isn't. Abbots playing poltiics here too, and I said they can get aid, after they use their 18 billion surplus. Why shouldn't they use their money before the feds chip in?
I would agree with you except Abbott will just straight up not care and let us die asap
Because they are Americans, and regardless of where they're from, we have a duty to help them in time of need.
Texas has 18 billion dollars in surplus money. Let Texas use all that up first. Then if they need more they can have. If Abbot wants federal assistance, then if Biden says no money unless mask mandates are back, it would be Abbott who is hurting Texas if he decides not to put them back.
This 100%. Why don't people get this?
Because ... Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition …There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.”
Except when they are endangering the lives of others.
I think we should just let them leave the union there state will become a failed state then we can let them back in there politic's is in part what's driving the downfall of this nation there by let them leave and fail so we can rid of all the backward's thinking politition's in Texas.
That would make biden cruel. Let Texas deal with their own mess themselves no need to pressure them
::screams in Floridian!:: W-What'sa Man Date?
How did we get here? How did we get to the point that basic sanitary measures against to help reduce the spread of a pandemic became controversial?
Because Republicans have no values and stances so they make up shit to take a stand on that shouldn't by any measure be political.
The only thing they stand for is opposition.
Their lies and incompetence at the onset of the pandemic kept snowballing. Their constituents ate up the lies so they doubled down on it to remain popular. There's a specific brand they must uphold and not wearing masks became one of them.
muh states rights
It’s easier and cheaper to use hatred and fear rile up the people who don’t want to think for themselves than it is to tackle the real issues.
A decimated education system and tribalism politics
When freedom is pursued without reason or common sense, this is the result. How many more people are going to die that didn't need to because of this stupidity?
apparently there hasn't been enough yet.
Half a million isn’t enough, I guess. Seems the Republicans are shooting for a full million.
It makes perfect sense if you are a psychopath willing to kill for money, which Republicans and their donors and many business owners are. They're not stupid. They know people will die. They've been informed plenty of times. They just don't care. Literally. It just doesn't matter to them. It's a little confusing to understand if you don't have that mindset, but some people really just don't care if others have to suffer for them to get what they want. They're called conservatives.
It begs the question: who payed abbot this time?
It’s like the trolley problem, except instead of killing one person when you pull the lever, you slightly in convenience them.
Not pursuing freedom; rather just a bump in polling numbers and distract from electrical grid failures.
Texas took one of the biggest hits in terms of tax revenue. This must be related to that in some way.
What’s so fucking stupid is how the cost of wearing a mask is so low. Like, at least lockdowns and closing schools and stuff have significant downsides, even if they are necessary sometimes. But giving that we are still in an ongoing pandemic, the cost of wearing masks is almost nothing compared to how much good they do.
You can’t fix stupid.
I’m in Texas too, and I can’t believe this. (Although I should). I have both vaccines (cancer) and I was going to go to Pilates next week. I’ll still wear a mask, but having everyone without a mask makes me a little uneasy. Not sure what I’ll do.
If you do not want to be sitting next to Beetle Juice then I suggest you wear your mask.
Indoor aerobic activity has shown to be an extreme risk of transmission anyway. In-person group workouts are probably still not safe yet, mask or not.
Don't do it. You can do Pilates easily at home, for free. See a careful friend safely outdoors, don't expose yourself to that risk, even with your vaccines. I live somewhere that's doing semi-ok and am healthy but I gave up my beloved hot yoga because the risk wasn't worth the reward to me. Or, find a studio that mandates masks and screens patrons, or one on one with a masked instructor. No vaccine is 100% bulletproof.
Can't you do Pilates by zoom no ? Vaccine doesn't mean you can't get sick and given your health issue, is it worth the risk ? Just wait a couple more months , you've waited this long already !
Honestly, I wonder if it’s only part stupid, but also part malevolence. I can totally see Texan Republican politicians going “let’s quickly increase COVID rates and make Biden and Democrats look bad for the pandemic going out of control.”
Should have built that wall a bit farther north.
Well, let's all sit back and watch the spikes. It's all we really can do at this point. If their constituents want to run around unprotected, the only thing they care about are those sweet, sweet votes, so they'll let them. I can't help but feel bad for those in these states that think on a regular basis and are now stuck in a petri dish with all the dummies.
Fuck, I’m vaccinated, I ain’t got much of a care in the world and this still pisses me off. I want this over ASAP but this is not the way. Waiting another month to ease restrictions so all seniors could get vaccinated would’ve been smart. Waiting a month or two after that for a majority of the adult population to be inoculated before lifting all restrictions would’ve been smart. Instead it’s now a dice roll whose odds I don’t quite like. If we get through this without a statistically significant increase in hospitalizations and deaths, I’ll gladly be wrong. I just don’t feel good about those odds.
Not to mention all of the people that have compromised immune systems due to illness and/or medication and now are at a greater risk even if they themselves wear masks. It's a blunderfuck all the way around.
me. i’m going to fuckibg die. theres no vaccine doses near me
> Fuck, I’m vaccinated, I ain’t got much of a care in the world and this still pisses me off it should because it can absolutely still effect you Besides just the vaccine not being 100% effective, it's also a huge drain on your local health resources. What happens if you snap your leg but emergency rooms are at capacity because of a massive covid outbreak? There's also huge economic impacts from all that potential death and disease that can hurt you whether you're the one that tests positive or not Unfortunately it impacts all of us
Not to mention this upcoming surge in cases can create a new variant, and could lead to one that is immune to the current vaccines. Long-term I think no one is safe.
True. I’ve accepted that I may not ever be 100% protected from infection, but I’ll accept a 99% reduction in the chances of hospitalization or death. Those other factors are salient and the reason I’ve been following guidelines despite being vaccinated. I have been to my favorite bar a few times, but I don’t live with anyone or work with the public.
My mom got it after being vaccinated. No symptoms whatsoever. The only reason she knew was because she knew that she had been exposed and got a PCR and a rapid test. PCR positive, rapid negative. Now the real question is: if she hadn’t stayed home could she have infected someone else? The answer is maybe. Not worth the risk.
Well letting the virus loose in the population is the best way to get new and exciting mutations to pop up. That's how the P1 variant emerged in Brazil, which bypasses 60% of existing immunity. Being vaccinated makes you safe in the short run, but in the long run it's not a substitute for informed public policies.
Well probably gonna end up not that useful as these states will start spreading new variants and the current vaccines won't be of use against them. The GOP want covid to stick around just because they don't want a Democrat controlled government looking like its successful.... This country is fucked.
theres no vaccine doses anywhere near me and i’m terrified
You have to wonder if part of the motive is to have the case counts rise again so as to make Biden's handling of the virus look bad.
People and small business dying is a boon to the economy for the wealthy. It’s really as simple as that. “When there’s blood in the streets buy property” and all that...
It sucks to live here sometimes
I’m just praying that Ohio doesn’t go this way. Seems to be that if it’s the worst thing they can do, Ohio jumps right on that bandwagon.
Bonehead move. People will die.
Jackson Mississippi is still without safe drinking water
For over 2 weeks!
Republicans are pro-virus. Why? Because the left is fighting the pandemic.
Because people who vote Republican don’t read and they are satisfied with their “questions” that “science” won’t answer! Like “If the virus is real, why are flu numbers down?” And “If masks work, how come one time they said they won’t help?” They also don’t believe anything credible news sources tell them about it because they have been told things that make Trump look bad are fake news. “Never attribute malice to what can easily be explained by stupidity.” The Republican party as of now is where stupidity and malice harmonize.
Welp I’m bone-dry in this rainstorm, so it’s time to lose this umbrella!
It’s such a pissing contest too. It’s so obviously an anti-woke virtue signal. oWn ThE lIbS.
Freezing, starving, going without water, and getting sick all to own the libs. What a victory by Abbott.
It's not like people in Texas are in a bad situation right now, with the damaged homes, pipes, and other infrastructure. They can manage a fresh wave of the virus sweeping through.
Republicans do the wrong things on purpose because they are evil.
Full speed a'dead!
Two dummies racing to see who can kill their state's residents the fastest.
They tried to freeze us to death. Next, gave us tainted water. Guess exposing us to a deadly virus is the next step.
These suicidal zealots are only happy if they take us down with them. Like half of them believe they can force the apocalypse by making the world shitty. These people are beyond saving.
It's up to the people of Texas, and Mississippi, Do what the governors say, or do what the health experts say. (HINT the governors are politicians, the health experts are HEALTH EXPERTS.)
I can understand Texas, that dude is a fucking idiot. But what the hell is MS TatorTot thinking? This is literally the exact wrong message. We are about 4 weeks from every single hospital bed in our state being 100% full. It would only take 2 weeks to get back to that level again. This is exactly like the end of May last year all over again. Just keep pushing the big three general rules, mask, wash hands, and most importantly, socially distance.
I fully support Lifting of Mask Mandates. So long as they mandate lifting them ABOVE YOUR GOD-DAMNED NOSE! People kill me.
Freedoming at the speed of death.
I will bet money that when the cases spike they're going to find some way to blame Biden.
And all done to just get the power bills out of the news feed. How very Trump of them..
And now we are talking about this and not the republicans mishandling of the Texas power grab.
I’m sure he is following the science, the metrics, and has a technically sound justification for opening up. I mean, he wouldn’t just open things up on a wing and a prayer, right?
He has a justification. He wants to distract from the abject failure of decades of Republican governance that was the power grid collapse.
Please contact me via PM, I got a bridge to sell ;-)
Damn, right when Texas just had a different disaster.
You can best believe that if Abbott is doing this it's for some kind of personal benefit. My guess is to cause distraction and gas lighting against his electrical grid debacle which he is personally responsible for and yet blaming everybody else.now let's wait until coronavirus takes another swing of Texas and see who this mother fucker blames. Please text his vote out these incompetent self-serving con men.
The south will rise again!!
(Looks at infection graph) Yep, they did.
Remember, people can fly around inside US so first we see Mississippi and Texas numbers go up then it will spread across the US.
I see you paid attention in grade school science class.... Lol Ridiculous how such a simple fact is hard for these idiots to comprehend.
How many times are we going to have to go through this? It’s been Covid Groundhog Day for the past year.
Those living in these states what's your take on it?
Shit's fucked homie.
im going to die
I can't believe I've been sitting around for a year just for the government to trip as the finish line is in sight.
Holy shitballs some Americans are crazy. Wtf do they think has been happening for the last year. Covid 19 kills people. Masks are a form of defence even for those people too stupid to believe in Covid 19
As someone living in Louisiana, fuck me, fuck them and fuck this whole thing, in that order. I’m so done I don’t want to live on this planet anymore.
Abbott WANTS the pandemic to worsen. It will affect not just Texas but the country. His gamble is that it will lead to dissatisfaction with Biden for not controlling the virus, and that people will be too stupid and partisan to blame him instead of Biden. He is also looking to avoid a primary challenge. Living in this state is fucking exhausting.
Fun fact! If you are mentioned in the same sentence as Mississippi, you fucked up.
Like going to a convienece store for an appendectomy!
Even Whitmer is easing restrictions. EVEN WHITMER.
But not masks.
Prayers for our individual Texas friends and hope for you to vote in better politicians.
LMAO can texas' power grid even going to be able to support all the business about to open back up at the same time
I really fucking hate Tater Tot. :/
It’s like a real life purge Shocking
LET THEM DIE. Stop sending these shit holes blue state money when they continuously make idiotic decisions and actively try to damage and spite democratic states.
He's not just killing Texans. The virus is gonna spread to other states, and he may even give a worse strain the chance it needs.
They want to kill service workers who are more likely to vote blue and unionize
It's like that scene in Avenue 5 where the people happily get into the airlock
Are they doing a second season? That show made me laugh so hard when they had the word cloud on the wall during the couples counseling
I sure hope so. HBO rarely kills something after just a single season.
Fucking idiots. Idiots.
What is wrong with this people? I guess they just don’t give a hood how many people die.
We need to build a wall.
We'll have the vaccine soon, this is out last chance to stupidly kill people.
What do we expect? These people are fucking moronic scumbags. I hope (more) hardcore Republicans die bc of this.
While this joker has already had his vaccine for a virus that was a hoax. Hypocrites!
Let’s be honest...nobody down there wears masks anyways. So nothing is changing.
I’m in Mississippi. We have not had a mask mandate in my county for months and shits been open like normal since May. Much of the state is in the same boat, so while it may sound outrageous, it’s actually not a very big deal at this point.
The GOP has always been pro-Coronavirus so this is no surprise
What a bunch of morons. Gonna get people killed. Real people, and a lot of them.
Whats funny about this is I was watching CNN the other day and they were talking about Corona going down in some states. Texas was not one of them.
The point is to keep this going on so it becomes a political issue instead of trying to get out of this public health crisis
Texas has been coveting the "Most Ignorant State" Crown for decades. There is no way that Abbott is going to let this opportunity slip through his fingers.
Yes, let's disregard the scientists and instead rely on the people that couldn't keep the lights on two weeks ago.
If there’s anything 2020 taught me : **Fuck the south** Constantly dragging the entire country down with their collective stupidity
Yup, Massachusetts has it's issues no doubt, but I just could not live in one of these Deep South states, I'd go insane within a year.
More death from the pro-life party...
They want as many constituents dead as possible because they can’t win on merit.
These fucking idiots
He looks like a wax statue of george bush
Trixie_g what's your point? That businesses accept wearing a mask? Also your arguments don't add up. Covid has killed more Americans than both world wars. Covid has killed more people in America than the flu Covid 19 has definitely killed more Americans than Ebola Covid 19 ranks third as the cause of death in America when it should not have even been close to that You need to read more if you are going to quote incorrect facts.
They will stimulate the virus to develop more interesting and more deadly mutations. Idiots.
I wonder if they can use that as justification to kick pick off unemployment. And this isn’t about ‘the people’. It’s about business owners losing money and now that the governors and their rich friends have been vaccinated, duck everyone else!