swine flu issue?

[joel]

Yeah, THAT!!!!
but it's complex... I WANT people to wear their motorcycle helmets and NOT smoke, because the bottom line hits ME in the POCKETBOOK!

That is one of the numerous reasons government welfare/redistribution is bad. It opens up this argument for all kinds of interference in our lives. The solution is to both not force them to wear their helmets and also not force you to pay for it if they harm themselves.

[seanD]

it is pretty scary, so glad i don't live in MA anymore.

But that's the problem. Assuming this bill is only being introduced in MA is not a sure bet it won't happen in other states. Ignorance about what's going on is bad enough, but this is also where apathy is so dangerous. If they think they can get away with it in MA with no protests or very little problems, then this will set the trend nation-wide. And If they're making a big deal now over a few deaths, what will happen when flu season hits, and that 30,000 + a year average start dropping like flies from the regular flu? If the hype and fear-mongering trend of today continues three months from now, heck, they're likely to declare a national emergency.

[ASquared]

that would be scary. and who says that's not the ultimate goal? perhaps there's something REALLY big on the horizon and an "epidemic" is simply a cover? I'm not an extreme conspiracy man, but I do believe the people with power do things they don't want us regular folk to know about and cover them up with other, horrible things. man, I won't be able to sleep tonight!

[seanD]

that would be scary. and who says that's not the ultimate goal? perhaps there's something REALLY big on the horizon and an "epidemic" is simply a cover? I'm not an extreme conspiracy man, but I do believe the people with power do things they don't want us regular folk to know about and cover them up with other, horrible things. man, I won't be able to sleep tonight!

It's really not about a conspiracy theory. We have facts to go on...

Fact #1) They are hyping swine flu, and have declared it a level 6 pandemic, when it hasn't even killed a fraction of people that a normal influenza kills each year.
Fact #2) They are trying to pass a bill in MA that would give government the power to shut down the state, invade private property, and force inoculations or quarantine.
Fact #3) Obama is "persuading" people to get the vaccinations (at least two, not counting the normal influenza vaccine), even though the vaccine has caused mild to severe health problems, including death in some cases.
Fact #4) 30,000+ people die each year from normal influenza viruses, so we should expect a typical number this year.

I guess if you add up those 4 facts, might lead one to be curious about what will happen in three to four months from now.

[Conductor42]

I saw a news article recently that said that the numbers of deaths world-wide from H1N1 so far is about the same as a bad long weekend on American highways.

And far less than the deaths from the other "regular" flus that occur each year.

The worry is that H1N1 is more dangerous than the other flu - if it did spread across our continent like the common cold, we could be dealing with a lot more deaths than what you'd expect from the "normal" flu.

[seanD]

The bill in Mass was approved by the House:

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.s...okd_by_ma.html


Obama has just declared the swine flu a national emergency?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091024/...bama_swine_flu


The swine has killed about 5k people in the entire world. Yet a regular influenza kills 30k+ people in the US alone every year. And it's not even flu season yet.