Consistency : agreement or harmony of parts or features to one another or a whole.
Hmm. Anyone notice how our government, elected officials, often display a lack of common sense? And, you know they have a whole crew of people working with them who could’ve raised an inquiring eyebrow - but for reasons that escape me, they don’t. I live in Wisconsin so the spur of my soapbox today is Governor Ever’s ‘Safety in Place’ order.
Side rant: try looking up the definition of safety-in-place vs shelter-in-place, it’s not out there (or, at least, it wasn’t as of 3-24-20). Today, he did share a visual image of what it means indicating there is a real difference. So, when various news outlets are reporting his ‘Shelter-in-Place order’ when that is incorrect the public react accordingly (and by react I mainly am referring to all the bitching and bickering on social media because that is primarily where people access the news these days). FYI - words matter. Use them correctly!
My husband, working an essential job, had this beautiful day off. The temp is supposed to be up to 50! However, we’re expecting rain all afternoon. So, he was quite eager to get out and go play a round of golf this lovely morning. Ope! Never mind. Looks like that is going to be a no-go, honey. Sorry!
From my Facebook post earlier today, which sums up my rant fairly well:
My poor husband. Off during outage and wanted to go golf - amid nothing but the squirrels, birds, and trees. Yesterday golf courses were considered like parks and trails - yet today, apparently........well, I guess not. There is greater risk of coming within 6 feet of many more people on a trail than on the course. Idiocracy!
There is no definition for the word Idiocracy, however, there should be. I am using that word in reference to the movie by that name. Look it up. Watch it. It’s funny - well, it was supposed to be. I find it more terrifying than any Conjuring!
So, as far as consistency goes, I was on the phone with a coworker this morning. We are remote workers and she happens to live in Florida. Their wide-open beaches are closed. Yet the narrower trails are open. Did you know New York is in a state of shelter in place? Ha! What a joke! No, apparently there are many flights coming into Florida from New York. These folks are being met with local law enforcement telling them to ‘self’ quarantine.....never mind where they will ‘park it’ and all the stops they choose to make anywhere in between. Note, from articles I’ve read the governor of Florida calls it a mandatory self-quarantine.....I’m trying to wrap my head around ‘mandatory’ and ‘self’ - mandatory means required by law. But, what’s the point in requiring something If you’re not going to ensure it? Sure, monetarily fine folks not adhering to this mandatory issuance - it’s after the fact - the damage is done. If you’re going to make a law, ensure it!
So, if orders for shelter in place are warranted, it should be a country-wide operation (and folks, it is my opinion that a ‘safer in place’ should not even exist. By example, rather than definition, it’s nothing more than a plea for people to stay home - same as before but now with a cherry on top). Microscopic organisms have no sense of borders. They don’t when they’re crossing the state line. So, for one state to shelter in place while the neighboring states do not - then what is the point? If you want to nip something in the bud that means you take drastic measures to get something over and done with quickly as opposed to this trickling effect, otherwise known simply as: following suit.
Furthering my soapbox spurred by our incompetent governor, bakeries, paint stores? Window and glass stores.....I read a comment somewhere about how a business was able to call themselves essential because ‘once, a few years ago’ they had an order come in for a healthcare business. If we allow businesses to delve deep to find ways to fit into the parameters set forth by our ‘no balls’ governor, then why bother setting any parameters at all. Stop trying to appeal to the people! Elected officials are put in office to represent the people but they are also responsible for making the hard choices. If he had a backbone at all he’d stop talking, stop imploring, and stop trying to be the peoples’ friend! Do what needs to be done but if you’re going to do it - do it right. Look ahead, map it out, and act accordingly now, not 4 weeks from now when you realize your inadequacy has cost folks a whole month of wages, activity, and SO much more!
Now, I’m not really sure how I feel about all the hype, to be honest. I’m a bit outside of it all since I work from home and have discovered that my usual state - IS - a state of quarantine. However, what I understand is that the healthy ones of us risk sharing the virus we may not know we have with the unhealthy. There are far less unhealthy individuals in this country to which I think, why wasn’t having the unhealthy quarantine themselves the first step. If my neighbor was ill with a current, or a history of, disease that puts them at risk, I’d happily deliver groceries to their porch, get their mail, pick up prescriptions, or anything else to help them. Even if we still would’ve wound up on the current path, we could’ve helped minimize the initial spike of masses at the beginning of this ‘curve’ (many in hospitals at the start of this fray with the common cold since the symptoms are so similar). It would have been equivalent to performing the least invasive procedure first (often done in the medical setting because it’s generally the least expensive option). I am beginning to expand my soapbox so I’ll just have to end this ‘squirrel’ here.
To tidy this up a bit and get back on track (and understand this is my personal rant so please forgive any poor grammar or typos), our local government lacks common sense, as evidenced by those things in opposition: the need for distancing ourselves from one another but wide-open golf courses (and beaches) are out while narrower trail paths in; Or only opening essential businesses....such as bakeries - because people need their donuts (one of many examples). And, our national government lacks consistency, as evidenced by a shelter in place order in one state yet allows one to fly into another state where you will be let loose to tag as many people as possible. Ready, set....GO! (Ugh! Even I cringe at my own jokes.).
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