I appreciate the compliment.
The side of the debate I'm on might surprise you to some degree. I'm fully vaxxed with two Moderna jabs but no booster. No side effects other than a case of some intestinal distress shall we say, maybe. I have an immune system that is the size of an elephant's. I'll explain sometime but you'll have to trust me for now. I likely wouldn't have gotten it but my daughter is immuno-compromised and was pregnant so I felt it was the best decision for me and my family. I now have the most beautiful grandchild on the planet and I'm glad I got the vaccine. All I want is for people to have access to all the information about the vaccines that I had to make a well informed decision for themselves. And that includes all the information that's not so favorable to the vaxx. And I want to hear that from someone who I believe doesn't have a financial stake in a particular outcome. I also don't want legitimate areas of research to be squelched just because it could be perceived as conferring some kind of credit upon Trump cause he pulled some bullshit out of his ass while riffing. I also want the same you and yours, to do what makes the most sense for you and your family. But I'm not for mask or vaccine mandates. My health is not your responsibility. I don't want you to wear a mask, unless you want to. Same with a vaccine. Get all you want or feel you need. Everyone has a different tolerance for risk. It's an aspect of peoples personality that's as ingrained as anything we do. Have you ever played with other vehicles on LA freeways at speeds north of 150? On two wheels? Jumped out of airplanes? I can guarantee you that people on this board have done that. People take these risks and more and accept the consequences of their choices. If I don't feel safe leaving the house I'll stay home, I will mask, I will vaccinate. I'm not putting that on you or anyone else.
Sorry to ramble.
Originally Posted by Ducbutter
I've jumped out of a plane and have done certain other things, which I won't mention because it would out me if someone I know reads this, that would sound about as stupid to some people as barreling in and out of traffic on a motorcycle at 150 mph. Everybody has different perceptions of what's dangerous and what's not. I just wish there were more rationality. Texassapper and some others here are braver than I am. They put their lives on the line for our country. Yet they're afraid of a vaccine.
As for me, rightly or wrongly, with my vaccinations, N95 masks, and aviator goggles I feel invincible. I'm not worried about getting COVID.
People shouldn't have have a gun pointed at their heads and be forced to get vaccinated or wear a mask. In the part of Texas where I live, that will never happen. But they should have some consideration for others, like your daughter. And their grandparents. A co-worker today told me about a woman with COVID whose twins died while she was giving birth.
And then there's the effect on people's livelihoods. When the COVID gets out of control economic activity is affected. Formerly and in blue states it might have been because politicians mandated it. In others it's because when people finally have a couple of friends or relatives die from the disease and the hospitals get overloaded, so they're afraid to go out and consume.
In COVID as in society in general, when people voluntarily act responsibly they and those around them are better off.