I feel the same. OTOH, as we used to say when I was a kid, "Don't write any checks with your mouth that your ass can't cash." Having to prove vaxx status to fly is an easy sell. What I am wondering is how those restrictions closer to home will evolve. Benito De Blasio is seeing many businesses ignore his attempts in The Apple. At the federal level it is hopeless, though. Hell, even in Florida, you still have to mask at the airport.
I'm not worried about living up to my principles. It's the only thing that allows me to sleep at night. If they want to deny me access to 'society', I'll happily join the black market and make sure it's WAY more fun.
Just like Thanos, the global elite made a fatal mistake: there are still people who remember the past and are willing to stand up for it. Give it another two or three generations and maybe freedom has already been bred out of the country. But not yet.
America used to be synonymous with Freedom. I live in California and that's not the first word I think of here.. I know nowhere is perfect but Florida/Texas sound increasingly compelling. Sweden does as well. Would hate to have to uproot and leave but if we don't succeed in saving our society.. where is the next best chance at a freer life? Small island nation off the beaten path? Sad that my perspective of freedom is 1. No forced medical participation. 2. No mask/lockdown mandates. 3. No censorship and a culture which cherishes diversity of thought / open discussion. Is that too much to hope for?
There's plenty of space in America that are too rural for the big wigs to bother with. They will have their hands full with trying to handle the cities.
Pick a nice small town in Montana or Colorado and have some popcorn.
How are airlines (for example) likely to respond when the Federal government arbitrarily cuts their market in half? Or even just by a third or a quarter? This will be a huge hit to an industry that employs hundreds of thousands (and more indirectly).
Maybe the regime doesn't care about the unvaccinated, but a whole lot of VACCINATED folks will be put out of work by that sort of move.
This is why I remain naively optimistic. I can't rule out that they're stupid enough to try it. But I suspect these "prongs" will be full of sound and fury, but basically toothless.
And if I'm wrong, there will be some grim amusement watching the train wreck happen.
Well, I admit airline industry accountancy is not my province. Of course, even without subsidies, it's one of the most heavily regulated industries there is, so the Feds can bully airlines into doing almost anything.
But perhaps not into committing suicide.
Let's put your question the other way around: is there currently an airline in the US that can survive a 50% -- or even 20% -- drop in demand?
Can the government provide enough subsidies to make up for that? Even if it can, what would it be subsidizing? Passenger volume still drops. We'd be paying for either idle capacity, or a Potemkin airline industry that shuffles half-empty planes around the country just to maintain its subsidies.
Granted, just because it's stupid and makes no sense doesn't mean the current regime wouldn't try it. But I'm mildly optimistic that even the airline industry would grow a spine when faced with that sort of hit.
More generally: the bigger and more destructive the government's intervention, the more enemies it makes, and that's a good thing.
Excellent point on federal subsidy for airlines. However, there is essentially no industry that carries people in the U.S. that makes money. My colleagues often say, "carrying people is not profitable," at least in the States. I have not looked at Europe or Asia, where the reliance--and frankly, quality--of public transit, particularly via train, is so much higher.
I'd bet on a vaccination or test requirement for domestic travel. And a new vaccine passport app with heavy leaning on academia and woke capital to pretty please mandate it wherever you are.
Wouldn't surprise me to see some convoluted pathway through federal law to try to either punish K-12 schools and colleges that don't require masking/vaccination, or reward those who do. But with this admin they'd much rather punish the dissenters.
Again, the very opposite of heading toward normalcy. Much of Europe seems, now, to actually want to get back to normal. The Democratic Party of the United States has no interest in getting back to normal, ever.
Apart from Denmark announcing to drop restrictions,
most other countries are sticking to their restrictions. Furthermore, every day you have to check from which region in Europe you can travel without restrictions.
You literally have to check every day to see if you will be able travel to another region
Governor Pritzker in Illinois has already mandated masks in schools. If a school ignores that he pulls the accreditation and ability to play sports competitively. He is mandating jabs for educators at all levels and all medical personnel.
what is your best guess as to new restrictions? No travel if not vaccinated? Mandatory digital passports : paper no longer acceptable?
i expect a federal vaccine pass framework. it will be a database of databases and a core tech to underpin white label vaxxpasses.
they will push it as a public private partnership and go the fascist route rather than try to fight the consititution.
it'll be carrot and stick: free goodies for those that implement, no fed funds for those who do not.
this will force the airlines and the nursing homes and hospitals and universities into line. none can survive right now unsubsidized.
they may tag in the FAA and TSA.
At this point I'd rather stick something up my ass to travel, South Park style, than have to prove my status to fly.
I feel the same. OTOH, as we used to say when I was a kid, "Don't write any checks with your mouth that your ass can't cash." Having to prove vaxx status to fly is an easy sell. What I am wondering is how those restrictions closer to home will evolve. Benito De Blasio is seeing many businesses ignore his attempts in The Apple. At the federal level it is hopeless, though. Hell, even in Florida, you still have to mask at the airport.
I'm not worried about living up to my principles. It's the only thing that allows me to sleep at night. If they want to deny me access to 'society', I'll happily join the black market and make sure it's WAY more fun.
Just like Thanos, the global elite made a fatal mistake: there are still people who remember the past and are willing to stand up for it. Give it another two or three generations and maybe freedom has already been bred out of the country. But not yet.
America used to be synonymous with Freedom. I live in California and that's not the first word I think of here.. I know nowhere is perfect but Florida/Texas sound increasingly compelling. Sweden does as well. Would hate to have to uproot and leave but if we don't succeed in saving our society.. where is the next best chance at a freer life? Small island nation off the beaten path? Sad that my perspective of freedom is 1. No forced medical participation. 2. No mask/lockdown mandates. 3. No censorship and a culture which cherishes diversity of thought / open discussion. Is that too much to hope for?
There's plenty of space in America that are too rural for the big wigs to bother with. They will have their hands full with trying to handle the cities.
Pick a nice small town in Montana or Colorado and have some popcorn.
On the other hand:
How are airlines (for example) likely to respond when the Federal government arbitrarily cuts their market in half? Or even just by a third or a quarter? This will be a huge hit to an industry that employs hundreds of thousands (and more indirectly).
Maybe the regime doesn't care about the unvaccinated, but a whole lot of VACCINATED folks will be put out of work by that sort of move.
This is why I remain naively optimistic. I can't rule out that they're stupid enough to try it. But I suspect these "prongs" will be full of sound and fury, but basically toothless.
And if I'm wrong, there will be some grim amusement watching the train wreck happen.
is there currently an airline in the US that can survive without federal subsidy, support, and bail out?
because i fear that all the federales need to to bring them to heel is to threaten to stop propping them up.
Well, I admit airline industry accountancy is not my province. Of course, even without subsidies, it's one of the most heavily regulated industries there is, so the Feds can bully airlines into doing almost anything.
But perhaps not into committing suicide.
Let's put your question the other way around: is there currently an airline in the US that can survive a 50% -- or even 20% -- drop in demand?
Can the government provide enough subsidies to make up for that? Even if it can, what would it be subsidizing? Passenger volume still drops. We'd be paying for either idle capacity, or a Potemkin airline industry that shuffles half-empty planes around the country just to maintain its subsidies.
Granted, just because it's stupid and makes no sense doesn't mean the current regime wouldn't try it. But I'm mildly optimistic that even the airline industry would grow a spine when faced with that sort of hit.
More generally: the bigger and more destructive the government's intervention, the more enemies it makes, and that's a good thing.
Excellent point on federal subsidy for airlines. However, there is essentially no industry that carries people in the U.S. that makes money. My colleagues often say, "carrying people is not profitable," at least in the States. I have not looked at Europe or Asia, where the reliance--and frankly, quality--of public transit, particularly via train, is so much higher.
I think they'll have a testing component (HOPEFULLY) and not just strict no vaxx = no fly..
Gosh. Nightmare, indeed.
I'd bet on a vaccination or test requirement for domestic travel. And a new vaccine passport app with heavy leaning on academia and woke capital to pretty please mandate it wherever you are.
Wouldn't surprise me to see some convoluted pathway through federal law to try to either punish K-12 schools and colleges that don't require masking/vaccination, or reward those who do. But with this admin they'd much rather punish the dissenters.
Again, the very opposite of heading toward normalcy. Much of Europe seems, now, to actually want to get back to normal. The Democratic Party of the United States has no interest in getting back to normal, ever.
Europe is on path to normalcy? I don't think so!
Apart from Denmark announcing to drop restrictions,
most other countries are sticking to their restrictions. Furthermore, every day you have to check from which region in Europe you can travel without restrictions.
You literally have to check every day to see if you will be able travel to another region
(with vaccination!).
Governor Pritzker in Illinois has already mandated masks in schools. If a school ignores that he pulls the accreditation and ability to play sports competitively. He is mandating jabs for educators at all levels and all medical personnel.
To say I hate that pale imitation of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man is a severe understatement.
Too funny.