Thread by @FreedomFriesInc

(1) The term "Texas 100%" is trending because Gov Abbott used some hyperbole in his statement below.

I think he was unwise to do this and it doesn't help turn down the temperature in the politics of his state or country.

Read the statement:

gov.texas.gov/news/post/gove…

(2) Abbott said: "By next Wednesday, about 7 million shots will have been administered in Texas and over half of seniors in Texas will have received a vaccine shot. By the end of March, every senior who wants a vaccine should be able to get one."

(3) And "The vaccine supply continues to increase so rapidly that more and more Texans will soon be eligible to receive a vaccine."

IMO it is foolish for a governor to send a message that life can return to normal because mitigation factors "should be" effective for all.

(4) We all know that despite best efforts, many Texans will miss out on getting timely access to a Covid vaccine.

This could be a repeat of the recent snowstorm debacle.

(5) "Texans have also adopted daily habits that reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure and infection."

Some have, yes. Plenty of others haven't, though. And IMO it's a fallacy to believe that vulnerable individuals can be adequately protected by the goodwill of others.

(6) "Effective next Wednesday, all businesses of any type may open to 100% capacity... Businesses may still limit capacity or implement additional safety protocols at their own discretion."

You realize not everyone can make a free choice not to use a business, right?

(7) I'm talking about individuals with diminished capacity (at any age.) Not all of them have a competent and ethical carer.

And people who need to use a business in a life or death emergency. Trusting in the goodness of individuals forces some into an impossible dilemma.

(8) "If COVID-19 hospitalizations in any of the 22 hospital regions in Texas get above 15% of the hospital bed capacity in that region for seven straight days, a County Judge in that region may use COVID-19 mitigation strategies."

As a policy analyst, this is TERRIBLE policy.

(9) When a patient requires hospitalization for Covid, they are by definition already at serious risk of permanent damage, or death. This tortuous policy will be misused and abused and the result will be a significant number of preventable deaths & post Covid health issues.

(10) "If restrictions are imposed at a County level, those restrictions may not include reducing capacity to less than 50% for any type of entity."

Again, terrible policy design. Even after navigating the bureaucratic maze to be allowed to do this, govt is telling them how.

(11) Even if you could persuade me that these policy changes are beneficial and not harmful, there is still the issue of how Gov Abbott and his political allies are perceived in Texas.

I'm skilled in policy design, and PR. From a PR perspective atm, this is very harmful.

(12) It's not unlike the criticisms I make of the Trump administration's overall handling of the pandemic. Yes there were many good things that were done, as is also true of Texas.

But the "messaging" by leadership figures was a big problem.

(13) Abbott, like Trump before him, is trying to capitalize politically on pandemic response decisions.

Yes, both sides do that. Doesn't matter. That response didn't work in elementary school and it doesn't work with me. We are talking about Abbott and Trump atm.

(14) There are plenty of MAGA folk writing about the things that Democrat governors and presidents get wrong.

There's not many former MAGA folk willing to speak up about the things that conservatives and RW populists have gotten wrong.

(15) The USA (which I love) is going to stay fatally divided unless & until the temperature comes down. I don't have time anymore to debate who started it or who is worse. The far left & the far right include extremists who condone political violence.

Both are an echo chamber.

(16) No progress can be made while each side is tucked up safe and snug in their echo chamber.

I remember watching South Africa in the 70s & 80s, then the multi-year process of rebuilding a country after apartheid. It was a difficult process and still is.

(17) South Africa had a "truth and reconciliation commission." I don't think the USA is ready for that concept and it would most probably fail.

But eventually some kind of process is going to be needed. Like it was after the 1860s civil war.

(18) Pandemics are not new. The US like other countries had experience managing them and whole libraries of knowledge about infectious disease mitigation and pandemic planning.

The extremism you see on Twitter is not an accurate reflection of the real world.

(17) Most of what you see here is rhetoric designed to change readers' political beliefs. The aim of both extremes is to weaken trust in institutions.

Surviving this multifaceted crisis starts with you and your household. Find out how to reduce your risks and go from there.

(18) Facing the realization that people you admire and trust might in fact be lying to you for their own benefit is a hard process to go through.

If you want to talk in private, my DMs are open.

Shalom.