28 gage, Oh, I have a sense of humor. WDFW x1=0 and I are slightly acquainted, enough to know that he knows when he writes stupid sh!t.

FP, if masks are 0% effective, why are they used by everyone in a surgical operating room?

I agree with you that the higher a vaccine efficacy then the sooner herd immunity occurs. Doing the math, a less than 99% efficacy still reaches herd immunity; it just takes longer.

I achieved enlightenment long ago, having begun Transcendental Meditation in 1972.

WDFW x 1=0, you make comments like that often. I usually avoid name calling, but I decided to take that one at face value and throw the obvious back at you. And you knew it was a stupid thing to write.

Streamer, don't be too surprised, but I agree with you that sometimes the "no action alternative" is the preferred and best alternative. Whether the no action alternative to Covid would have produced the same eventual outcome, meaning no higher number of illnesses or deaths, is speculative. Personally, I'm not buying it that no action would have been just as effective or more effective. I was 72 when Covid struck, so I was a bit concerned about the potential effect on me. Certainly shooting any unvaccinated republican who got within 30' of me would have been justifiable self defense, right?

Ah yes, an area with fewer people. I have occasionally thought that people who were not in WA state prior to 1970 should leave. Not because I don't like people, but because 1968 was the last year when harvesting wild steelhead was still a sustainable practice. After that, too many anglers killing too many wild fish.

Krijack, I agree about over reach. Of course I'm biased since fishing season was included in that shut down. Refusing to rehire anti vaxers after the fact was just stupid doubling down, a Trumpian trait, and a negative reflection on gov't. And handing out freshly printed money with no conditions sure seems stupid. What appears unknowable is what percentage of that money went to individuals and businesses that didn't really need it. Evidence that it was managed poorly is illustrated by MTG getting her $300k+ loan forgiven. Obviously a lot of people did need it due to businesses closing, leaving them unemployed. But yes, all of that extra money, some from Trump, some from Biden, was a major contributor to inflation.