# Are you willing to die from Covid 19 to help the economy? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [March 24, 2020, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-willing-to-die-from-covid-19-to-help-the-economy/850198 "2020-03-24T20:51:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![2Bits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e95f7d/32.png) [@2Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2Bits)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-willing-to-die-from-covid-19-to-help-the-economy/850198/1 "2020-03-24T20:51:38Z")
Apparently this feller is: > **[Texas Tries to Balance Local Control With the Threat of a Pandemic (Published...](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/24/us/coronavirus-texas-patrick-abbott.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage)** > > Texas is the largest state that has not issued a statewide stay-at-home order. With many regions untouched by the coronavirus, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wants the economy moving again. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-willing-to-die-from-covid-19-to-help-the-economy/850198/2 "2020-03-24T20:54:57Z")
No; I am not. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-willing-to-die-from-covid-19-to-help-the-economy/850198/3 "2020-03-24T20:55:46Z")
The goal isn’t dying for the economy - it’s getting the _other_ guy to die for the economy. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-willing-to-die-from-covid-19-to-help-the-economy/850198/4 "2020-03-24T20:56:50Z")
Wow. Trump has gained a lot of weight in 3 years. He looks like Tweedledum. Or Tweedledee. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-willing-to-die-from-covid-19-to-help-the-economy/850198/5 "2020-03-24T21:01:02Z")
That’s gonna be a no for me, dawg. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-willing-to-die-from-covid-19-to-help-the-economy/850198/6 "2020-03-24T21:10:15Z")
No. My dying is not going to help the economy. More important, I’m not willing for other people to die. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-willing-to-die-from-covid-19-to-help-the-economy/850198/7 "2020-03-24T21:14:54Z")
Nooooooooooooo! Spent too many years tryin’ to stay alive to change my course at this late date. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-willing-to-die-from-covid-19-to-help-the-economy/850198/8 "2020-03-24T21:16:02Z")
I am embarrassed to be a Texan today :(. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-willing-to-die-from-covid-19-to-help-the-economy/850198/9 "2020-03-24T21:19:16Z")
Nope. And I’ll continue to do my part to ensure others live, too. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-willing-to-die-from-covid-19-to-help-the-economy/850198/10 "2020-03-24T21:20:55Z")
No, but I am willing to give up a ventilator for someone younger if it comes to that. I’m 63, if it matters. Just please keep me comfortable or help me end things as painlessly as possible. I already have a DNR on file and I have informed my daughter about my feelings on this. My decision will not help the economy but it might save a life. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-willing-to-die-from-covid-19-to-help-the-economy/850198/11 "2020-03-24T21:32:23Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > No, but I am willing to give up a ventilator for someone younger if it comes to that. I’m 63, if it matters. Just please keep me comfortable or help me end things as painlessly as possible. > > … Me, too. I’m 71 and don’t have ANY family. I’m retired, not productive in any way, and don’t contribute to society except by staying out of trouble. No one would miss me for more than 15 minutes. I’d like to find homes for my pets before I croak off, however. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-willing-to-die-from-covid-19-to-help-the-economy/850198/12 "2020-03-24T21:33:54Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > I am embarrassed to be a Texan today :(. Dan Patrick has been a notorious moron for a long time now. The only dumber or more obnoxious politicians that we have are Louie Gohmert, who is a total idiot, and Briscoe Cain, who was literally a special ed student (he’s an Aspergers person). All 3 let idealism and talking points get in the way of common sense or good governance. The three of them would be the torch bearers for short-sighted, toxic conservatism, except that they’d probably burn each other with the torches. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-willing-to-die-from-covid-19-to-help-the-economy/850198/13 "2020-03-24T21:35:30Z")
There is no economy if I’m dead. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-willing-to-die-from-covid-19-to-help-the-economy/850198/14 "2020-03-24T21:38:43Z")
What economy is it if it can’t account for humanity in the process? I’d rather let the economy die, as it failed to serve us in our moment of need. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-willing-to-die-from-covid-19-to-help-the-economy/850198/15 "2020-03-24T21:41:10Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Me, too. I’m 71 and don’t have ANY family. I’m retired, not productive in any way, and don’t contribute to society except by staying out of trouble. No one would miss me for more than 15 minutes. I’d like to find homes for my pets before I croak off, however. I’d miss you Thelma. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-willing-to-die-from-covid-19-to-help-the-economy/850198/16 "2020-03-24T21:53:34Z")
Is Trump willing to die from COVID-19 to help the economy? If so, I might give it some consideration. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-willing-to-die-from-covid-19-to-help-the-economy/850198/17 "2020-03-24T22:03:40Z")
All indicators at this point are leaning toward incredibly low percentages of people getting real sick when factoring in estimates of not diagnosed cases. The fear of this virus is far beyond the actual threat. Italy has about 30,000,000 old people I think I read somewhere. The entire country looks like it has been exposed yet only about 7,000 have died so far and not likely to exceed 20,000. Very good odds! Certainly not bad enough to alter ones lifestyle over. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-willing-to-die-from-covid-19-to-help-the-economy/850198/18 "2020-03-24T22:06:07Z")
Nope. And the guy shooting his mouth off obviously has access to good medical. Soon as he runs a temperature, all bets are off. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-willing-to-die-from-covid-19-to-help-the-economy/850198/19 "2020-03-24T22:08:55Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > All indicators at this point are leaning toward incredibly low percentages of people getting real sick when factoring in estimates of not diagnosed cases. The fear of this virus is far beyond the actual threat. Italy has about 30,000,000 old people I think I read somewhere. The entire country looks like it has been exposed yet only about 7,000 have died so far and not likely to exceed 20,000. Very good odds! Certainly not bad enough to alter ones lifestyle over. It’s _because_ Italians have “altered their lifestyles” that those numbers are where they are and not an order of magnitude higher. ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-willing-to-die-from-covid-19-to-help-the-economy/850198/20 "2020-03-24T22:27:35Z")
No, and it’s an incredibly stupid idea anyway. I don’t WANT to do those things right now. It was 95% of the social life for me and my kids, and it sucks, but I’m not going to risk my health and my life to do those things. Now there are services that have to be done. Those people should probably be getting hazard pay right now. Something like that, farmer, trucker, medical worker, things that HAVE to be done, yeah, someone has to do them, and how can I say I shouldn’t do them? The people out of work, no one predicted this. It is a natural disaster. They should get aid. So long as I am working, I am willing to have my taxes (and others) raised to pay for these people. I have extra money that I am saving by not doing these things. But I’d rather you took the money from me. And I just won’t go. I’m not going to play pub trivia again until the crisis is passed. Take the money from me if need be, but I’m not doing those things because they AREN’T ESSENTIAL AND I DON’T NEED TO DO THEM. Dying in a war would make more sense. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-willing-to-die-from-covid-19-to-help-the-economy/850198.md?page=2)