Santa Barbara Tax Results from November

Some common sense indeed, until the shopping part.

SBLOCAL - No, I think at this point we NEED to freak out, as playing the "common sense" game has obviously failed. Our kids probably won't be back in the classrooms before summer. Student athletes may be missing out on yet another season this year. Many of those kids have been training for years to be at their level. Many of our local businesses are still shuttered after 10 months. People are losing their savings. Kids are losing out on a year of their childhoods. How much longer are you going to sit back and be OK with this? We need to all make the effort, not just some of us. I'm sick of losing money and watching my kids lose out on a normal education and childhood. STAY THE F HOME!

Agree '67, but it's apparently not working to have 90+% of the population doing the right things. Isn't that the problem here? How to get the other small fraction of people to get their act together? If people losing their livelihoods, income, etc are "freaking out", maybe that's why.

I look at it like vaccinations. You have to have a certain threshold percentage of people getting them (= doing the right thing) for it to help the entire community, including those who are too ignorant or whatever to follow suit. It looks like in the case of COVID we need an even higher threshold (than with typical vaccines) to get control, and at least around here we're not there yet.

Your focused on the wrong “why”. “Why” it’s not working isn’t important if you can’t fix why it’s not working. Focus on the “why” we’re continuing to pursue a course of action that carries such a high toll but no benefit? Why?

VOR - It’s not “having an impact on the actual spread” because people aren’t staying home. The ICU beds in use are finally on the downturn. Why? Because the spikes from Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and other holidays are over. Now if people will just stay home while Biden has a few weeks to invoke the Defense Production Act to make a few hundred million vaccines, we could put this nightmare behind us.

Our governors mandates to control the spread of covid have not had a statistically relevant impact on the actual spread of covid in our communities. We’re nearly a year in, why are we continuing a path that is so destructive with no clear benefit? All you lockdown proponents can’t even argue this (but will). Your excuses why don’t matter, it simply isn’t working. So why continue to bear the extreme cost? Other states have proven they can act safely and responsibly without such devastating restrictions in place.

We need to start with having the LA Times NOT continue to showcase SB County as a great day trip during the lockdowns. We really do not want your visitors.

"Pandemic" means, for some people, sitting on top of a column like a medieval mystic and engaging in masochistic self-flagellation. I think we can meet the pandemic with a less hysterical, safe, and more pragmatic point of view. I think that this pandemic is a dream-come-true for every killjoy, prohibitionist and self-appointed policeman. Let's mask up, socially distance, open restaurants for indoor dining, enjoy ourselves outdoors, and do this responsibly. And, most of all, let's hope that the authorities get their s**t together, and get the vaccine in everyone pronto. The delay is ridiculous and inexcusable.

Wow, I worry more about the sanity of people who don't know what the word pandemic means.