The Economy or Saving Lives - Take Your Pick!

The Early Grocery Store Trip and the State of Panic

Shelter-in-place order day three. My Vienna sausage rations were running low and so I had to go to the store today. It was chaos. There were old people everywhere and I don't know. I just something fell off.

Nah, just kidding. It was a pleasant trip to the grocery store this morning. I went early. There was hardly anybody in the store. There were some old people there for sure and the store is pretty well stocked.

They didn't have any toilet paper. They didn't have any canned goods. But besides that I mean pretty much everything else was there. I was only there for perishables to be honest because when it comes to canned goods and things that you could store I probably have three months worth of stuff anyway but Interesting side note to this story.

There's a there's a person that I'm friends with on social media. Who's normally a very level-headed person, but he's been freaking out about this whole thing doom and gloom every single day very angry about young bucks like me that Don't necessarily take this as seriously as he does and I do take it seriously.

I'm just on a little perspective a little balance here because at the end of the day as bad as this thing is. You know people die every day and I knew that before that this happened people die every flu season the other the other flu season.

We had like 80 ,000 deaths because of the flu and so I'm not saying this is the flu. So before you get in the comments, it's not the flu. I get it, but Let's not lose our heads here of anyway this guy who's talking about how all these guys are just walking around business as usual.

I was warning people for weeks and months to stock up on food. Which good for you, by the way, because when this guy was warning people to stock up on food I I pretty much stock up already. But I did actually take his advice because I was like, you know.

This is a probably good idea to re-up my stock. I probably had a month or two's worth of food and through this guy's advice I got about four months worth of food, you know, maybe not. I don't know. It's hard.

It's hard to really know but when you stretch it out, it could probably last a while. Anyway. Three months, let's just say but anyway, the point is though that so good for this guy for warning people that very good.

But the doom and gloom is a little much. He's he's very mad about people walking around business as usual. They're not wearing gloves. They're not wearing masks. And then this guy has the audacity. This guy has the audacity to say well, I'm gonna go to the grocery store today to get some perishables.

We need some eggs. We need some vegetables and stuff like that and I'm saying to and I'm thinking like where's the line here? So you're you're all angry because people are going out going to Home Depot getting stuff that they need for their house and stuff like.

That you're angry that it's business as usual. But yet you have stored food in your house and you are going out Exposing you and others to this potential killer virus all to get some eggs because you prefer to have eggs in the morning.

Why not just eat some Vienna sausages for breakfast instead of eggs like you're used to why and then he said then he bemoaned the fact that people were limiting the amount of eggs you could buy because he said well what the problem is if you limit to per customer then people are just gonna have to go to multiple stores to get what they Want they're gonna spread the virus even more and I'm thinking to myself like Dude, if this is really the black death like you claim then why don't you seriously hunkered down forget the eggs?

Maybe you don't have an omelet, but you see that's the question here. I'm not mad at him for this I didn't comment on it because because I'm gonna get eggs too if I want some eggs, you know what I mean?

But the thing is where's the line right like he's all pissed off at people because they're going to Home Depot because they might need a hammer or something and He's going to get let's just face it a luxury item when you have months of stored food in your IDA in your pantry eggs Vegetables things of that nature.

Look, these are not luxury items in general I'm just saying if this really is the black death maybe hold off on eggs for a month. Yeah I mean, it's not gonna kill you. That's the point though. There's there's no line here.

Who Gets to Decide What Is Essential?

Like I asked a question on on Twitter yesterday. I was like, where's the line, right? So the debt this is a bigger death rate than the flu virus. Okay, grant it Let's just say it's 20 times 30 times 50 times more dead deadly than the flu.

Okay, so the question What is the cutoff point? When do you have to cut cancel Church? When do you have to obey these shelter-in-place? Orders from the government and stuff like that and when is it out of line?

There is no answer to that question that and that's what I said. That's my video was about yesterday. It's fine There's so much There's so much out there of people saying you have to go with my standard of what's what's acceptable What's essential and things like that and I'm thinking to myself.

Well who gets to decide what's essential? We cancel essential businesses yet. The liquor stores are open. The pot stores are open. The abortion clinics are open you know the sex toy stores are open and it's like Has the church really bought into that like like we decide if we're essential or not based on what daddy Government says like we have you really bought into that now again in my video yesterday I said there are good reasons to cancel church, but it's got to be your call.

It's got to be in your hands. Not daddy government. That's the point. But anyway, this video is how you supposed to be about that I made a point yesterday about this Problem with trying to pit the economy versus saving lives because my argument was that the economy is critical to life.

It's critical to human flourishing. It's critical to loving your neighbor and so tanking the economy intentionally, which is what's happening here I'm not saying that that's their goal. Although I have a suspicion that for many it is their goal to tank the economy.

Tanking the economy intentionally is a problem. It's it's it's it's showing a disregard for human life. Let's watch this video together. We'll watch what I said yesterday and then we'll see the response which I think is quite classic so seriously guys the take that That if you care about the stock market and the economy in general that what you're saying is you really don't care that much about Life that is one of the stupidest takes Ever and I do mean ever I realize that that's a strong statement, but it really is it just shows you.

There's like a disconnect here. Economics and the economy itself is a part of life when God saves souls for eternity. He's saving the whole person including that person involved in economic activity. I think that there will be economic activity in the new heavens and new earth.

It's not like this dirty thing. That's somehow outside of us. No, no that we are an economic creature. That's right. That's that simple and if you need evidence of this There's so much in God's Word not just the law of God, but also the New Testament as well.

How often does God say to the rich don't hold back the workers wages don't. Don't don't defraud people don't don't use your power to steal from those who are less fortunate than you. That's all laws regulating economic activity and God says if you do that You'll be guilty of sin the poor will cry out to him and he will hold you accountable for that.

This is just one of the many many many laws I could have Quoted here. This is the King James version of the Bible. This is Deuteronomy 24 15 each day you shall give him his wages and not let the Sun go down in it for he is poor and has his Heart on has set his heart on it.

Lest he cry against you to the Lord. He needs it to live. He needs his wages to lives. He needs to be able to engage in commerce to live. This is part of being human. This is part of life. Economics and the economy in the state of the economy being open for business so to speak is a matter of human flourishing.

I'm serious though that this is a stupid take. Sipping on a working man's beer just because I'm talking about the working man. We need to go back to work. It's just that simple. So so many of us who don't normally work from home or can't work from home.

This virus is serious, but canceling the economy for months is Serious and probably more serious. I think that's a very level-headed very winsome take and a very obvious take like I I don't get the disconnect between Understanding that the economy being able to earn an income being able to earn a wage.

And provide for your family is not part and parcel of human flourishing. It's it's critical to human life critical being able to exchange labor for goods being able to exchange labor for housing being able to exchange and The free exchange of that and being open for business in that way.

You can't live without that. That's why there's so much in the Bible about economics. If you notice there are so many parables about economics. There are so many laws about economics when God comes in judgment against a nation.

Oftentimes he cites economic sins that they were engaged in. Economics is not this dirty disconnected thing from human life and human flourishing and loving your neighbor. No, it's part and parcel of it.

It has to be it just has to be and so yes. The virus is serious and will cost lives. But canceling the economy is serious and probably more serious and probably will cost more lives. It's just it's really just that simple.

Why the Economy Is Part of Human Flourishing

And so here's here's the guy who comes in and Instantly proves my point that there's this weird disconnect is I I think this guy's a Christian. I don't know who he is. But he's on my Facebook and he took he took offense at what I said, which I I can't believe some random person on the Internet.

Thinks I'm stupid. It doesn't like me. He quotes me says this virus is serious, but cancelling the economy is serious and probably more serious. There you have it people money is more important than people's lives.

Did I say money is more important than people's lives? You know, I could have said it and forgot it's only like a two-minute video. Did I say money is more important than people's lives. No I said money is is critical for people's lives.

Like if you're gonna live you have to be able to have a medium of exchange. You have to be able to exchange your labor for the goods that you need to survive to provide for your family. So it's not that money is more important than people's lives.

Money is critical to people's lives. It's part of people's lives. So this guy just doesn't understand there's a disconnect in this guy's brain between earning a wage and economics and earning an income and Living as a human being and that's that's not the biblical view.

That's not the biblical view. The biblical view is that the economic situation that that you find yourselves in is critical to your life. It's critical to your life. I think most people understand this, but I just I don't understand this.

Let's continue he says let's do some math. Let's say no matter what 20 of Americans will be infected by kovat 19. That's definitely within the realm of possibility. 20 of 33 333 million is 65 million.

If we don't cancel non-essential labor, then the virus will spread quickly too quickly. It will overload our medical infrastructure like in Italy. The death rate there is 8 to 10 percent if 8 percent of the 65 million Americans who contract kovat die.

That's 5 million people. However, we do cancel if we do cancel non-essential labor. Then the virus will spread slower and our medical infrastructure won't be overrun for countries whose health care systems remain functional.

The fatality rate is about 2 If the same 65 million still get sick in this scenario over a longer period of time and only 2 of them die. That's only about 1 million people who die. Put simply if we don't cancel anything 5 million people will probably die at least.

But at least our economy does better and this is all over within a year. We cancel whatever we can. Second option we cancel whatever we can and only 1 million people die our Economy tanks and this may last up to two years.

Take your pick 5 million people dead or more money in your pocket or 1 million people dead and less money in your pocket. I think we all know what the Christian answer should be. Child, please because this is not the this is not the it's not a zero-sum game here.

It's not either or it's not either. You want 5 million people to die or you want money in your pocket more money in your pocket. That's not it Josh. That's not it. So I know that you're you know, you you for some reason this is disconnected in your brain.

But let's think like a big boy here. Okay, because the point of this video and the whole point of this thing is is that there is a cost in lives Associated with tanking the economy canceling the economy for months and months and months.

There's a life cost associated with that as well. So it's not 5 million people on this side or 1 million people and a few extra bucks in your pocket and stuff like that's Not the that's not the option and and Josh.

Let me just say this. This is this is the view of an elitist. This is the view of an elitist. I'm not saying I don't know your economic situation. But you're thinking like a rich person because people who are really vulnerable right now people that are really vulnerable right now.

Oftentimes have service jobs. That's definitely been canceled office time have service jobs. Oftentimes have have jobs that are live paycheck to paycheck and things like that. And so a few months of not working for them is Brutal.

Rich people middle-class people can probably get by a few months not working. They could probably figure something out. They have people that have a lot of connections or a big network. They can probably figure something out.

Like if I get into dire straits, I can talk to my parents I can talk to my grandparents about loans or help and stuff like that and and it's okay for me. But not everyone's in my situation. Some people are isolated.

Some people don't have that kind of a network. Some people don't have the savings to get through months and months of their their job being banned. I'm not talking about just a few extra bucks in my pocket.

I'm talking about entire sectors of the economy banned. Overnight with just the stroke of a pen you're banned from work. Guys men are supposed to work. Being able to earn an income and provide for your family is critical for a human being and.

Entire sectors of this economy have been banned and told to stay home. So it's not that you just not not just that you can't go to work or your or your or your business has been banned. It's also you got to stay home.

You can't you can't do what you got to do. This is this is a really Simplistic childish way to view this. It's childish Josh. You're being childish. The way you put it's not you say put simply it's not simple like this.

It's not five million deaths or a few extra bucks in your pocket. It's five million deaths. Okay, let's just say that that happened, right and Then if you cancel the economy you can add to that number.

I don't know how to calculate the addition to that number. But not only are people gonna be you know unable to feed their families and again I'm not just even talking about the United States. You know how many economies count on the on the on the economic strength of the United States how many countries?

Economies count on the economic strength of the United States that have poor people that have Hardly anything. Live on less than a dollar a day and stuff like that. They count on our generosity and stuff like that.

Look if I have a good economy here. There's a lot more money to give to Ethiopia to Somalia stuff like that. If we don't have an economy here less money goes there. It's just it's just a matter of mathematics.

And so again Josh, this is childish and it's elitist. The economy needs to be strong in order for humans to flourish. It's just that simple. It's just that simple. You can't cancel the economy and expect there to be no death toll associated with it.

Thinking Two Steps Ahead About Public Policy

We gotta be able to think this is one thing that I've been thinking a lot about lately. We've got to be able to think like at least two steps ahead. Oftentimes we only think about the immediate consequence the immediate thing and what it looks like we're doing instead of thinking two steps ahead I'll give you a perfect example.

This is something I mentioned earlier. Let's just say all of a sudden you shorten the hours of a grocery store and you say you know what seniors. Come to the grocery store between 6 and 8 a .m. And everyone else come between 8 and 6 p .m.

Right. We're gonna close early. We're gonna open late for regular people and all the old people come at the same time now, let's just. That sounds like a pretty good idea, you know on the surface, right?

Let's think two steps ahead here. Let's think two steps ahead here. Let's say one of these old people is sick with kovat and now all the old people are shopping at the same time. And so now one old person can Make all the rest of the old people sick and now you've got a you've got a tragedy on your hand because they're all shopping During the same designated hours because you didn't think two steps ahead of what could happen.

Let's talk about the shortened business hours. Listen businesses could do whatever they want but insisting that they shorten hours, for example now all of a sudden you've got a Bedlam you've got people that normally would shop later now all trying to cram into a few hours now.

They're all there's people everywhere and everyone's coughing on each other and stuff like that. You see you got to be able to think at least two steps ahead Josh. You've thought About this about a millimeter of depth here Josh.

This is this is this is pathetic. It really is to think in this way. Well, I guess you just want a few extra bucks in your pocket, but no. It's about everyone on the chain the more money that I have in my pocket.

The more I can provide for my family the more money the more I can provide for my family the more I can give away. The more we can give away the more they can give away the less Deaths that we have all the way down the chain all the way to the poor person in the slums of Mumbai.

You know what? I mean? It's just It's just so. It's it's very stupid to think of this way, it's very stupid to think of this way. There are certainly greedy people out there Josh. There are certainly greedy people out there that just want money.

But you know what the ones that are greedy and just want money. They'll figure out a way to make money in a down economy. I'm the thing is like that. This is not about a few extra bucks in our pocket.

This is about literally Saving lives. There are countless verses in the Bible that talk about you know, allowing the worker to get his wages. There's nothing in the Bible about banning entire segments of the economy the legitimate economy nothing.

The governor doesn't have that authority. The church doesn't have that authority. The individual doesn't have that authority. The family doesn't have that authority and it's just that simple. And so Josh, I'm sorry to break it to you, but you're speaking like an idiot here.

This is not the choice. This is not what I was saying. What I was saying was that the economy tanking for a year or two years will be deadly. Deadly probably more deadly than the virus. Anyway, I hope you found this video helpful.

God bless. See you tomorrow day for quarantine. Take care.