Bits and Pieces

Drop in Vaccinations: The mad dash to distribute the COVID 19 vaccine to everyone has done well. Over 200 million vaccinations in the arm. If everyone in America gets vaccinated with a two-shot serum, the shots in the arm would be 640 million. We are only one third the way. Still, vaccine supplies are good and still growing. World supply is being addressed as well. Soon nations will share their oversupply with nations in need, until manufacturing catches up equally around the globe. It is not likely to happen that way, but we can hope it does.

Meanwhile, naysayers continue to spout their opinions. Just yesterday someone told me if I believe in the vaccine and I’m vaccinated, why should I care if he doesn’t get the shot? My reply: because COVID continues to mutate and my vaccination won’t last forever because of that reality. Second, because your vulnerability makes us all vulnerable, especially those not vaccinated like young children and others still not eligible to receive the vaccine. The shot does not hurt and it is free. It is also widely available for adults. So why not do your community duty and be a part of the solution rather than the problem? He had no answer.

Planet Protection: Like a vaccine against a pandemic, reducing the stress on our plant is good to do. Reducing green house gasses helps. Recycling helps. Reducing wasteful consumption helps. All such actions help with the problem while scientists and entrepreneurs figure out how to solve the problem on a larger scale. We each have a role to play. The question is, are we all doing it? If not, why not? Don’t believe in global warming? You don’t have to. Just lessen your pollution footprint to help everyone else, including your kids, grandkids, etc.

Cost of Cars: Product pricing bubbles happen in short terms. Cars seem to be the focus of such a bubble at this time. Seems silly to me. The pandemic taught us driving less was not a hardship but a natural result of finding other means of shopping, delivery of goods and increasing productivity by communicating remotely via electronic pathways. That means our cars have been used less. That means they will last longer. That means the buying demand is less not more. New cars are not needed as much; yet manufacturing blockages exist (electronic chip shortages) reducing the supply of new cars. Hmmm. But the demand for new cars is lower now, too. So why are car prices rising?

Seems illogical to me. I’ll just hold onto my car longer. One day I won’t need it anyway. Same with everyone. Think about it.

Policing: The Chauvin verdict has sounded the alarm that police personnel will be held to a higher standard of performance. Conforming to that will require teamwork and team training. And team supervision. Rooting out bad apples from the team is the team's duty, not the public's. Nor should it be the job of prosecutors and judges. By then tragedy has struck.

Law and order begins in legislatures. It ends in the streets with commonsense and justice meted out by wise police personnel. A hard job it is but rewarding if done well and fairly. Risky yes; but more risky if done poorly.

Re-imagine community policing to gain high performance policing.

April 26, 2021