Ultimate Blog Challenge - Day 26: Opinion

Day 26 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge asks to share an opinion about a current event or even a heated topic in your niche!

Didn't I just talk about the pandemic? 

Vaccination has always been a heated topic among Mommies, way before Covid. 

There's a very opinionated group of people who is opposed to all vaccines. 

Some fear they cause allergies and autism. Some claim their baby was born with a strong immune system, which was further being strengthened by breastfeeding. Another argument they lilke to use is "these diseases, such as smallpox, measles or rubella, against which I should have my child vaccinated, no longer exist." 

Duh, they are almost extinct because the rest on us bit the bullet and had the vaccine!

Here's a nice analogy:

If you're using public transportation, you pay for your fare. 

Right?

OK, some don't. They think they're smarter than us. They did the math: They fare-dodge 100 times. If they are being caught once or twice, they will pay the fine. It's still cheaper than to buy a ticket every time.  

Does it hurt anyone?

No. Because the bus drives anyway.

Wait, the bus drives because we, the honest, paying passengers contribute to what it takes to operate a public transportation system: construction of tracks, acquisition of new vehicles, maintenance, fuel or electricity consumption, payroll, training and development, just to name a few.

Now if 999,995 passengers pay, and 5 don't, it probably won't matter. The 5 may even have a good reason. Let's say, a better reason than simply wanting to freeload. Maybe they lost their bank card and have to get to the bank to sort things out. They can't purchase a ticket today, but will do so again next time. They were in a hurry, and there was a line at the ticket counter / machine, so they simply didn't have time today. Maybe they're foreigners who literally jut arrived and didn't have local coins at the cash only machine? Or their credit card wasn't accepted by the "cards welcome" machine. 

So let's give the five people the benefit of the doubt.

What if 800k people pay, and 200k don't? I'm out of acceptable reasons for that many people.

With less revenue over a longer period of time, services will decrease. There will be fewer buses, which will be maintained at longer intervals. Perhaps stops that are not frequented by  enough passengers will be closed. Schedules may be reduced to rush hours, and people who live in more remote locations don't get home after 8 or 9pm.

Ultimately prices will go up, probably by 20%, and it'll be the 800k people who will foot the bill. 

You know where this is going, right?

If we apply this analogy to the vaccination situation, we are talking about a ratio of 650k to 350k.

With the current Immunization rate of 65% (I'm speaking about Switzerland) the majority of the people have to deal with the consequences that are caused bei 35% of the population.

Disclaimer: I'm not talking about high-risk people who can't get the vaccine because they're allergic to one of the substances or because they're on blood thinners and the like. I'm talking about those who simply do not want to be told what to do by the state.

Medical personell will have to work harder and make impossible descisions categorizing new critical patients. There will not be enough beds, venilators and nurses. 

People who not only refuse to get the vaccine but don't feel like testing (yes, they exist) plus their friends, families, teammates and coworkers have to quarantine. 

Aside from the inconvenience of spending 10 to 14 days in isolation, these people can't work. However, they continue to receive their wages. After all, we are in Switzerland, the land of milk, chocolate and banks. Those who are sick or in quarantine receive wage compensation from social security. 

More money is flowing. Companies that are suffering sales losses of 30% or more due to the pandemic, and/or have had to introduce short-time working, will also be compensated. 

It's pretty convenient. At least not an unconvenient as things could be and most probably are in other countries. I have not heard of businesses that had to file for bankruptcy, and this tells me our government's action plan is working.

Who pays for it? Payroll deductions of the working population, and since the social security system is ailing, it is ultimately the taxpayers who will be asked to foot the bill. Only that we will not be asked. We will just get the tax invoice. (We don't do withholding tax, not that it mattered.)

If those who refuse to get the jab or the test stayed home, it would bother me less. They still don't contribute to herd immunization, but they wouldn't interfere with our daily lives. However, they keep kicking and screaming, claiming their rights of "having their lives back". 

Have they never heard of rights coming with duties and with a price? 

If you want to ride the bus, purchase your ticket.

Thank you.

I could go on and on, but I'll shut up now. 

Sunday is (final) voting day. My voting envelope was personally posted in advance by my son. Sadly, I believe, no matter what the results are, the next measures are just around the corner. Please don't let them be nation wide lockdowns!

In order to brighten this post, I used some old pictures I took in London when Colin was barely three years old. He loved the underground and the doubledecker busses, and he repeated the loudspeaker announcements that announced the next station, British accent included. It was the cutest thing.

Thanks for listening to my rant. Let me know what you think. Be safe!