It took 100 years between two large pandemics. Now every 5 years? 10 at most?

[jbgusa]

Originally Posted by Statz2k10

I think there is def a lot of conspiracy theorist going on about a lot of stuff. But I do think that the leaders of this country/world have seen how they can control the masses from a pandemic. They have seen how people react despite a 99% rate of being okay. Not sure what will happen in the future but hate conservatives all you want. If they weren't fighting to keep things open we'd be in a lot worse place now.

Here is a brief history of efforts to control the population. I think you are onto something.

I do think that once politicians, by nature control freaks, gain additional control they don't enjoy giving it up. We have seen this before with the "energy crisis" that magically morphed into the "climate change" crisis. This was followed by alarm about pandemics.

Back in 1971 and 1972 the U.S. had a period of comprehensive wage and price controls, Phase I and Phase II. On January 11, 1973 Phase III was announced. Phase III was decontrol dressed up with a request on the part of workers and producers to behave themselves. In March 1973 the oil industry was placed back under controls, a perverse effort to deal with an incipient supply shortage. I say "perverse" because the imposition of controls triggered the shortage in short order. By May 1973 oil companies were restricting deliveries to a fraction of year earlier levels. While this allocation system, with accompanying lines at the gasoline pumps, came and went a few times (May 1973 through August 1974 and November 1978 through August 1979) the controls remained. If you remember, there were bleats about how "we could never live normally again." Reagan decontrolled all prices within the first few weeks of taking office in January 1981, and prices began an intermittent plunge through the end of the millennium. The Reagan mantra of loosening of controls (and Trump even more so) alarmed bureaucrats who would have nothing useful to do if government's functions were restricted to essential undertakings.

The control freaks did not rest. During the summer of 1988 most of the country experienced heat waves, not unusual during the summer but, because of La Niña a little bit more oppressive. James Hansen gave his "greenhouse effect" testimony on Capitol Hill. Since then there has been a drumbeat of conferenced and "climate change" plans, such as Kyoto in 1997, Cancun, Copenhagen (the latter two, ironically, leaders from the U.S. had to return early because of the threat of DC snowstorms), Paris, and most recently COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. These are not generating the momentum to control that many would like.

So, let's give scary pandemics and variants a try. Thus, the drama of locked outdoor tennis courts, cancellations of just about everything fun, and masking. Now, again, bleats about how "we can never live normally again."

[erieguy]

Depends on how made China gets