This post is more an airing of a grievance than it is a serious policy proposal. As I’ve mentioned before here in Illinois the governor has issued a “shelter in place” directive and aired all “non-essential” businesses that are unable to conduct their businesses from their homes to close their doors.
In my opinion this is theater rather than serious policy. There are several reasons for that belief. First, the governor and whatever experts he has relied on are categorically unable to distinguish between what is essential from what isn’t but, second, businesses that are essential but also carry on trade in something that’s non-essential are continuing to carry on with that trade.
Distinguishing between what is essential and what isn’t depends on personal habits, preferences, and the time horizon. In the short term you don’t need to get your teeth cleaned or checked but in the long term you do. For a vegetarian neither a butcher shop nor a grocery meat counter are essential; for most people they are.
That’s the reason that soviets are inferior to markets for determining what goods should be produced and at what price they should be sold. That is as true during an emergency as it is at any other time.
But additionally closing brick and mortar stores that sell clothing or craft materials or anything else while allowing ecommerce sites to sell the same products to be delivered by UPS or FedEx grants them an undeserved and unearned competitive advantage.
Consequently, my modest proposal is that, if we’re serious about “shelter in place”, Amazon.com should be closed.
Heh. Unserious proposal, or dripping with sarcasm?
You are highlighting our chicken with heads cutoff approach.
Dont have strong feelings about this, but it does keep people from going out to stores.
Steve
I think sarcasm.
The current essential/nonessential approach will eventually institute a rationing system without actually officially instituting rationing, but slowing down if not stopping the production of ‘non-essential’ goods that are used to build or repair ‘essential’ goods. I think it’s more an oversight by people ignorant of the true interconnectivity of the economy than by design, but the end result will be the same. If the latter, it’s going to nuclear war because they can’t wait 4.5 years to get Orange Man Bad Out. What’s even worse is that there are a lot of normally rational people out there who are now starting to think the right-wing loonies and preppers were right all.
And now Delaware, Kentucky, and Lousiana are joining the insanity next week.