photofly wrote: ↑Sun Dec 19, 2021 8:06 pm
But they can only be wrong in a world where individuals have some responsibility to act outside of following the rules. In the world where the individual (that's you, by the way) has no responsibility to their fellows, the state has no responsibility to do the right thing by them - it's just rules, after all.
Every person fulfills their responsibility to their fellow citizens' health care when the government takes their money in the form of taxes that go to pay for our socialized health care. Anything beyond this is a courtesy and cannot be demanded. Paying those taxes allows anyone access to that socialized health care regardless of their personal health choices. That's why smokers get to continue their suicidal habit without having to waive their right to medical care when they ultimately end up with lung cancer. It's why obese people can keep slowly killing themselves with their lack of willpower and discipline, while knowing that medical professionals will rush to their aid to restart their clogged heart when it quits on them. It sure would be courteous of smokers, and drinkers, and drug abusers, and fat people to change their behaviours for the rest of us, but we cannot demand it. Their personal choices drain the system of resources and finances and we've all decided that that is ok, even though it affects all of us to varying degrees. That is the system we've all either agreed upon or been born into. A system that is supposed to be set up with excess capacity to accommodate extraordinary circumstances such as viral outbreaks. Now, in a situation when the burden on those resources is heavy, the government has implemented a duality of mitigation strategies that an individual can choose from. Get vaccinated and live "unrestricted", or don't get vaccinated and live with limited access to society and possibly give up your career. THESE ARE the government sanctioned ways in which we all get to choose to go above and beyond our basic responsibilities to each other, and help our fellow man.
So I'll ask again. If the government in your province said it was now necessary to refuse hospital, ICU or ventilator treatment for COVID for unvaccinated individuals, and, with regret, they would be left to die if necessary, would that induce you to get vaccinated?
Just because someone chooses one of the two risk mitigation options you don't agree with, does not mean that you then get to remove their access to the health care system that they pay for. That is an emotional over-reaction and would be
you failing your duty to your fellow citizen under the system in place which allows for anyone to make any poor health decision they want, with no restriction to their access to care.
That being said:
Think of this as an opportunity to demonstrate the strength of your commitment to anyone reading this thread.
I'm actually on board with this restricting of health care access, so long as it's applied evenly across the board to all known negative health choices. Does
your commitment to this idea run deep enough to cut off smokers, drinkers, drug abusers and overweight people from health care access because they are making scientifically proven bad choices? As a person who takes their health very seriously and also pays a lot of taxes that I'd rather not, I'll happily play this game of chicken with you. Health care only for natural causes and acts of god. Agreed? I won't even ask for a refund for all of my tax dollars that will be freed up by this arrangement. Maybe it could go to teaching skepticism and critical thinking in schools.
photofly wrote: ↑Mon Dec 20, 2021 8:00 am
CYERCaptainPooping wrote: ↑Mon Dec 20, 2021 5:32 am
Photofly, how much Covid spread am I personally responsible for? How many deaths?
Statistically, more than if you were vaccinated.
True. But in absolute terms, with the data we have on vaccinated transmission rates and breakthrough infections etc, if all the remaining holdouts in this country got vaccinated, the risk reduction to currently vaccinated individuals on a personal level is in the thousandths of a percent for the average Canadian under 80. With the current vaccination rates, being vaccinated and living a healthy lifestyle are the only two options that offer any real tangible protection. Relying on anyone or everyone else to get vaccinated for protection is a mathematical pipe dream and a dangerous one at that, as it shifts the focus off of personal responsibility for your own health and places it on to strangers.
imjustlurking wrote: ↑Mon Dec 20, 2021 8:12 am
Antivaxxers have run out of half-sensible arguments and are now working with fallacies. It's best to remind them that they're stupid and get on with your day.
You're calling out people for "half-sensible arguments" while your argument is literally, "You're stupid"? If you're truly invested in convincing people to get vaccinated, you should consider keeping your mouth shut. I know toddlers that could form more compelling thoughts on this topic.