I noticed too the Coronapoliticking. I called it the Corona Lens.

I’m an advocate for prison reform, and I certainly agree we have too much violent crime, but I also think there’s NOTHING sacrosanct about our current criminal justice system. None of it. I think if we were to design a justice system from the ground up with modern ideas about why people commit crimes, and how to mitigate their criminal tendencies, how to rehabilitate them, etc. then such a system would look nothing like the one we have. We have plenty of data to show that whatever this system does, it does not improve outcomes for inmates or their communities. Recidivism rates are terrible, unless of course you’re in the perverse position to benefit from repeat customers…

None of that has much or anything to do with Covid though. If we’re just going to let out a bunch of inmates without a ton of rhyme or reason, maybe it does show the capriciousness of our justice system.

More to the point, I think besides illuminating the different worldviews people skew towards (your politicking, my lens) we’re also looking at a bizarre breakdown of different standards and rules. The real question being raised is: why incarcerate any person for a low level offense, at all, ever? Why pay taxes on April 15 if it’s not really important? Why do I even pay taxes actually, when the government seemingly sits on an unlimited supply of cash it can disperse at any time? Why did I need to go to the office every day when I could have been telecommuting this whole time?
How many of these societal rules and standards were all for appearances or out of habit or to appease some do-nothing bureaucracy or to line the pockets of some rent-seeking corporation?