Coronavirus in Massachusetts (Springfield, New Bedford, Newton: section 8, lawyer, unemployment)

[CaseyB]

It's probably culture.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by CaseyB

It's probably culture.

A chunk of it is strictly socioeconomic. When you hear that lots of people feel lousy for a few days after their jabs and you're paid hourly with no sick time, you'd be far less likely to get vaccinated. If vaccinated meant you were entitled to a couple of paid sick days, I think you'd see more people getting vaccinated in the failed cities.

[mdovell]

Well if you have social benefits that prevent the need to go out the incentives are lower. Amazon takes EBT, ui Bennies are still high, school district gives out boxes of food, eviction moratorium etc.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

A chunk of it is strictly socioeconomic. When you hear that lots of people feel lousy for a few days after their jabs and you're paid hourly with no sick time, you'd be far less likely to get vaccinated. If vaccinated meant you were entitled to a couple of paid sick days, I think you'd see more people getting vaccinated in the failed cities.

Absolutely. Heck, that's why a lot of people I know in retail didn't even get tested. Not once. They were terrified that if they had a positive test they'd not be able to work for a couple of weeks. That's enough to lose everything.



Now, more civilized/less conservative nations had ways to help mitigate this (paying people to stay home), but we aren't one of those places. We do have a Federal program, I believe still in effect, to cover sick time for vaccine appts and after effects, but its not widely known and small business rarely have the time / know how to access stuff like that.

[msRB311]

People in communities like Newton just care more about doing the right thing than people in a place like Springfield. If you live in a place like Newton chances are you've been doing the 'right' things your whole life. The Newton people probably aren't eating McDonald's or smoking cigarettes the way some of the people in Springfield are either. I'm not sure really what the point of this drs comparison was. It's like saying yeah people in Newton make more money and have more degrees than people in Springfield. And water is wet.

[Amontillado]

What the last few postings are making me wonder is whether poor people who are on welfare are more likely to get vaccinated than poor people who have jobs. If potential time off work were the issue, there should be a difference, but is there any?

It's a constant problem in social policy to get poor people to take better care of themselves. And there's a constant debate about whether it's right for prosperous people to TELL poor people to take better care of themselves. It's been going on forever and I doubt if it'll ever be resolved.

[msRB311]

No one looks forward to feeling ill regardless of what their working situation might be. It's also naive to think everyone in city like Springfield even has a job in the first place. Plenty of people in the service industry aren't back to work yet. My employer has said over and over to just take time off for the vaccine. Even if I get time off from my job I don't get time off from my kids. I made my appts for a Saturday. So far I only got the first one and i didn't think I'd have any effects since it's the second one I've heard people complain about. I had bad muscle aches for two days. Not sure what to expect with # 2.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by Amontillado

What the last few postings are making me wonder is whether poor people who are on welfare are more likely to get vaccinated than poor people who have jobs. If potential time off work were the issue, there should be a difference, but is there any?

It's a constant problem in social policy to get poor people to take better care of themselves. And there's a constant debate about whether it's right for prosperous people to TELL poor people to take better care of themselves. It's been going on forever and I doubt if it'll ever be resolved.

Who are these "poor people on welfare"? The welfare reform law enacted under Bill Clinton doesn't grant cash welfare benefits to able bodied people. The "T" in TANF is "temporary". Unless they're disabled, poor people have to work.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Who are these "poor people on welfare"? The welfare reform law enacted under Bill Clinton doesn't grant cash welfare benefits to able bodied people. The "T" in TANF is "temporary". Unless they're disabled, poor people have to work.

Poor people tend to work A LOT.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by timberline742

Poor people tend to work A LOT.

Yep. There's this Fox News mythology that poor people spend their day sitting on the sofa watching game shows. It gets working class white people to vote against safety net programs paid for by rich people that those working class white people would benefit from. Brilliant Rupert Murdoch political manipulation.