I’m certain county drop boxes are safer than the mail.
It would take divine intervention for Trump to win in CA 
But it does matter if we vote. It’s our only voice in what is supposed to participatory democracy. I for one, do not wish to abdict my voice. It’s a right and some view it as their civic duty.
Sometimes the down ballot races are more important than the marque races. The House of Representative office, Governors, State legislatures offices, Mayors, City and County Councils and even School Boards represent we the people, our voice, at the local level. They are much more likely to remember that they work for us than some of the Federal offices. So yeah, there are some years where it seems like it doesn’t matter. Besides, if you don’t vote you can’t bitch about the people who did get elected 
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Where I live, in most elections our elected representatives have no serious opposition, so most of the time the only practical reason for me to bother voting is for propositions and the rare way-down-ballot race where the candidates aren’t all equally bad, like the regional park director this time around.
Wow, Robert that’s too bad. We have a lot competitive races in San Diego.
I religiously vote in all elections no matter how improbable. I think it is important to register my opposition to many idiotic proposals on the ballot.
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Having the mask on, as often as possible, is not just for your safety: it is for the safety of other patrons AND the staff.
If one is not actively eating or drinking, then being masked is safest for all. (At the very least, have it on when the server is approaching and interacting with you/your table.)
At some point you, me, all of us , are going to need to shift our expectations: We’re not going back to “normal,” possibly ever.
Even with a vaccine, it seems highly likely this virus will be with us for the long-haul and each of us needs to come to terms with that reality.
So we can sit around and grieve about what we’ve lost (for some people that means loved ones who have died ).
We can say “I don’t like these new regulations so I’m not going to go along with them.”
Or we can say, “Yeah, this is crappy," because it is, “but I’m going to follow the good science, behave like a rational and compassionate adult,” which means caring about the wellbeing and safety of all, not just one’s self, "and do my best to support the individuals and businesses who are busting their asses to make a living. Hell, I might even learn something new and enjoy myself!”
It’s not going to be like it was - that’s not ever coming back. But we can adapt, we can find ways to care for and support one another, we can be open and flexible and willing to explore new ways of navigating this “new normal.”
And we damn well can VOTE .
Or we can sit around and bitch about dining out no longer being “fun.”
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I disagree - i think we are going back to normal eventually, perhaps in a couple of years. I hope that going to work/school while sick will not return.
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I don’t know that is possible, @beam - this is such an unsettling time, for everyone, and even if the virus is beaten, I still think our day-to-day landscape will have changed.
I join you in this hope.
But that’s not going to happen unless workers have health insurance, make a living wage, and can afford to stay home. The same is true for children - we need to make it possible and affordable for parents to stay home with a sick kid, rather than sending them to school/daycare because the family needs that income to get through the month.
In this, I hope we don’t revert back to “normal.”
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My position is, if you don’t vote–don’t bitch!, and trust me I want to bitch these days a lot!
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And a lot of Republicans. Once in a while we have a competitive race in the primaries.
OMG!!! THIS!!! A million times over. I am so on this page with you
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Actually, not so many Republicans any more. San Diego is in the process of turning blue, it’s almost through the purple phase.
All the House Reps except the open seat are currently DEMs. The outgoing Mayor is a very moderate Repub, but the two candidates on the ballot are both DEMs. The City Council is all DEM except for one seat. The County Board of Sups is 3-2 GOP to DEM but that will probably be changing with this election as well. There is even a move afoot to retire a statue of former Mayor (and CA governor and CA Seantor) Pete Wilson because he no longer represents the values or political landscape of SD.
San Diego will never be as progresive as, say, San Francisco, but it is definitely shaking off the Midwest roots and value that defined it over the last 70 years, and that is not a bad thing
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Enough Republicans that they bother to run candidates. Where I live, for most offices, the election’s over in the primary.
Ummm, not in Poway and surrounding areas, lots of pro gun, all lives matter, Trump supporters.
Well, I don’t go to restaurants to force-feed myself. I go to have an enjoyable time (yes, “fun”) and a good, interesting, fresh-from-the-kitchen, meal. Right now, I’m fine with the customer requirements that are in place, and I abide by them.
We’ve managed to live with the common cold and the flu forever. Both can lead to death due to complications (especially pneumonia). As with them, the covid is going to be with us forever, I think, or until a cure for the common cold is finally found. But at some point the death rate from covid will drop to or below that from colds and flu (typically upwards of 65K per year in the US). There’s no clue as to when (one year, two years…?), but eventually. At some point down the road, getting the covid will be like getting a chest cold, or maybe bronchitis, at worst. People will get it, but only a small fraction will die from it. As it stands right now, the “yearly” death toll from covid-19 in the US is more than three times that from the flu and still rising. But I think that’ll change. Next year it will be lower, and the next lower still.
That is speculation which most epidemiologists wouldn’t agree, especially the timeframe you mentioned. The severity of the Covid disease and especially the diversity of organs often heavily effected by the disease beside the lungs (especially heart, brain, kidney) makes it unlikely that the human body will be able to adapt within 1-2 years. It will come down to the T-cell response even how good (and long) a vaccine will help and even more how much we will adapt naturally over time. I expect, and hope to be wrong, that as long as we don’t have adequate AB and SM drugs available we will be heavily impacted by Covid even with a vaccine. AB will be soon available but very expensive and the longer term side-effects will be interesting (as some AB in different therapeutic areas have shown quite severe side effects). SM drugs will take a few more years before they might be available - so the current new normal might be around us for the next 5-10 years
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Agree. But I hope you’re wrong about the 5-10 yr. timeframe.
It’s unfortunate that T-cell adaptivity to covid hasn’t been receiving more research attention. Memory T-cells are our real hope for a long-term defense against covid-19, after an antibody vaccine has worn off.
Older people don’t get colds as much as younger people do, for a reason.
True enough RD , but Poway is County is t not? And the GOP still dominates county offices, altho’ that is beginning to change too. Poway isn’t as bad as Santee, Lakeside or CA-50. I lived in CA-50 before Arnold did the redistricting.to rectify gerrymandering. I am watching that race closely. Will Issa be able to buy his way back into Congress or not. Issa and Campa-Najjar are running even at this point.
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tl;dr: Wear Your Mask!
Abstract:
Full paper with the data: