Oliver Bateman Does the WorkVerified account

A lot of our pundits and political leaders haven't had a single innovative or clever thought in their whole lives, and we expect them to do anything in an unprecedented situation except flail about manufacturing consensus and mouthing a few cliches? "Mutual aid?" Try "self help"

Right now your congressperson is thinking about hiding out til this is over, managing the damage to their stock portfolio (nearly all of them have a fair amount of personal wealth), and ensuring their family members are sufficiently prepped.

Don't feel guilty about a single thing during this period. Take care of you and yours, as my prepper father said til his dying day

He had almost been killed a few times in his life, and he'd tell me, "son, if it comes down to you or me, I'd want you to want it to be you because I want it to be me." It sounded crazy, but he was highlighting a fact of human nature: most of us prioritize ourselves over others

That said, as a father, on some level I think he hoped my will to live was greater than his, and that his many decades of survival hadn't been for nothing, as his own flesh and blood would be strong enough to throw him under the bus if needed

And given that he decided as his 74th year approached to *stop taking his heart medicines so he could die on time*, he surely would've taken his 50 caliber and "buttoned things up" had he received a positive test, as he'd put down a string of beloved animals over the years