POLL: Should Missouri’s Governor Mandate Masks?

The COVID-19 pandemic continues, but the response hasn’t been static since the start:

The number of states with statewide mask mandates has risen since the summer, when roughly half of states had statewide mandates in place. Today, almost three-fourths of states have a statewide mandate in place. (ABC News)

Missouri is among the states without a mask mandate, but earlier this month one group sought to change that.

The Missouri Hospital Association sent a letter to Governor Mike Parson urging him to implement a statewide mask mandate as hospitals become increasingly overwhelmed with record numbers of coronavirus patients, many requiring specialized intensive care unit beds that are quickly becoming scarce.

Governor Parson has largely been a proponent of encouraging, but not mandating, mask-wearing. (KRCG)

This is the subject of  today’s poll, the three answers are presented in random order.

After you’ve voted you can continue to see my thoughts on the matter of mask mandates.

… Continue Reading

Poll: View on the Origin and Development of Human Beings

Millions have been tuning in Sunday evenings to see COSMOS: A Spacetime Odyssey on Fox, Mondays on National Geographic. Since the March 9th debut the show some have been upset by the presentation of evolution rather than creation.

The Cosmos reboot was fairly generous as far as leaving room for religious interpretation goes. But apparently, one Fox affiliate station in Oklahoma City decided there was still just a little too much science talk for their liking, so they cut out the 15-second mention of evolution. (Gizmodo)  

That Fox station says the 15-second cut of evolution from the first episode was an “accident.” Right. The poll this week is from a 2012 Gallop poll, here’s a look at the question and answers:

Which of the following comes closest to your view on the origin and development of human beings?

• Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God guided this process
• Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God had no part in this process
• God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time in the last 10,000 years or so

The poll is in the right sidebar, the answers will be presented in a random order to each viewer.

— Steve Patterson

Poll: Do you give money to the homeless on the street?

“Do you have any change?” Most of us have been approached by a homeless person asking for money.

The poll this week asks how you respond when asked for money.  Next week when I present the poll results I’ll have some expert views on the subject.  In the meantime please vote and share your thoughts below.

– Steve Patterson

Your household divided by a green line?

Do you diligently recycle every item in your house? Have you given up buying bottled water and even bring home bottles and food containers from places where recycling isn’t available? Have you opted for more vegetarian meals and created a plan to recycle gray water to your garden? Then you are someone who believes the planet is in trouble and are willing to make lifestyle choices to support your eco-concerns.

Then there’s your significant other: well-mannered, smart, a perfect fit, and totally opposed to giving up meat even one day a week. He/she recycles when it’s convenient, refuses to give up long showers, and doesn’t believe small personal choices have any impact whatsoever on global warming.

You are at odds. It’s a source of constant friction: he scowls at the vegetarian chili; she resents the single-ply toilet paper and the constant washing of his reusable water bottle. And worst of all is the sense of moral superiority that the significant other exudes while performing small acts of green living.

According to an article this week in the New York Times, therapists are counseling more and more couples who are having a hard time reconciling their green practices. It is their observation that:

“While no study has documented how frequent these clashes have become, therapists agree that the green issue can quickly become poisonous because it is so morally charged. Friends or family members who are not devoted to the environmental cause can become irritated by life choices they view as ostentatiously self-denying or politically correct.”

As climate change becomes an ever more divisive issue, not based on the science which is irrefutable, but on different personal values, it can lead to a parting of the ways. Some couples now look deep into their future and see different journeys and destinations as their partner adopts more green values. At stake now are differing ideas on how to live, how to invest money, what to eat, and what values to pass on to the children. There may soon be a need for a new kind of therapist: a sort of eco-therapist who can help couples and families to work out differences regarding green practices.

So here’s our question:  Does a green line divide your household? Between those who choose to live green and those that don’t?  The weekly poll is in the right sidebar.

– Deborah Moulton

Poll results: readers set thermostat for energy efficiency

Two hundred two people responded to the poll last week:

Q: What temperature is your thermostat normally set to during the Winter months while you are home & awake?

1. 67º F or less: 70 [35%]
   
2. 68º F: 55 [27%]
   
3. 69º-71º F: 49 [24%]
   
4. 72º F or higher: 24 [12%]
   
5. N/A – radiators, no heat, etc: 4 [2%]

Each week I’m surprised by the poll results – they are hardly ever what I expected.  In this case the results are better (lower) than I thought I’d see.    I’m still not sure why most readers are able to keep their thermostat at a reasonable level.  Do they have well insulated homes? Do they like the cold? Do they fear huge winter heating bills?

Local utility Laclede Gas has a list of 30 Hot Tips for Using Energy Wisely that are worth reviewing.  Here are a couple from the list I do regularly:

• Plan to bake several dishes at the same temperature when possible.
• Consider line-drying clothing inside during the wintertime. You will add humidity to your home, which can make you more comfortable, and use less energy

I have now spent about half my life living in multi-family housing, I can attest to the efficiencies gained through shared walls & roofs.  My thermostat has been set on 60º for over a week and my loft stays a comfortable 67º day & night.  Those living in single-family detached houses should have a vegetable garden to offset the extra energy used.

– Steve Patterson