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Comment by finaliteration | Hacker News Reader

There’s a lot of discussion about flattening the curve to lessen the impact on healthcare providers and hospitals. Wouldn’t the same sort of thinking apply for grocery stores and food supplies? It seems like people need to stop stockpiling and hoarding food so the most vulnerable people from an economic standpoint (who likely don’t have the means to stock up for weeks or months) can still have access to it.

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Well in the case of Italy it seems to have led to strikes by food workers who would like to go home https://www.politico.eu/article/coronavirus-sparks-nationwid...

Both of these points rely on people acting rational in the face of the unknown. I think it's safe to assume this is not going to happen.

I disagree. These are classic game theory problems where what is unilaterally rational doesn’t optimize group welfare. You need rationing and market intervention. The problem is relying on capitalism for distribution based on aggregated price signals.

Did you also factor in the fact that this is America, where people own guns and believe they have a god given right to use them?

What exactly are they going to do with those guns that'll get them more food?

Looting and robbing, even were they to get away with it, will only get them a limited amount when there's virtually no food to be had.

I don't think guns are going to be the solution here.

Skip to the front of the line? Raid their neighbors' house? Again, people will not be rational and if things escalate (which I don't think they will) they will revert back to tribalism very, very quickly.

Private gun ownership does much more to reduce looting than contribute to it. This has been seen time and time again in America.

But anyhow, food supplies aren't drying up, and there is plenty of workforce available with other businesses slowing down.

I very much doubt the government, especially the present government, is going to have very much tolerance for widespread looting.

Martial law would be declared, the National Guard would be called out, curfews would be instituted, rationing would be enforced.

The little pea shooters a few survivalists have stocked up on are going to do them precious little good against the might of the US military, which would have little compunction against shooting a looter during a crisis of this magnitude.

Well... yeah, of course.

We can still aspire to do the right thing.

That's a good point. I wish more stores had implemented restrictions on purchasing volume much earlier to slow down the hoarding.

But when you look at the total mismanagement and incredible incompetence of US leadership on this issue, it’s rational though regrettable that people are panicking and assuming they will have to fend for themselves.

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