Internet or TV Schooling could drastically reduce Swine Flu here.

It just occurred to me how everyone at work recently got sick with Flu's colds,stomach viruses about a week or two after Schools re-opend. I think a great Stimulas and jobs creation would be to emergency equip school teachers with the ability to teach online and over TV.

Imagine how many lives we could save by closing schools if this Swine FLu really gets a hold of us. Not only that but computer and desk jobs could be done at home.

Another great way to stimulate the economy and save lives is to give companies tax breaks to equip their company and employees to work from home when an outbreak occurs.

We should do this right now before it spreads to far. We need to limit contact with each other during these outbreaks.

If nothing else it would slow the Flu down so Hospitals could manage to keep up.

I find it hard to believe no one has a comment to this post ?

I found some information links to post.

Fox News

Both the U.S. and the United Kingdom say they will not close schools except under exceptional circumstances. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said a massive school closing wouldn't stop swine flu.

Exactly what constitutes exceptional circumstances?

One Minute Book Reviews

In 1999 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report on what might happen if a pandemic virus – similar to the relatively mild virus of 1968 – struck the United States. It estimated that between 89,000 and 207,000 people in the U.S. would die. Why so many?

Center For Disease Control

The number of influenza-associated (i.e., flu-related) deaths varies from year to year because flu seasons often fluctuate in length and severity. CDC estimated that about 36,000 people died of flu-related causes each year, on average, during the 1990s in the United States.

So our government currently predicts that up to 200k people may die from Swine Flu yet another part of the governement says we wont close schools except in exceptional circumstances.

3 to 5 times the normal death toll does not already count as a exceptional circumstance? Up to 200000 of us to die here is there prediction...

If we can use resources to enable schooling and workers that are able to do their work at home why would we not do so to save hundreds of thousands of lives?

Christian Science Monitor

There are concerns that hospitals and clinics could become overwhelmed, Ms. Sebelius added, especially if flooded by what she called "the worried well" that would take resources away from those with actual symptoms.

Why not stimulate the economy and buy computers and technology right now from US companies to allow students and computer workers to stay at home so we do not have to worry about overwhelming our Medical system? A lot of infrastructure and jobs would be created that could be used now and in future pandemics. Our students and employee's wont miss a beat if they can work and learn at home.

X

I see two flaws with your proposal:

1. Not everyone has computers, not everyone with computers has decent Internet access, and a lot of parents are working during the day, leaving no one at home to watch over the children. Those who do not have computers typically can't afford them and even if they could get one, they probably wouldn't know how to use it. Even if you gave every family with children a free computer, how many would pawn it? If you loaned them one, how many would simply destroy it out of apathy?
   
   Now how do you combat the problem with the children who don't have one stay-at-home parent? Today's family typically has both incomes, just to make ends meet. Do you further strain the family's finances by forcing one parent to stay home, or do you simply let the children stay home alone and expect them to behave and do their work instead of surfing the porn sites?
   
   Not to mention the cost involved if you start giving computers to families who can't afford one. Where are we going to get the money to do that, AND fund Obama's Iraq (Afghanistan) war, AND bail out AIG, BOA, and anyone else who decides to blow their capital on wild office parties, AND recreate the entire health care industry? Come on, man, there's a bottom to that barrel of cash we call government.
   
   
2. Stimulating the economy by making people buy things simply doesn't work. The economy runs on choices people make for themselves. The only way to stimulate the economy is for more people to have more discretionary spending... something that cannot happen now, since we have too many drains on income as it is, we are trying to institute more, and we have inflated what little is left to stimulate with by printing money as fast as the presses can run.
   
   I'm a little surprised those plates haven't melted from the friction already, to be honest.
   
   TheRedneck