I never, ever suggested government mandates for wearing respirators by the public in public places. The seatbelt case study I mentioned actually happened before there were any mandatory seatbelt laws. It was purely a public awareness campaign and it was hugely successful.

But as you point out, that was back in the 60s and 70s, before the world went apeshit and people lost all sense of reason, and avarice became the unquestionable religion.

I said what should be done, not what you or I have the power to implement -- and believe me I've tried. I've contacted every public official and media entity that I thought would listen, but to no avail.

Our society is sick, not just from COVID-19. It's a moral illness, and those who are most likely to become infected are the ones most likely to hold the reins of power. I think we're sunk.

Like many others, I've considered just pushing it off the cliff, starting over. We've got a really low bar right now -- odds are we'd come out much better after the dust had settled.

I've even considered this:

https://qoto.org/@Pat/107703090587925915

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Re my claim...
Facts:
- In the US, 42,915 traffic fatalities in 2021, up about 10.5% from 2021
- Per JHU, 1,079,104 deaths from COVID-19, as of 2:20pm EST
- Seatbelts are less than 99.97% efficient at preventing traffic deaths