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As the specter of economic nationalism continues to vaguely haunt the United States, economists find themselves at something of an impasse.

When looking at comparisons of COVID-19 mortality rates between countries, or between US states, many casual observers in social media and publications’ comment sections are often quick to point to population density as the overwhelming and deciding factor in determining overall infection. 

Many years ago, I had a lunatic roommate who would remove people’s clothes from the laundry machines midcycle, throw temper tantrums like a child, and set the thermostat to crazy temps, among other things.

One workaround that one of my sane roommates and I designed for the thermostat problem was to go out and buy a second thermostat. We connected it to the HVAC system and disconnected the existing one but left it on the wall.