keeping things mostly shut down for another year??
We can pretty much quantify each outcome.  
1) Open things up and illnesses and deaths go to the high end of projections. Also, the medical community simply breaks under the strain, causing the percentage of deaths from COVID infections to rise. I haven't seen any estimates of the financial cost of all the hospitalizations but I'm sure it's astronomical.
2) Keep things shut down until we have a vaccine, which is a year from now under the most optimistic scenario. How many  trillions does that cost and how many years will it take for the economy to recover? And the cost isn't simply financial vs. human. How many people will die just from going stir-crazy or lonely. Or from suicide? Or from cracking up and murdering someone?
It's probably impossible to come up with an apples-to-apples comparison. But my point is, the choice ain't simple and there's probably no way to answer the question in a way that will make it clear which is the right course to take.
Too bad we don't have a President who can lead a rational national discussion about what's the best choice.
I don't pretend to know the answer either. In the past I've believed the right answer is 1), but I'm far from sure that 2) isn't the best way to go. There's plenty of pain either way, that's for sure.

about America. They prove that every day.  Trump is still working and the Democrats leave town, Jerks. And the the liberal media protects them. The sad part is the low information voter falls for the lies. Dumb fucks !

Bending the curve was NOT to reduce deaths (directly) it was to prevent hospitals from over-flowing.  The idea was to slowly get to herd immunity (60% of population infected.)  This would mean X number of deaths.  Only more so if hospitals would overflow and couldn't save those who could otherwise be saved.
.
Now is creeping in the idea that if we stay at home we will stop the virus from spreading and never develop herd immunity.  Essentially lock down forever (or until viable vaccine.)  
.
The economy will be back to the stone age by then.  Not realistic.

Otherwise, you turn the US into a third-world country with people dying of starvation.  THEN, the ONLY way out is a Bernie Sanders style of Socialism, which will structure as the elites and the worker class, no middle class.  The future would resemble the society fictionalized in the movie, Hunger Games.  

“ I rather have a smart enemy, than a stupid friend”
Trumpanzees are the stupidest ppl ever lived!

Both have serious implications on our lives going forward.
Simply put: the choices are 1) economy and 2) humanity.  
Trumpanzees making it a mutually exclusive choice and choosing 1.
Dems and other smart Republicans want to make a third choice - a combination of both and navigate the troubled water!
History tells us humanity will win in the end. Question is what it will cost us.
As they say, you can’t have a thriving economy with dead people.

ALL of the House and Senate are in a version of adjournment to practice safe distancing. But they ARE working and able to legislate. Just because the Dems won't roll over for an inadequate re-funding of the small business plan does NOT mean they won't agree to fund it. They simply want safeguards the RepubliTards fear.
Do you even know WHY the funding ran out? Because bigger businesses got to the trough first and sucked out all the money so the REAL small businesses -- including many no doubt run by Republicans -- got hosed.
So YOU are the "low information voter" who is falling for lies.
YOU are the dumb fuck.
PS: It's "care less," not "careless." Dunce

I agree 100% that no matter which choice is taken, there will probably be some unpleasant consequences. That is why, the “graduated” approach of opening up makes the most sense to me. And this is why the Governors and local officials should be the ones making  the decisions, since they are closer to the problems. Donnie got his knuckles rapped and rightly so when he proclaimed that he as President would be the one in charge of any lockdown changes. He had to make a fast retreat on that one. And I’m sure that the Trump haters loved it. But before anyone goes out there, jumps in the air, and clicks their heels together over his comeuppance, make note that he is now off the hook as far as any missteps the various Governors may take down the line. Of course, I know we’ll continue to hear ad nauseam how it would all be different if Trump had listened to Obama, had acted sooner, etc., etc. Well, that’s in the past and the debate over that will never be resolved nor agreement reached. To me the question is will those who are now charged with making hard decisions, be subjected to constant criticism and second guessing? At some point people have to put politics aside, and let those in charge get on with doing the job that needs to be done.

and gave them Carte Blanche to do it their way. BUT he also made it VERY clear he's in favor of the most rapid re-opening they can do. So it's still on him to a large extent.

He actually listens to people who disagree with him and he follows the medical experts. Funny how liberals mock him for that.

Is outrageous and heinous.  The whole argument around so called herd immunity is pure fallacy.  Humans will always develop natural immunities as a species, some sooner others later.  History shows us to be a resilient species, coming back from the brink many times.  

So, if it’s still on him (Trump) to a large extent, and things do work out OK, will you then give Trump a “large extent” of the credit? A simple yes or no would be preferred, but I’m amenable to any answer.

He punted during the entire month of Feb., causing many more deaths than otherwise would have occurred, calling the virus everything from under control, about to be gone or even a "hoax." The rest of the month of Feb. was spent running rallies (a/k/a blame-zests) or playing golf.
Anything else he does right simply mitigates the harm he has done but does not remove it.

For most of the damages and deaths he has caused by non-action of February  
AND
For Any additional deaths that will be necessitated due to any early opening due to his and Fox News sending their lemmings out to die
AND  
For any money I will make in the stock market with short term call options

the month of February preoccupied with impeachment, which was still going on in the Senate.  If Pelosi hadn't sat on the Articles for a month, then it would have been all over and this would have had his full attention BEFORE February.  I think we have to place some of the blame on Pelosi and Schiff for the sham distraction of the phony impeachment.  Bill Clinton also took a little while to get back on his game as chief executive once he beat the impeachment attempt, but he had no crises like this to deal with while he was easing back into his job as Prez.  

thousands of citizens will not be dead!  
Oh I forgot, you don’t mind dying or dead people ... you claim
you aren’t a “death puss”  
On that topic, does anyone really know how they will respond just a moment before dying? Do you? Doesn’t matter how much you brag you don’t mind dying ...