For those of you cooped up in your homes living under our ‘new normal’, aren’t some aspects of the COVID-19 crisis becoming a bit annoying? They certainly are for me! It’s not my intention to make light of our current situation and for those families who have lost loved ones to this virus, any list of annoyances with respect to COVID-19 can only be viewed as superficial. I pray for these families and hope that God will ease their pain and help them to overcome their grief. However, as we enter the mid-point of the second month of imposed government shutdown, there are a few things that are beginning to irk me.
10. Wearing a Mask and Gloves
Haven’t you had enough of this? Do I really need to wear a face mask wherever I go? Granted, there might be cases where a face mask is of value, say on an airplane, however, do I really need to wear one in the park, on the beach, in my own backyard, walking my dog? I look forward to the day when I can greet friends, neighbors and my common man without wondering if a stick-up is about to occur.
9. Politicizing the Virus
This is getting tiresome. Why is it that everything in our society today must be politicized?
8. Essential vs. Non-Essential
I’m also tired of hearing about who is essential and non-essential. Is this now how we are going to categorize people? Seems funny to me that virtually everyone in the government is categorized as essential, while many in the private sector are not? From what I have witnessed it seems to me that if you have favor with your respective governor, you’re essential while if you’re in the private sector good luck.
7. “The Models”
For those in the government who have given us information about the spread of the virus and its morbidity I need to ask the question, “At what point will the model actually be accurate? Since the beginning of this pandemic we were told that the number of deaths could be in the millions – then it was 200 thousand – then 60 thousand. We were told that the death rate would be well above the seasonal flu. Now it seems when all is said and done the actual death rate will be similar if not less than the seasonal flu. Don’t the so called ‘experts’ have a responsibility to get this right, particularly when decisions are being made based upon the model. Please do us all a favor. When the model is accurate, let us know.
6. Bad Data
You’ve heard the expression garbage in/garbage out. As with the discussion about “The Model” we also have watched as the CDC has dramatically expanded the coding of COVID-19 deaths virtually ensuring that the number of individuals actually dying from COVID-19 will be significantly overstated. To put this in terms easily understood, basically if you were de-capitated via a car accident and happened to also have COVID-19 your cause of death would be attributed to the virus. Really? If we ever hope to learn from this experience and apply data analytics to better prepare for future events, isn’t it about time we get the data right?
5. The ‘Experts’
With all due respect to ‘The Experts’, they have been wrong from the beginning of this pandemic through to today. Their initial reaction was that this pandemic would be no more significant than the seasonal flu, followed by anticipated death tolls that were wildly inaccurate. They downplayed the potential use of Hydroxichloriquine as an early treatment for the virus despite massive data to the contrary and gave no consideration to the toll on people’s health as a result of the decisions to shut down society largely made due to their input. Only in government can you amass this track record and still retain your job.
4. Draconian Governors
There are a number of governors in our nation who have used this crisis as an opportunity to enact executive orders which at best are draconian and at worst are just plain stupid. What does COVID-19 have to do with purchasing paint or seeds? There must be some relationship since Michigan’s governor banned both. What about the governor of California who issued an edict banning protests outside the state capital; how convenient. Since governors are clearly exercising powers well beyond the norm, shouldn’t they be obligated to demonstrate to their constituents where they are authorized to do so?
3. The Media
What needs to be said here. The media, particularly those in the mainstream media have no interest in providing the American people with information of value with respect to today’s situation. They engage in an effort to undermine the President with their asinine questions at each and every press conference. Mr. President, “will you wear a mask when you visit Arizona”? Mr. President, “should you be re-elected considering more Americans have died from COVID-19 then were killed in Vietnam”? Contrast this with virtually no questions to Andrew Cuomo as to why he issued an executive order requiring Nursing homes and Assisted Living facilities to accept new and returning residents even if infected with the virus when it has been known that people in these facilities are the most vulnerable to the virus. It’s quite clear that today’s media have an agenda and no integrity.
2. Risks to Individual Liberty
Like draconian edicts issued by many governors, at what point do we question the balance between combating the virus and affronts to individual liberty? If governors were consistent in their application of their edicts this might not be an issue, however we have seen many examples of religious services targeted by governors even though such services were conducted following issued safety guidelines. This is just one of a number of examples where government edicts are being applied in an inconsistent manner.
1. We’re All in This Together
And the number 1 thing I am most tired of hearing; “we’re all in this together”. No doubt, this is a nice sentiment, but are we really all in this together? Tell me, what government employees have lost their jobs – any? What government employees have seen their retirement savings destroyed in a matter of weeks – any? How about our politicians? Have they seen a cut in their salaries – no! Have they seen their pensions lose any value – no! Is the United States Congress even working – no, but they are still getting paid! So, for everyone who likes to say “we’re all in this together” please spare me. The fact of the matter is the private sector and the 30 million that used to be employed in the private sector (you know, the ones who pay the bills for this country) are taking this on the chin.
America, it’s time to wake up! It’s time to question many politicians and life-long government officials who have been consistently inaccurate and who have made one poor decision after another. It’s time we stop following these people, demand of them to clearly demonstrate their authority to take their draconian actions and ultimately, it’s time for us to take back our lives!