Why is the economy closed?
Please explain to me why most of the country is still in
economic lockdown when Dr. Fauci himself said, just a few days (May 12) ago during
his testimony at the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing:
“This virus [COVID-19] induces an immune response, and the
overwhelming majority of people recover. The very fact that the body is capable
of spontaneously clearing the virus tells me that, at least from a conceptual
standpoint, we can stimulate the body with a vaccine that will induce a similar
response.”
His response was to Senator Romney’s question regarding the possibility
of a vaccine being developed in the next year or two. I’ll get to Fauci’s
statement in just a bit.
By the way, I have no desire to get a newly developed
vaccine for a newly discovered virus when the flu vaccine, after more than 50
years of working on it, is “about 50-60% effective for healthy adults between
18 and 64 years old” (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/flu/in-depth/flu-shots/art-20048000).
And that’s in a good year. The Mayo Clinic and other healthcare professionals
and organizations admit there are years when the flu vaccine isn’t very
effective. Whoever submits themselves to the upcoming COVID-19 vaccine is
essentially taking an experimental vaccine with the hopes that it might, maybe,
protect them from getting the virus, or, possibly, keep it from becoming too
bad. And just ignore the possibility of all the complications or other problems
the new vaccine might cause, some of which may be worse than contracting
COVID-19.
Anyway, did you catch Fauci’s words?
The “overwhelming majority of people recover”, that’s “overwhelming
majority”, not just a majority. And that’s not all. He states that it is a “fact”
that “the body is capable of spontaneously clearing the virus”.
Why aren’t we being told this in the media?
Everyday I go to work and see CNN in the breakroom. They’re
not the only culprits, just the one I happen to see more. They push the cumulative
numbers, the total number of infections, the total deaths. The only daily number
I see on a regular basis are the number of new cases and new deaths. It’s next
to impossible to find mainstream news giving you daily comparisons, how many
have recovered, what are the trends from day to day, how many are actually
hospitalized compared to available beds.
And the models that predicted gloom and doom? They don’t reflect
reality. The models were based more on assumptions than actual data, often
projecting worst-case scenarios. Since it was new virus, I thought a temporary
2-week, maybe 4 weeks, closure could be helpful as more data was gathered, so more
data-driven decisions could be made. But, except for places like New York or
New Jersey where heavy lockdowns are in in place, the feared death numbers aren’t
there. Not even close.
And places like Sweden where lockdowns were not in place,
and they apparently don’t even have much social distancing or even wear masks,
haven’t had the spike in deaths that were hyped (and even still projected).
But places that did lock down have more deaths than those
that didn’t?
Why is that?
Maybe we need to be out more. Maybe we need the fresh air.
Maybe our bodies need the sunshine. Maybe we need the energy that can come from
interacting personally with others. Maybe the constant immune system
strengthening that comes from being in conditions where every microbe,
bacteria, or pathogen exist, and aren’t sanitized away, is actually good for
our health.
In my opinion, I’m glad schools sent students home. Normally
we get colds cycling through the family every week or two. At the end of March
we had a couple colds go through, but since then nobody has gotten sick.
Other than school closures, the only other response that
should’ve been taken was to identify and protect the most vulnerable. Not keep
everyone quarantined.
This whole lockdown stay at home stuff has made as much
sense to me as telling us not to drive because you might get into an accident
or you might injure or kill someone while driving.
Where’s the media’s reporting on all the auto accidents? Of
course, the death-by-auto rate has probably dropped over the last couple months
with fewer vehicles on the roads.
Where’s all the media attention on tobacco-related deaths,
hospitalizations, and injuries, with the horrid lung, mouth, and other cancers?
Where’s all the media reporting regarding alcohol related
injuries, deaths, and domestic violence?
Oh, it’s because we’re used to those risks. Our freedom
accepts there are risks and part of those risks include others abusing their
rights.
Unless something “newsworthy” happens, we don’t hear about the
total number of people being injured or dying due to alcohol, drugs, tobacco,
auto accidents, or other major factor in mortality rates. We don’t even hear
daily numbers of people dying from cancer, heart disease, or other even other illnesses.
So, back to my opening question, why is the economy still at
a near stand-still? Why aren’t people going back to work?
The simple reason why is because of fear. The economy and
many states are still in lockdown or under stay-at-home orders because of fear
of what has been hyped. The fear of a previously unknown virus has taken the
media by storm and they’re thriving and pushing that fear. Since before the
lockdown began it seemed to me that many reporters were restraining an almost giddiness
about the virus threat. It’s like they knew it would be good for ratings, and
many knew it would hurt the president.
There are also those who want to restrict our freedoms. They
use fear. They manipulate and control. Many of them want you to become
dependent on the government, and those in power, to “protect” you and keep you “safe.”
They don’t want people to become independent and self-reliant because that
diminishes their influence, control, and power. The COVID-19 fear is a boost to
these people and they are using it to promote increased control over the people
through increased reliance on the government (those who are elected and in
power) for protection, safety, and even just to live through handouts and
programs. Many people who seek after and lust for power, influence, control,
and authority are attracted to political careers. And there are those who don’t
want the direct spotlight, but who financially support those with similar
agendas and views.
I will say there are some elected officials who really
believe they are doing what is best through lockdowns and stay at home orders. These
people are few and far between.
But there are those in elected and appointed positions (including
government and health), and in law enforcement, who are loving the extra
authority, power, and control they believe they have. They believe they have
the right to take away Constitutional rights.
What about the talk of tracking/tracing apps? Right now it’s
mostly voluntary. But there are those who want to make these mandatory.
And there are organizations and people who think they should
have the right to enter a private citizen’s home and take an infected person from
the home, if the person cannot be effectively isolated and quarantined in the
home. What if that infected person is a child? Is it right to tear a child from
his/her family just because the child is sick? The mental and emotional trauma
that would cause on the child, and even on other members of the family, would
be more lasting and hurtful than the disease itself. And if a child is taken
from a home, the parents won’t be allowed to be with or visit the child due to
quarantine and isolation restrictions. People heal better and faster when a
loved one is near and supporting them, yet those who want to take children from
the home don’t care about that.
I may see some comments from some who haven’t even bothered to
read everything I’ve written. But for those of you who do read this far,
COVID-19 exists and it is poses a threat especially to those with underlying
health conditions, and many of our elderly have those conditions and are at
higher risk. For some people it is an excruciating illness. For some it contributes
to death (although it probably is rarely, if ever, the sole cause of death). But
for most people who get it, it isn’t worse than a bad cold or flu.
Because of those who are at higher risk, I believe we need
to put safeguards in place to help protect those individuals but we can do this
while still protecting Constitutional rights and liberties and allowing
everyone else to go on with their lives.
I believe if we are thoroughly washing our hands, not
touching our faces (particularly the nose, eyes, and mouth), keeping a “social
distance” around those we’re not sure about, and staying home when we are sick
(our country has a hard time allowing people to be sick) and, if you are sick,
wearing a mask if you are in public, then I don’t think we are at any more of a
risk of getting severely ill than we were a year before COVID-19 was even known.
By the way, wearing a mask really doesn’t do much to protect
you from pathogens, especially if it’s not N95 or higher rated. Most people aren’t
trained and end up touching their faces more, to adjust masks or to re-wear the
same one. Masks are promoted because medical professionals wear them but the
truth is medical professionals receive a lot of training on donning, doffing,
and wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks. When they put
a mask on and gloves on, they don’t touch the mask until it comes off and then goes
into the trash. They’re trained how to remove gloves to minimize contagion
spread. Then they thoroughly wash and scrub their hands and arms. How many
regular citizens have any training at all where it comes to use of masks or
gloves? Not many.
Wearing a mask does limit your potential for coughing or
sneezing all over everything, and possibly infected others. The only reason to
wear a mask if you’re healthy and not a medical professional is to make others
feel better because so many people are hypersensitized to COVID-19 fear. But wearing
a mask, especially for long periods of time, is questionable about how healthy it
is for you.
Dr. Fauci’s own words—“the overwhelming
majority of people recover” and “the body is capable of spontaneously clearing
the virus”-- support me in believing COVID-19 is not as bad as most people
think it is, nor is it as bad as we are led to believe from the media and
politicians.
Our problem is we don’t allow our bodies to recover. We
think we shouldn’t (or can’t) take time off to be sick.
In addition to what I mentioned about washing hands, etc., I
think the biggest change that needs to happen is for companies, businesses,
organizations, schools, etc. to have more liberal sick leave policies. We need
to allow people to be sick and to be home to get well. Too many people have
jobs where they don’t feel like they can take a sick day, because they feel
like it will threaten their job, or reduce their chances for promotions or
raises. Maybe they don’t even get sick leave. Maybe they only get a paid-time-off
day that they have to choose to use for either vacation time or sick leave.
Our kid’s school district allows kids to have 5
parent-excused days off each quarter. Most of the time these days are used for
illness. During the first quarter hardly any of those days are used. Come the
second and third quarters, they almost always get used up and we often have to
go to the doctor’s office (exposing the child to others) just to spend the
co-pay and get a doctor’s note saying the child is sick and should be excused
from school. We already knew that, but the school district wants the proof.
I know there are some people and parents who will abuse sick
leave and attendance policies. There can be some checks in place, but there has
to be a better way to allow people to be sick, encourage them to be home, and
not expose others any more than absolutely needed. But the reality is we
(supposedly) live in a free country with Constitutionally guaranteed rights.
Part of the risk of freedom is others abusing their rights and infringing on
the rights of others. It’s a risk to allow people the freedom to choose, but
that is what freedom is about. If someone doesn’t like it or wants to have the
government dictate how they should live, well, there are other countries in the
world where that person can “enjoy” their illusion of protection and safety.
If you do get sick, whether with COVID-19 or something else,
keep a good attitude. Be grateful for what you have and who you are. Fear won’t
help you get better and might even make it worse. In a book I’ve been reading there
was mention of a study of 2,000 patients over a 12-year period who received diagnostic
labels such as cancer, heart disease, or multiple sclerosis. Having these
diagnoses increased the patients’ sense of helplessness and panic and ended up
impairing their body’s immune system.
Fear induces helplessness and panic. Fear is what is being
promoted by much of the media, many politicians, and a lot of health organizations
(including the CDC and WHO) by not giving us all the information. Even many
medical professionals like Dr. Fauci are on the front lines of promoting the
fear, and it’s only on the rare occasion that you get a glimpse of the truth, like
his statement that I’ve already quoted twice, but it’s worth repeating, “the overwhelming
majority of people recover” and “the body is capable of spontaneously clearing
the virus.” Since the bodies of the overwhelming majority are capable of
spontaneously clearing the virus (meaning no medical intervention is needed)
and they recover from the virus, then why is the fear so dominant? Because those
in positions of power or authority (including those in politics, media, or
health organizations) lose their ability to control and influence people
without the fear.
COVID-19 is something we need to be careful of and do our
best to protect ourselves and our loved ones from. But it is not something to be
fearful of. There are other viruses and diseases that are much worse. As an
example at the end of 2018, “770,000 [570 000–1.1 million] people died from
AIDS-related illnesses” (https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet).
Back in 2004, 1.7 million [1.3 million–2.4 million] died from AIDS-related factors,
and 1.2 million [860 000–1.6 million] died in 2010. These numbers don’t include
the 32.7 million–44.0 million living with AIDS/HIV. And there are other serious
illnesses as well, many of which are scarier than COVID-19. I’m old enough to
remember some of the media and political hype that came out in the late 1980’s
and into the 90’s. But the internet and social media wasn’t around to blow it
out proportion.
In today’s world, from the media and many politicians you
might be led to believe that COVID-19 is something so terrible that everyone
needs to fear and which we need the government to protect us from.
Maybe you heard about over 1,000 sailors testing positive for
COVID1-9 aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt…But did the media let you know that most
of the cases presented no symptoms, only about 7 required hospitalization (with
one in intensive care), and only 1 (out of more than 1,000) died?
For those sailors, the mortality rate of those infected was
less than 0.1% risk—remember not everyone tested positive so that mortality
rate was not for the whole population just the infected ones. The severity
rate, requiring hospitalization or intensive care was less 0.7%. The
overwhelming majority didn’t need medical care. The truth is you have higher
odds of dying from dozens of other factors. But from all the media and
political commentaries you’d think COVID-19 is the worst thing to happen and it
justifies killing the economy and restricting everyone’s freedoms and rights.
There are three factors that may contribute to someone
contracting COVID-19: living conditions, work conditions, and health
conditions. The virus spreads more easily in close living and/or working
conditions but neither of these conditions determine the severity. Personal
health conditions—preexisting, underlying, or compromised health conditions--are
really the main cause for COVID-19 to become severe. The sailors live and work
in very close conditions, but they’re generally healthy. Many elderly have health
conditions that can make COVID-19 more severe, and there is a higher mortality
rate for those who are age 70 and older.
What we’re not hearing about is the emotional, mental, and
even physical trauma that the collapsed economy and induced fear and stress--caused
by the media and politicians--is inflicting upon many millions of people.
Because we don’t have the cumulative numbers we don’t know. My guess is because
of the forced isolation, lockdowns, and severe economic recession (probably
depression) many millions more are going to be affected in ways more deeply and
severely, and for a much longer time, than the damage COVID-19 would ever cause.
As of a few days ago, total unemployment soared to Great Depression levels with
36.5 million unemployed.
But the unemployed aren’t the only ones at risk for mental,
emotional, and physical issues. That just a number we know about. And in some
way just about every person is affected by the panic, fear, and stress caused
by locking down the economy of the nation, states, counties, cities, businesses,
and organizations. Even those who are faring well are encountering increasing food
costs and shortages, not to mention increasing medical/healthcare restrictions
including many cancellations of well-checks and dental visits.
The lockdowns and stay-at-home orders were supposed to be to
help “flatten the curve” so hospitals and the healthcare system wouldn’t become
overwhelmed. They were supposed to be temporary, only a few weeks, but two months
and many are still in place. Some politicians want to keep lockdowns or
heightened restrictions in place for many more months.
As the curve in most places has flattened, are we seeing restrictions
lifted? Only in a few places and often with extreme reluctance on the part of
the politicians, under advice from health departments. But where some restrictions
are lifted others are being put into place or are being discussed. These
include the required wearing of masks, travel restrictions, social distancing
orders, directives to not gather in large groups, contact tracing (tracking), forced
isolation and quarantine, the forced removal of infected persons from homes,
incentivized reporting.
As fears continued to be stoked and other pathogens and threats
emerge, will we see a decrease in the restrictions? Or, will there be renewed
cries to maintain and expand things like contact tracing, remote health
monitoring, and forced isolation, quarantines, or removal of infected persons?
The rallying cries will continue to be variations of the politicians’
favorites: “If we can save just one life”, “it’s for the greater good”, “we
need it to protect our children [or some other vulnerable population]”. And
when it comes to passing legislation, be wary of politicians who say something
like “It’s not perfect, but we need to do something,” “we need to pass it so
you know what’s in it,” or “we can fix it later.” I’m not aware of any “perfect”
legislation that gets passed but these are clues that something’s in the bill
that they don’t want to change.
All of these statements, along with their variants, are red
flags that a deep dive is needed and citizens need to become aware of the potential
and real impacts of the proposed legislation. The talking points and headlines
will be focused on and even politicized, but the politicians and bill’s supporters
don’t want anyone to scrutinize the legislation. And those who do call out the
questionable details will end up being labeled as “not caring about life”, “not
wanting to keep our children safe”, “not wanting to get something done”, “against
the good of society”, or some variation of those. The accusation/label is never
specific to the point/question being made, but is a generalized statement
designed to intimidate and make others fearful. Most people want to protect our
children and keep our communities safe; they don’t want to be seen as against
the good that is being promoted.
Some more clues the bill or proposed legislation contains
questionable parts are if the bill is lengthy and those pushing the bill want
it passed quickly. Seriously, who can really study the bill and look into
possible ramifications and examine unintended consequences when it’s more than
a few hundred pages and the vote is less than a week away. I’m an analytical
person so I can’t see how anyone can honestly say they read through, studied,
and understand a bill well enough to vote on it if they’re not given at least 1
day for every 100 pages before a vote can happen. Even that is fast to really
understand and investigate a bill, especially when you consider the legislator
is reviewing multiple bills at the same time.
Regarding laws, I hope new restrictions and regulations are
placed on the “power” and control of health departments. I’ve been appalled
about how much power these agencies have. They should have the authorization to
close down a single business location due to well-documented health code
violations, but they should not have power on any scale beyond that. I’m very
concerned about public “health”-related legislation, both proposed and passed,
that forces individuals into compliance (such as forced vaccinations, which violates
Amendment 1), or which might take infected persons from a home (which violates
due process and unlawful/unreasonable search and seizure), or which require
contact tracing or tracking (also violating unlawful search and seizure, and it
restricts the right to peaceably assemble).
To me there is something much more dangerous and can impact
our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren more deeply and
thoroughly than diseases and economic loss. It is the loss of our freedoms and
rights. And I am increasingly concerned with how many people, because of their
fear, are willing to give up their rights and freedoms in exchange for an
illusion of safety and protection. And it’s alarming how many politicians are
ravenous for the opportunity to seize upon any regulation or legislation that
infringes upon, abridges, restricts, reduces, or eliminates any freedom or Constitutional
right, even if it’s just a little.
As long as the economy is basically closed and fear is rampant, politicians can use it to push their unconstitutional agendas to increase their power, influence, authority, and control over the people, by increasing the people’s dependency and reliance on the government in exchange for liberties and rights.
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