I hope all of you marching in the streets discounting the severity of this disease are right. You aren’t. But I hope by some miracle you are. We are all suffering. Our government was formed for the collective benefit of our society, but it has been made very clear the middle-class taxpaying backbone is of no concern to either Party and the Government has no interest in real solutions for us who actually keep this Nation afloat.
Senator Ted Cruz is bleating about Harvard getting relief funds despite their 41 billion dollar endowment for Twitter applause, but he is one of the Senators most responsible for placing big business, the ultra-wealthy and those on the dole (who haven’t missed a check) above the interests of the working man and woman (side note: how can anyone respect Senator Cruz after Trump humiliated his wife and then he kissed his ass; angry convention Cruz was so much better, what happened? Cowardice?). Of course, Harvard shouldn’t be getting a penny. Why did you let it happen?
I have been arguing for far more pragmatic solutions that both recognize the threat posed by this virus but allow for the economy to function for many weeks. But we have elected politicians from both teams setting policies for people not getting checks while they are paid, and they are using the pandemic as an excuse to greatly reduce the provision of public services to most everyone but those living on its teat. And none are on our team.
Actual pragmatism does not mean pretending this virus is the flu or the common cold. The asymptomatic realities of the USS Theodore Roosevelt make it clear taking a person’s temperature is not enough. We need masks, eyewear and glove policies and we need to incentivize the production of these items instead of allowing the government to control the marketplace. We can open businesses, but we must enact strict measures and have real consequences for those who endanger society by failing to abide by the rules.
We also need to be aware of the motives for those organizing these protests and advocating for taking to the streets from the safety of their bunkers (or television/radio studios). The people quietly organizing the protests are not attending them and are seeking to benefit from the disruption and restarting the economy. They do not care how many people die. They care about attention and their own interests. Stop allowing yourselves to be pawns while also advocating for better responses from your local, state and federal government.
This disease doesn’t kill the overwhelming majority of people it infects. But it does both infect and kill a far outsized portion as compared to other highly communicable diseases. It also does permanent damage to the organs, respiratory and circulatory systems of another far larger portion of those who are infected. We don’t need fairy tales. We don’t need to celebrate low information people too stupid to realize they are being manipulated. We do need to advocate for sensible measures that allow people and businesses to survive while also acknowledging the gravity of this pandemic.
End of the day: don’t accept callous government overreach and non-solution solutions, but also don’t allow yourself to be manipulated by the unscrupulous for their own benefit. Be less gullible while also demanding that your elected officials serve those who they were elected to serve, not their financial masters who lurk in the shadows.