We are now living in a surreal place. “It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone.” It is a place where bureaucrats and politicians control us against our will, and say that they are just “following the science”, when in fact science has little to do with it. It is a place where we wear masks and gloves, to fight the “invisible enemy”, an enemy that mostly affects those of us who are elderly and sick. It is where healthy people are told to “shelter in place”, when they are in little if any danger, and those in charge send covid-19 patients into nursing homes, devastating those populations. Businesses are closed, people are facing economic devastation, while politicians debate on how much funny money to send into the economy, to fight global warming, promote abortions, and other Progressive wish lists, all the while leaving the bill for our progeny. These people are systematically destroying our social fabric, shredding our constitution, and willfully committing economic suicide, all in the notion that somehow this destruction will keep us “safe”.
I live in Los Angeles County, the hub of total ineptitude. The county is approximately 10 million in population, and has a GNP that exceeds that of Saudi Arabia. By most standards, this county is rich, and is able to afford a proper and reasoned response to this virus. Dr. Barbara Ferrer is the Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Problem is that she is not an MD, not even a DO, but instead has a doctorate in Social Work. She works closely with city and county politicians and bureaucrats to create a response to covid-19. Yes, a social worker is in charge of creating our response.
Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti is locking down that city at least until August. By then the economic damage will be irreversible, and as many as 50% of small business in that area will fail. Many more people will be left to fend for themselves and their families on the street, a problem that was of epic proportions even before the virus. The city is out of money now because of lack of tax revenue, but he marches on with this policy.
Other cities in the county are following suit. This is senseless because the county is as diverse as its population. Areas are primarily agricultural, where sheltering in place is about as stupid as killing a fly with an atom bomb! Other areas are suburban, where a lockdown is almost as stupid. Areas of the inner city where people live in close quarters it may make more sense, but even then, how does the county ever achieve “herd immunity”?
The state of California is also running on a crazy train of its own. Also broke because of lack of tax revenue, Governor Newsom has set aside $500,000,000 to give each and every illegal immigrant in our state a $500 tax free check. He is begging for the Federal Government to bail out his mismanaged state, as he gives free health care to illegals under the age of 25. He is also locking the state down as much as possible. All the while anger is growing, people are demonstrating, and some are even being arrested. This misfortunate policy carries on in spite of overwhelming evidence that it is just not working.
This is no longer a health issue. It is a political one. This failed state, and others in the same positions are looking at this virus as an opportunity for the Federal government, in other words all Americans to pick up the bill for their poor leadership and mismanagement. They are driving their states, counties and cities to the breaking point, and pointing to their dire straits for the reason they need stimulus from the Fed. This is not a solution, but they see it as that.
They are not following science, or economics. It could be that they are afraid to profess that they were wrong, and no Progressive would ever do that! They are in effect killing our rights, our economy, and our people in the name of keeping us safe. They order us to give up liberty for safety, but at the end of the day, we are neither safe or free!
They instead should open up their economies, and at the same time protect those that are most in danger, the elderly with comorbidities. If they do that, they have political futures. If they do not, and wreak this horror down on us, they will have no future in public life. Instead, they will carry the blame for the destruction that they needlessly brought down upon us.