The US, never mind the world, is taking unprecedented steps to contain the Covid outbreak. In many cases it seems like “shoot-ready-aim”. It is already accepted fact that millions will become unemployed, heck millions already ARE, and we will have a deep recession lasting one to two quarters at minimum if not a depression. Trillions of financial wealth, wealth that millions depend on has been wiped out. Many industries will be changed forever and lots of those jobs are never coming back. A staggering 80% of US jobs are service-oriented, not that anything close to that is at risk, yet. Wholesale and retail and leisure and hospitality employ 34 million people in the US. How many of those jobs will be lost short and long-term? Probably well into the millions.
Policy makers are not thinking straight. Goaded on by our corrupt media that just wants to sell panic, and certain medical “experts” who are having their moment in the sun, many have the human urge to do something, ANYTHING! if it is seen as decisive action. So there you have it…a growing national lock-down whether voluntary or enforced.
But economic downturns have real human consequences. These are not just numbers and dollars lost. There is a direct correlation between meaningful work and health and welfare. Unemployment leads to depression, drug and alcohol abuse, family strife, cut backs on needed medical care, and even suicide, never mind long-term government dependency. Sure lives are being lost to Covid, but how many will be destroyed because of our economic self-immolation? We may well be killing the proverbial mosquito not with a hammer, but a flame-thrower! Sure, we got the mosquito but we burned our house to the ground!
I believe a proper, coherent response to the Covid would have been tightly locking-down those at risk ONLY: the aged over 70-75 and anyone 50 and up that has preexisting conditions. The rest of the country should be allowed to continue with life with a heavy dose of “how to” prevention: hygiene, taking care of yourself, and rational social distancing. The media and some politicians have created fear and paranoia not seen in my lifetime, not even 9/11 and it is very sad. One small anecdote. I went to my local grocery last night to pick up a few dozen items. Of course several key ones were gone but what struck me most was the fear in people’s eyes…and I live in a semi-rural place with so far no cases. The store was sparsely populated but more than one person fearfully gave me a wide-berth when I passed by. The fear is what saddened me. I don’t think that is changing any time soon.
I pray that we beat this thing back quickly and some cooler heads prevail. The country cannot afford more than a few weeks of shutdown. Here are some additional views:
COVID Chaos: What’s More Dangerous, the Virus or Our Reaction?
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