Lockdown Meme of the Day

Seen at Patriot Post:

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Resist the lockdown

cartoon credit: leadersedge.com

Heather MacDonald hits the nail on the head, as she always does.  Her column at Spectator USA (“Where are the deaths?: The drum beat to halt the re-openings gets louder by the day. It should be resisted”) begins:

The coronavirus doomsayers could not even wait until the fall for the apocalyptic announcements of the dreaded second wave. Because the red states recklessly loosened their lockdowns, we are now told, the US is seeing a dangerous spike in coronavirus cases. ‘EXPERTS SKETCH GLOOMY PICTURE OF VIRUS SPREAD: FAUCI TELLS OF “DISTURBING” WAVE, WITH A VACCINE MONTHS AWAY,’ read the front-page lead headline in the New York Times on Wednesday. ‘VIRUS SPREAD AKIN TO “FOREST FIRE”’ read another front page headline in the Los Angeles Times on Monday, quoting Michael Osterholm, one of the media’s favorite public health experts. Osterholm had told NBC’s Meet the Press: ‘I’m actually of the mind right now — I think this is more like a forest fire. I don’t think that this is going to slow down.’

The ‘this’ is an uptick in daily new cases from 19,002 on June 9 to 38,386 on June 24. The high to date in new daily cases was on April 24 — 39,072. Since April 24, the daily case count started declining, then began rising again after around June 9. What virtually every fear-mongering story on America’s allegedly precarious situation leaves out, however, is the steadily dropping daily death numbers — from a high of 2,693 on April 21 to 808 on June 24. That April high was driven by New York City and its environs; those New York death numbers have declined, but they have not been replaced by deaths in the rest of the country. This should be good news. Instead, it is no news.

. . .

There are no crises in hospital capacity anywhere in the country. Nursing homes, meat-packing plants, and prisons remain the main sources of new infections. Half the states are seeing cases decline or hold steady. Case counts are affected by more testing; the positive infection rate captured by testing is declining. The current caseload is younger, which is a good thing. The more people who have been infected and who recover, the more herd immunity is created. Meanwhile, daily deaths from heart disease and cancer — about 3,400 a day combined — go ignored in the press.

But the drum beat to halt the still far too tentative reopenings gets louder by the day. It should be resisted. The lockdowns were a mistake the first time around; to reimpose them would be disastrous for any remaining hope of restoring our economy. The damage that has been done to people’s livelihoods and future prosperity will continue to outweigh the damage done by the coronavirus. The only vaccine against poverty and resulting despair is a robust economy. 

Read the full column here.

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We're being played

Are you wearing a mask and practicing social distancing?  Via Instapundit:

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On re-opening the economy

A friend of mine on social media forwarded this to me:

Some attack those who want to reopen business as selfish & reckless. But then, those that rely on many people to supply them while they cower in fear at home: isn’t that being selfish?

You expect your garbage to be picked up.

You expect the grocery store to be open with stocked shelves so you can feed your family.

You expect truck drivers to supply the stores.

You expect farmers, meatpackers, fruit & vegetable pickers to keep food in that store.

You expect Amazon to ship all the things you’re ordering while you sit at home shopping.

You expect the delivery guy to leave it on your doorstep.

You expect your phone to work, your power to stay on & your mail to show up rain, sleet, or shine, & your gas station to be open.

You expect the doctors & nurses to be there if you need them, although many have been furloughed because their units & services have been shut down.

One premise of 'shelter in place' is based on the arrogant idea that others must risk their health so you can protect yours. There is nothing virtuous about ignoring the army required to allow you to shelter in place.

Maybe you should stop & think about the people who allow you to stay "safe" in your home.

With some common sense on my part, I could go back to life as it was. I want to go to restaurants & to get my hair cut. I could catch COVID-19. I could also catch the flu or a cold. I could get hit by a car. I could get struck by lightning. We take risks every day.

If you choose to stay home, that is your choice. And don’t start screaming at me about how I’ll spread it. Why are you worried? You won’t get it because you’re staying home. Are you going to shelter in place every time a new strand of flu happens?

Our economy is crumbling. If it collapses, so will every other economy worldwide. If that happens, you really will need to hide in your house.

I absolutely don’t want people to die ... from COVID or anything else. I want people to live. But sheltering in place is not living.

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