Sen. John Kennedy, R-La.,
told "Tucker Carlson Tonight" Wednesday that
deciding when to reopen the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic is like choosing between
"cancer and a heart attack."
"The American people are not
morons. They understand what I'm about to say," Kennedy said Wednesday.
"We've got to open this economy. If we don't, it's gonna collapse. And if
the U.S. economy collapses, the world economy collapses. And trying to burn
down the village to save it is foolish. That's our cold, hard truth."
Kennedy went on to say that most
Americans know the virus is still spreading and understand it will spread
faster whenever states and cities loosen their restrictions. As a result, he
said, officials will have to be smart about the situation.
"Don't open up in the middle
of a hot spot," Kennedy said. "Encourage your elderly and those with
preexisting conditions to stay quarantined and provide them financial support.
Wear masks, try to socially distance.
"Use technology without
violating privacy to try to track the hot spots and track people who have been
exposed," Kennedy said. "Test as much as we can. Make sure that we
got health care capacity."
Kennedy also reacted
to reports that Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is
eyeing July as the target for an economic opening.
"He's talking about leaving
the economy closed until July. Do you really believe the American people are
going to stand for that? They're not," Kennedy said. "This economy is
going to collapse."
It was important for Sen. Kennedy to point out that when the
economy re-opens for business, new cases of the virus will increase. The
supposed purpose of the shut-down was to postpone some of the infections so as
to not overwhelm the healthcare system. Plenty of debate going on as to whether that was ever a viable strategy, or even whether that purpose is behind all this. (Sundance has a good analysis of the ideological aspects in his coverage of the New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy's interview on Tucker Carlson here. UPDATE: Here's another at Issues and Insights.)
And if you or someone you know contracts
COVID-19 / Wuhan virus, you know to ask your doctor if you are a candidate for a
hydroxychloroquine cocktail. Here's a quick look at the risks of taking hydroxychloroquine.
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