National overview
After one year of Coronavirus, it’s time to restore our freedom
Coronavirus closures would only take a few weeks, presumably to make sure we could build up our hospital capacity. Those of us who have been skeptical about allegations like these are ridiculed as anti-scientific, insensitive to human life, or as conspiracy theorists. Yet today is the 365th day since the start of the campaign “two weeks to slow down the spread”, and our economy remains trapped and children are still locked out of their classrooms. By this time, it should be obvious that it is not about science and safety, but about compliance and control, and it will not stop unless we let the people stop it. On March 16, 2020, former President Donald Trump announced the start of several weeks of restrictions intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus. However, history has shown us what happens when we give the government an inch of extra power. Despite the stated purpose of these restrictions, various governments – federal, state – and local – have used this opportunity to devise food and to advance a political agenda. That’s why I wrote on March 20, 2020, that Americans need a ‘certain date’ to return to their normal lives while taking social health measures (hand washing, disinfecting, etc.) to our elderly and those what immunocompromise. Instead, we have moved from the largest economy in American history to an unemployment rate of 14.8 percent, the highest since 1948. Now Americans are still struggling with the damage done not only by the virus itself, but rather by our excessive and exaggerated response to It. When the coronavirus was declared a national emergency, businesses across the United States had to close their doors, with nearly 170,000 business closures in September, of which 98,000 were permanent. Surviving businesses have been forced by politicians and bureaucrats to jump through rings – for example, by creating restaurants off sidewalks and streets and generally dealing with upside-down business models – just to stay afloat. If only it were the extent of the damage. But humans are not just bodies; our minds and our souls also suffer from the effects of bad policies. Last year, schools across the country closed their doors. And while corrupt unions fight for teachers to keep them closed, many students fall months behind in critical areas like math and reading. It is estimated that a total of 3 million is missing in the education system. Americans’ mental health also suffered. From one CDC study in July, 40.9 percent of participants reported that they had at least one unfavorable mental or behavioral health condition. Eleven percent said they had seriously considered suicide. And the financial price for this destruction? In less than a year, the federal government paid out about $ 6 billion in response to this crisis. By reference, that’s more than the whole price for our victory in World War II and almost the full amount of national debt when I came to Washington in 2003 as a senator. to aggravate their future at the same time. But even though so many of their fellow citizens have lost so much, career politicians and public health bureaucrats – a minimal distinction, I know – have only gained popularity and prestige by exercising their power. For example, dr. Anthony Fauci, the highest paid bureaucrat in the federal government, who was wrong about many aspects of the pandemic, which had to throw first place at the start of the Nationals season, was anything but deified by some. And just this week, he said that only Americans can celebrate “Independence Day” if we get the level of infection so low. We can no longer be afraid; we know better. The Trump administration’s “Operation Warp Speed” has produced nothing more than a medical miracle in the rapid production of vaccines that have now fully or partially vaccinated more than 107 million Americans. Now, 63.4 percent of all Americans age 65 and older have already received at least one dose. COVID-19 cases have declined and have not shown increasing trends since early January. Mortality rates continue to fall; the seven-day average mortality rate has dropped by 60 percent since early January. Many COVID treatments, including hydroxychloroquine, budesonide, and antibody programs, have been shown to be effective in treating patients. Despite these positive trends, the power-hungry policy continues. School unions and teachers have argued against the need to reopen schools, regardless of the well-being of students. Local officials are still restraining businesses and forcing them to work at a lower capacity. The CDC has issued more confusing guidelines, saying that people who are fully vaccinated can congregate in some institutions without social distance or masks, but not in public or at certain households. On the horizon, things can get worse. We hear politicians and bureaucrats talking about the prospect of ‘vaccine passports’ to limit our travel and questions about whether we will be allowed to celebrate Independence Day together. The sheer absurdity of these ideas against the background of the data above makes it even more obvious: it’s really about power, and it will not stop unless we let it stop. One year later, and one year wiser, Americans had enough. No more extension of the “two weeks to delay the spread.” It is time for the American people to demand the return of their lives, their livelihoods and their freedoms, and start saying no to those who want to retain control. And it starts by turning away from fear, planting our feet and giving a firm and impeccable ‘no’.