Notwithstanding the startling reduction in cases over the last few weeks, we continue to get fear and hysteria from public leaders and experts. The hoopla yesterday was because Texas and Mississippi ended their statewide mask mandates, and we all know how well those worked. The Governor of California, whose state has done no better than Texas and who is a hypocritical dingbat, called the Texas move “reckless”. Others weighed in along the same lines. I would be very willing to bet that we see no change in case trends due to the mask mandate elimination. As I observed before, you can’t spell pandemic without the panic.
Here is what is really behind this. The cycle of government actions runs like this. A situation comes up. You don’t really have good information. You do something, usually something stupid. The stupid thing you did has bad or unintended consequences. Admit a mistake? No, you are a government leader or an “expert” advising a government. Double-down time. Frighten people even more about how bad the situation really is. Give them misleading and exaggerated information about the threat and leave out any countervailing information, so they think you really had to take the action you took and they are kept in the dark regarding the harms being caused by your actions. Never, ever, give a hint that maybe there was a different way to deal with the situation. Lying is completely acceptable. Wait until the situation resolves itself, then take credit. This will sound very familiar to Minnesotans. Think I am being cynical. No, the story of government, from both major parties, for my entire life.
We also continue to get mutation terrorism. Nothing in the data or research that I see to justify that either. And we get an implicit message that our beloved leaders don’t think the vaccines work, as they keep saying that even after we are fully vaccinated we will have to mask up and keep socially distanced, etc., etc. That is garbage. The early indications are that the vaccines work as intended, and there is zero justification for keeping people from returning to a relatively free condition, rather than have their every action governed by the state. Already some public health nitwits are saying we should mask up and socially distance every flu season. We will have to fight to get our freedom back.
On a political note to re-affirm what I have said about woebegone Minneapolis, you must read this op-ed by a young African-American from one of the benighted neighborhoods on the north side of the city. (ST Op-ed) This is the hellhole created by the “progressives” who run the city. If progress means making people’s lives better, nothing “progressives” do fits the bill. Every single policy they advocate makes people’s lives worse, far worse. In this case their moronic policies literally are killing people, ironically (not really ironically, but very tragically) the minorities they claim, and it is only a claim, not reality, to care so much about, while they sit in their posh homes in lovely, safe neighborhoods. This is why I refer to “progressives” as “pro-regressives” because that is what they are–they want to drag everyone down to their hell.
On that cheery note, have a good night.
The second paragraph is spot on. Maybe one addition: after the situation corrects itself and you can claim credit, you leave government, become a policy consultant to government, and sign a long-term consulting agreement. (As a consultant, just make sure you don’t get tied down to anything specific, that could lead to accountability.) Then go home at night to your “posh home in a lovely, safe neighborhood”, and read the New York Times while listening to NPR.
Life’s good!
That Op-ed by Marcus is outstanding. The comments were interesting – so many of the folks commenting still don’t “get it,” and are probably in their nice neighborhoods watching NPR. Thanks for the link.