Corona: Sunset in Covid America

July 23, 2020. This pandemic is getting more tiresome and more divisive with each (groundhog) day. No one seems to have a clear handle on what is going on, how the virus is transmitted, how many people have the virus, how susceptible people are to the virus, what methods to reduce transmission work best, if at all, what metrics really matter, how varied the impact is from placer to place, and just how permanent the damage to the world and the world economy this four months of fear, anxiety, lies, and politics will turn out to be.

Using positive test results as a measure of the progress or impact of the virus seems pointless. Testing everybody every day is the only way this can be of real use, and just reporting raw counts of tests collected unevenly and unsystematically causes more questions than answers. Latest results from a 1000% increase in testing show that more people will test positive when you test a lot more people. They don't show or inform us that those testing positive will require hospitalization or even if they will get sick, show symptoms. Death rates are not rising with the positive test cases; in fact, they are on a decline for the most part.

Masks have become the new flash point. Do they work? Should they be mandated? Should those failing to follow the mandate be shamed, fined or jailed? On the last point, there is a plan to release 18,000 prisoners from jail "to reduce the transmission of the virus" yet while that may be true for the facility that releases the prisoners, the rest of world receiving these prisoners are clearly in much more danger. If a freed prisoner refuses to follow a legal requirement to wear the mask, does the prisoner go back to jail? Masks might be of use in reducing some of the impact of coughing, sneezing, laughing or singing from infected patients, but for the average person the mask is of very little practical use. And if a person has symptoms, using a mask is no solution. Staying home, isolated is a much better idea,

The worst is the shameless posturing and fear mongering by epidemiologists, politicians, the New York Times and the rest of the liberal elite, who mouth platitudes laden with virtue signaling while living separate from those affected and reality. New York governor Cuomo is the worst, but he is closely followed by his brother on CNN. The basic theme is that everything is Donald Trump's fault, especially the deaths, when it is clear that the more woke a politician is, the more his constituents suffer. Cuomo effectively sentenced 30,000 nursing home patients to a Covid-related death yet acts like a hero when he should be jailed for at least negligent homicide.

Personally, the decisions we made prior to the pandemic, including those we made years ago, leave my family generally unaffected by the last three months, at least no serious or irreversible impacts. Living a healthy lifestyle of spirituality, nutrition and exercise, choosing to move leave Loyola and Baltimore and move to Wisconsin, along with maintaining prudent or frugal financial practices has -- knock on wood -- generally cushioned us from immediate threats.

Some woke institutions and organizations are likely to be for a very hard time in the long run -- higher and public education, musical and movie performers now absent their traditional venues, and professional sports working to alienate fans may find the road to re-opening and recovery a problematic ones. And while the federal government can literally print money and provide almost unlimited funding, such is not the case for cities, counties and states, who rely on falling sales tax revenues and require a balanced budget. Meanwhile, woke governors and mayors have throttled the police and encourage violent protests, resulting in an increase in crime, against both people and property. The pursuit of reduced 'wealth inequality' seems to be being implemented by mayors eager to destroy wealth, making everyone worse off but statistically more 'equal'. This is "cutting off your nose to spite your face."