By R.C. Seely
THE HILL, NYC MAYOR Bill de Blasio: “We need the federal government to take over the supply chain right now.”
According to The Hustle: “Late Sunday, Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York City, said he would sign an executive order limiting restaurants and bars to take-out and delivery service only…
The Empire State’s not the only place forcing the issue. The governors of Illinois, Ohio, and Washington ordered all bars and restaurants in their states to close, too.”
Alexandra Cortez tweeted:
“This is not the time for half measures. We need to take dramatic action now to stave off the worst public health & economic affects. That includes making moves on paid leave, debt relief, waiving work req’s, guaranteeing healthcare, UBI (Universal Basic Income), detention relief…”
Illan Omar tweeted:
“UBI – Suspend mortgages/rent payments – REAL paid leave for all – Student debt cancellation These are not radical ideas given the scale of this crisis. Here are some of the steps other countries around the world affected are taking…”
The Independent reported California Governor Gavin Newsom statements:
“Governor Gavin Newsom said during a press conference on Tuesday he would consider implementing martial law if it was necessary to curb the novel virus…
“We have the ability to do martial law … if we feel the necessity,” he said. Issuing martial law would be an unprecedented move rarely used by officials in US history. If enacted, it would temporarily replace civil rule with military authority…
“The precedent for martial law in the US states “certain civil liberties may be suspended, such as the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, freedom of association, and freedom of movement,” according to a legal journal.”
An Illinois governor is taking it even further, with a bill that not only restricts purchases of firearms, alcohol and the right to protest, but explicitly strips it’s citizens the possession of personal property.
Bernie Sanders took advantage of the moment to push for Medicare of All on social media.
When everyone is a panic about the Corona Virus, policies like these are a greater concern to me. Threats of government encroachment–forced quarantines, increasing the welfare state, gas rationing, Martial Law–all suggestions that have been floating around.
I agree with John McAfee, in his tweet:
“I am in the highest risk group for the Coronavirus. I am 74. If I believed, Even remotely, (And I have seen every statistic from the WHO, the CDC, Johns Hopkins, and others) That the Coronavirus was a threat, I would be concerned. But it is not. Stop buying the MSM’s story….
“Aren’t I afraid, going outside? We are safe in here.” No one is ever safe. Fear caused this entire country to accept: – no travel – no open businesses – no contacts with neighbors, friends – no approaching anyone closer than 3 feet – no standing outside feeling the sun Sane?”
This is cold and flu season, all of the precautions for the Corona Virus are the same and we should have been taking such precautions anyways. Hand washing, keeping personal space, Tylenol for fever, meds for the sore throat and drink lots of water.
I’ve taken to downplaying the problem, mostly because people are panicking. Not being alert, they are panicking!
This social distancing is a good idea. Keeping 6 feet away is not a bad idea during cold and flu season. But calling it “The Corona Apocalypse” is simply inflammatory and hoarding toilet paper is illogical. Or respirators that don’t do a thing to avoid infection! You should be stockpiling MREs. And I guarantee some of the people hoarding and panicking went into heavy debt and quit their jobs. That is insane! They will still have to live after all this crisis is done.
If you have been affected by the lay offs, there are resources for you. The President signed a $850 billion relief package, giving $1,000 to all US citizens. When that runs out, there is still unemployment. Many energy and internet providers will let you slide on your bills. Many places are hiring teams to sterilize their businesses of the Corona Virus. Hardware stores, grocery stores, repair shops and a few other businesses that are social necessities, are staying open, apply there.
Before get worked up and call to lock down your place of employment, remember the symptoms of the virus. Corona is a fever and a cough. One survivor said it was like “a mild sore throat.” This is what the result will be for most of us.
All the control freaks like Mayor de Blasio, Congresswoman Cortez, Governor Newsom and others are saying they need to take control. Why? In the major densely populated areas, California, New York, Washington state and the other coastal states–which were the worst hit with the outbreaks–have already taken logical containment steps, including non-essential businesses closing their downs. Many companies did this before the state or federal governments told them to.
Once we get such intrusive measures, what guarantee do we have that once they will removed at the end of this crisis? The government has a terrible track record in this area. Most of the progressive policies established during the Great Depression and World War II have been repealed but one big financial black hole remains. Social Security was never killed off as it supposed to be. It was never meant to be a permanent fixure but a temporary source of relief. These social welfare measures proposed during a crisis should not be considered, if they wouldn’t pass in time if peace. Don’t let fear push you into a horrible decision.
I don’t claim to know the end results of this Corona Virus episode, I only know that the choices we make and the choices our masters make have to be measured against the crisis of the time. Every state of emergency can’t be a valid rationale for suspend our rights. If we act like scared rabbits when a cry wolf is uttered, we miss the wolf that slipped into our lives.
This Is Serious
Posted: May 1, 2020 in Social CommentaryBy R.C. Seely
ON SOCIAL MEDIA I’M openly critical of the reactionary expansion responses to the Coronavirus. If you argue for economic sanity you are viewed as heartless and putting profits over people. Let me summarize the situation, as I see it at least, and maybe you will see why.
In the fall of last year, a virus started in a part of China, little was known about it then. Little is known about it now.
About March of this year, the state governments started cracking down and closing up cities. The result so far has been a disaster to the US economy. We have around 20 million unemployed, that’s higher than the recession of 2008. I remember that time, it was not fun. And the recession is already here and only proves to get worse. If Tyson foods is right, we are seeing a “break of the food supply.”
As the “Stay at Home” movement caught fire, we have had to suffer the celebrities attempt to relate to the blue collar folks. Arnold Swartzeggar sitting in a hot tub smoking a cigar and Madonna in a tub of rose pellets telling everyone to stay home. Really relatable. If the economy tanks I think they will be fine. It’s a lot more difficult for those living paycheck-to
-paycheck.
Besides the idiocy of the Hollywood elite, there were also narc lines, so your neighbors can report you for going outside. How dare they go out and get fresh air and exercise!
Trump has said numerous dubious claims of ways to treat it and downplayed the situation at the err of his critics. One such controversy was the couple who took quinine and died. To be fair, the couple did take a version that used for cleaning and not safe for consumption. And why take advice from a non-medical expert on treatment.
Now we move on to the CDC, the home of the experts of medical science in the US. Supposedly. This is a group that has messed up so many times during with the Coronavirus. First they say no facemasks except for those who already have, then they retract that. They never could tell us if you build immunity but if the reports from Sweden are correct, immunity does build up and lock downs are necessary. The US has started testing for immunity but it’s not for free.
The worse thing they did was turn the medical community into liars. The gave them the perverse incentive of reporting every death or ailments as the Coronavirus. You don’t even have to test positive! This is extremely unethical. All so hospitals can get more Federal funding, at the same time, discouraging those with the virus to stay away.
With all this going on, it’s easy to see the inefficiencies in the government and how experts can be wrong. Some of it isn’t incompetent behavior but outright maliciousness and trying to advance their agendas. The progressive congressmen and congresswomen and senators have been pushing everything from Universal Basic Income to Medicare For All. Unemployment is doing major pay outs for those who qualify.
This is why they so many are keeping the people in what the late Dr. Micheal Crichton called “The State of Fear.” As long as everyone is in a panic, they will go along with whatever their leaders want. According to polls, the populace wants more government intervention. Thing to remember about polls is they are easily to manipulate. Normally the sample size is so small–only a few thousand–and they poll places that side with their view.
Despite what the supporters of quarantine may think, I’m not insensitive to the prospect of their family and friend’s untimely demise. I’m simply a realist. If the Coronavirus doesn’t kill them, they will die starvation or exposure from having no access to power or water. Bottom line the living need to make a living when this is all through. This is not the new normal, but temporary inconvenience. But if sanity does come back soon, the cure could be far worse than the disease.