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| glimmer of hope |
The Covid pandemic has definitely left a
trail of wreckage all over the world. Sickness,
deaths, isolation, strained medical resources, decimated economies, stock
market crashes - the list goes on. But
amongst all the doom and gloom, there is one glimmer of positivity. It may be just a flicker, but it's definitely
out there. In a moment, I'll tell you
what it is.
When the pandemic broke out, first there
were all the promises from politicians everywhere, including Trump, and later,
Biden: they all said that they were absolutely,
positively going to "eliminate" this virus right out of existence! Well we see how that turned out.
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| lockdown |
This was immediately followed by all the lockdowns
and shutdowns and bans on travel and social gatherings.
That didn't turn out so good either - all it
did was destroy lives and businesses and all the interactions that we humans depend
on.
School kids missed out on two years
(and counting) of quality, in-person education.
Churches, where believers had previously met
to worship, dried up.
Countless bars and
restaurants were destroyed, jobs and all.
Meanwhile, the virus raged on.
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| wear a mask, or else! |
Then came the mask mandates - governments
requiring us to wear a diaper on our face anytime we left home.
When this didn't stop the virus, the experts
came back and said we need to wear DOUBLE masks.
As expected, that didn't go over too
good.
But the whole masking thing sure
did cause a lot of fights and arguments to break out.
Meanwhile, the politicians, "experts",
and the rest of the do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do crowd kept on getting caught and
photographed out in public NOT practicing what they mandated on us: partying, going to parties and funerals and assorted
events, crowded together, talking, laughing, touching and hugging and kissing -
all while definitely NOT wearing masks. Read about it here: Politicians Who Violated COVID Rules
So what's the bright side? It is: a growing cynicism toward government, its leaders,
and their teams of do-as-I-say "experts".
 |
| kids stuck at home |
Probably
the biggest movement is the backlash against our socialized, government-run education
system.
Parents are finally "getting
it" that putting something as important as the education of their children
into the hands of politicians, bureaucrats, and labor unions is not such a
great idea after all.
It seems these
groups value power and control more than actual teaching.
But what about the virus? After all, it is still a highly contagious health
threat that can kill you.
As I have pontificated countless times in
the pages of this blog and elsewhere: health
care is not a job for government. Human
history can be summed up as follows:
people are constantly figuring out solutions to problems, or better ways
to do things. Health care is no different. It's a service, a product. Government may have a role in our society,
but it is NOT to product services and products - that's what the market is
for.
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| Bobbie Gentry |
Regarding contagious diseases, keep in
mind that we humans have been waging a war against nature and its dangers ever
since our great ancestors have lived on this planet.
Disease has always been with us, always will.
I was reminded of that the other day while
listening to the oldies radio station, and the song "Ode to Billy
Joe" played.
Near the end, Bobbie
Gentry sings:
"There was a virus
going 'round, Papa caught it and he died last spring."
This was recorded back in 1967.
Yeah, yeah, I know, it's fiction, and the
virus referred to in the song was just a local thing, not global, but still: deadly
viruses are nothing new.
What CAN government do to help? Easy:
get the heck OUT OF THE WAY. No
other industry is infested with as much governmental meddling than health
care. Former President Trump deserves
some credit for helping get the FDA to back off so that the pharmaceutical
companies could do their job. As a
result, they were able to produce a vaccine for Covid, and in a shorter time
frame than anyone envisioned.
Hopefully, this whole pandemic experience
has demonstrated that things work better when government treats us all like
adults. No more of this nanny-state mentality
that tolerates locking us up, shutting down our social institutions, and slapping
masks on our faces. Yes, some people will
make poor decisions; they'll gather in large, tightly-packed groups, breath on
each other, and refuse vaccinations. But
that's their life. The rest of us will
make good decisions - and that includes growing a healthy cynicism of
government. And dare I hope: a resurgence of libertarianism.
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