Letter: Non-Political Virus

I would like you to play a game, a learning exercise we are all familiar with, one we all learned as children. Match the State in Column A, with their Covid Statistics in Columns B/C:

STATE CASES PER MILLION

1.CALIFORNIA

2.NEW YORK

3.TEXAS

4.FLORIDA

5.PENNSYLVANIA

6.ILLINOIS

DEATHS PER MILLION

A.79,7841,227

B.83,4401,030

C.74,2722,238

D.66,2591,696

E.88,691 1,674

F.81,7581,283

These are the six most populous states in the United States. They all handled the virus in different ways. Some have closed businesses for months on end, some have kept businesses largely open. Some have closed schools and kept them closed. Some closed schools and then opened them. Some closed, opened, and then closed schools again. Two of the states currently have 2.9 and 1.9 million students on campus for in-person learning. Some mandated that masks be worn; some suggested it, but didn’t mandate. Some have kept youth sports open and let children play; some have not. Based on the drastically different measures taken by each state, you would think it would be easy to differentiate the states by their results. Yet if you objectively review the numbers above, it is difficult to tell the states apart.  

So, what does this tell us? It tells us that it doesn’t matter if you are a Republican, a Democrat, a Libertarian, a Socialist or an Independent, the virus is not political as many would have you believe. The only thing that is political are the half measures that all of these states have enforced. Short of giving up our personal freedoms and becoming a communist state like China, we were not going to do a very good job of stopping the spread of the virus. China was not as successful as they would have you believe. However, they were more successful than the United States. A lockdown in China means a lockdown. It doesn’t mean stay at home if you feel like it. 

It doesn’t mean everyone stay at home, except, construction, fast food, convenience, grocery, mass, and delivery drivers. A lock down in China, means stay at home, don’t leave your house, military personnel on every corner, stopping you, asking you where you are going. A shut down of public transportation, extremely limited services.

The spread of the virus on our country is about being American, not about being Republican or Democrat. Unless we as a nation were willing to sacrifice our personal freedoms, and make no mistake we have more personal freedoms in this country than any other country in the world, we were never going to be able to successfully combat this virus. Sweeden stayed open, kept restaurants and schools open. The government made slight adjustments to that policy in November, but has largely let people continue with their daily lives. They have a case rate of 55,934/million and a death rate of 1,144/million people, both less than the United States.

The only thing political about the virus is the media and the elected officials using it as a tool to divide the American People and increase their leverage. ratings and power. In case you are wondering, the answers to the above quiz are 1-B, 2-C, 3-F. 4-A,, 5-D and 6-E.

Norton Smith