It has been a long two plus years.
While others huddled at home, terrified of a virus, I huddled at home, terrified of the people terrified of the virus.
A Pandemic Retrospective
Tag: COVID19
New Study Shows Pandemic Shutdowns Harmed Job Market, Failed To Slow Spread.
The Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO), where I work, has released a new report linking the number of jobs lost in a given state with how severely that state shut down its economy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study, entitled “State Pandemic Response:Understanding the Impact On Employment & Work,” also found that states that imposed more draconian economic shutdowns continue to feel severe job losses even to today.
The study showed a statistically significant correlation between how severe state governmental actions were in shutting down their economies and negative impacts on employment more than a year after the COVID-19 pandemic began in America. This was the case even after controlling for local variables, such as a state’s dependence on tourism or agriculture, population density, and the prevalence of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations.
No Patent, No Vaccine
Pfizer , Johnson & Johnson and other COVID19 vaccine manufacturers should stop production and shipping of their vaccines in protest.
Nursing During COVID-19
I may have said it before: I am a nurse. It is not just a job. It is, in part, who we are. Affronts to nurses are affronts to our very caring nature. It is more than a career for most of us. For most of us, it is truly a vocation. Nuns were the original nurses. Called to service, they dedicated their lives to caring for the infirm, many times succumbing to the very disease they were treating in their patients.
COVID is not very different in that regard. Nurses have been working long hours to take care of many patients with many needs. In addition to an increasingly complex patient population that is aging in poor health, nurses have been called upon to care for patients hospitalized during this pandemic. Yes, yes, nurses are all healthcare heroes. Thanks for the coupon. The poster was lovely. We appreciate your interest. That Facebook post; lovely. 
QOTD – You Are Here
“As every political propagandist knows, there is nothing more destructive of the human psyche than to be forced to doubt the veracity of what one’s own elementary observations demonstrate, simply because they conflict with a prevailing and
unassailable orthodoxy. In such circumstances one is forced to choose between considering oneself deluded, or the world as mad: one is either sane in an insane world, or insane in a sane world. Neither alternative is entirely satisfactory.” – Theodore Dalrymple, Romancing Opiates
unassailable orthodoxy. In such circumstances one is forced to choose between considering oneself deluded, or the world as mad: one is either sane in an insane world, or insane in a sane world. Neither alternative is entirely satisfactory.” – Theodore Dalrymple, Romancing Opiates2020 Thanksgiving Dinner Rules (Covid19 Edition)
1) 2019 rule still carries: MAGA hats worn sideways or backwards. Headbands are OK. Penalty: No apple pie.
2) Tomahawk Chop Rule Update: Any performance of Tomahawk Chop for more than 3 Mississippi’s, regardless if in reference to Indians and/or Washington R**s***s football team. Penalty: Deduct any corn dish from your plate, except Corn-Lima bean succotash.
3) Exceeding alternate Covid19 Mask names by any combination of 3. Examples: Breath Strainer, Covid-collector, Death Mask, Mug Mat, Bug Catcher. Especially don’t use my favorites: Maxilla Pad, Piehole Pamper, Face Thong, Strap-on, Wu flu Manchu. Penalty: Lose the good seat at end of the couch during the Ravens-Steelers game.
COVID and Reflections on the Polio Pandemic
The Rotary Society is still actively fighting polio today.
The Death of the Social Contract
For eons, the social contract was the glue that held the fabric of society together. The social contract, that unspoken, unwritten set of rules that we adhered to for the actual common good and welfare, was a silent agreement most people entered into out of a sense of decency and deference to our fellow man. We were, for example, willing to grow victory gardens and ration sugar during World War II or give up our seat on the train to a pregnant woman or senior passenger or return our shopping carts to the parking lot corral. More often than not, the social contract demanded little more than a minor inconvenience. Laws are, at their core, part of the social contract. Sure, you can choose to ignore the laws and face the consequences, but most people abide by the law of the land because it is the right thing to do.
For a while, the social contract has been under duress; as groups and individuals who seek to “live their truth” or whatnot frown upon and shun traditional social mores, the social contract has been weakened, it’s fabric becoming threadbare.
Shadi Hamid joined host Ben Domenech to discuss what the past few months have revealed about our country and how they have shaped public opinion about our country’s leadership. Hamid is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, a contributing writer at The Atlantic, and author of several books, including his most recent, “Islamic Exceptionalism.”
Hamid argued that the reaction by so-called experts concerning quarantine and the recent protests following the death of George Floyd have revealed how untrustworthy they are. Their constantly changing opinion during quarantine, Hamid said, has caused him to lose faith in those in powerful positions. He added the experts have further undermined their position by putting politics above themselves in regards to the protests.
Author and Professor Wilfred Reilly joined host Ben Domenech to explore how Americans have felt in recent months during the lockdown and protests and how the media encourages their fears. Reilly is an assistant professor of political science at the University of Kentucky and has written multiple books, most recently “Hate Crime Hoax: How the Left is Selling a Fake Race War,” and “Taboo: 10 Facts You Can’t Talk About.”
Reilly argued that the media often focuses on the worst and least likely of situations to gain more views and clicks on their stories, which results in a needlessly terrified public. He also blamed the media for fostering the current widespread tension between Americans. This is most clear in the the media’s handling of Covid19 and the protests and riots following the death of George Floyd.
Join Joe Selvaggi and Pioneer’s Mary Connaughton as they talk with MIT Professor Charles Stewart on how states in general, and Massachusetts in particular, are adapting their voting process to keep elections safe, transparent, and fair during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Charles Stewart III is the Kenan Sahin Distinguished Professor of Political Science at MIT, where he has taught since 1985, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His research and teaching areas include congressional politics, elections, and American political development. Since 2001, Professor Stewart has been a member of the Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project, a leading research efforts that applies scientific analysis to questions about election technology, election administration, and election reform. He is currently the MIT director of the project. Professor Stewart is an established leader in the analysis of the performance of election systems and the quantitative assessment of election performance. Professor Stewart has been recognized at MIT for his undergraduate teaching, being named to the second class of MacVicar Fellows in 1994, awarded the Baker Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, and the recipient of the Class of 1960 Fellowship. Since 1992, he has served as Housemaster of McCormick Hall, along with his spouse, Kathryn M. Hess. Professor Stewart received his B.A. in political science from Emory University, and S.M. and Ph.D. from Stanford University.
Hubwonk host Joe Selvaggi and Pioneer Healthcare Senior Fellow Josh Archambault are joined by Hoover Institution’s Dr. Lanhee Chen to discuss the role that the World Health Organization (WHO) plays, what dysfunction may have contributed to the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what steps can be taken to bring back transparency and trust.
A ‘Patchwork’ Approach to Normalcy
Last week, the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck a fatal blow to Governor Tony Evers and his “Safer at Home” plans. Evers, and secretary-designee of the Department of Human Services (DHS), Andrea Palm, first issued an Emergency Declaration in March, followed by the “Safer at Home” orders that were set to expire on April 24. Shortly before that expiration, Evers and Palm extended the “Safer at Home” orders until May 26. Republicans in the state legislature sued, in part because Palm — not an elected official, but a political appointee — did not have the authority to impose criminal penalties through that order. The 4-3 decision called Palm’s order “unlawful, invalid, and unenforceable.”
The Evers administration was, unsurprisingly, displeased with the state Supreme Court’s ruling. In a call to reporters, Evers accused the state Republicans of being “unconcerned about…massive confusion that will exist without a statewide approach” with the media calling it a “patchwork approach.”
Doomsday Is Imminent (again)
My husband was raising the alarm early in the 1990s. Even wrote a booklet about it, which he distributed to friends and family. Our government was overspending—there was a hockey-stick graph that showed the federal budget shooting up in the stratosphere (a billion-dollar deficit!!), with certain consequences for the near future. We were in our forties at the time, and did not expect to collect our Social Security. Black Monday, when the Dow dropped by 22% in one day (10/22/87) was just the beginning: once the bond market collapsed, we’d be plunged into another Great Depression. We would have to start saving now: even stock up on commodities like paper products and imperishable food staples. So we built columns of toilet paper until we ran out of room and lost interest. Because nothing happened.
Around 1997, rumors about Y2K began. This would be an unprecedented catastrophe—payback for the hubris of linking the whole world in a network of 1’s and 0’s. Once every electronic clock in the world rolled over to 2-0-0-0 our mainframes would lose their collective minds and crash into incoherence, with planes falling out of the sky and money frozen in cyberspace, life-support machines malfunctioning and millions starving. It sounds crazy now, but I knew dozens of computer-savvy people who took it very seriously, to the point of moving to the country and storing up flour and ammo (like we did). Needless to say, the clock rolled over and nothing happened.
But the damage was done. Everybody was hooked up to the internet now, and Doomsday predictions popped out blatting alarms with the regularity of wooden figures on a cuckoo clock. On the left it was Mother Earth crying for help as she was alternatively parched and flooded. On the right it was deep state, massive social upheaval, stolen elections, martial law. Depending on which newsletter you subscribed to, the Illuminati would make their big move THIS MONTH or BY THE END OF THE YEAR or SOON. And then, brothers and sisters, hang on, because it’s going to be a rough ride.
Pennsylvania, Meet Florida: Startling Facts About COVID-Related Nursing Home Deaths
Pennsylvania, meet Florida.
You’re smaller than Florida, with a population of 12.8 million compared to some 21 million in Florida. And Florida’s population is proportionately older; 20.5 percent of Florida’s residents are over age 65, compared to 18.2 percent in the Keystone State.
Then comes coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19. Nasty bugger, that.
Health, Privacy, and Shin Bet Surveillance
Israel is re-opening the economy, and the world is watching our success story against COVID-19. Many parameters probably played a role in reducing the health impact of the virus. Still, it seems that closing the borders early and the outstanding behavior of the population are the main factors. The overwhelming majority of Israelis agreed to make drastic changes to save lives. This behavior isn’t unusual, Israelis live permanently in a state of emergency, almost instinctively, we come together in solidarity and unity at times of danger. But, the citizens also dictated the end of the strict lockdowns when the economic and emotional cost became unbearable. As days passed, and the virus felt less devastating than previously thought citizens demanded an end of the restrictions, leaving no choice to our government than to relax the most coercive legislation.
However, there is a tool that our government used during this crisis: military-grade surveillance on private citizens, and even as we return to our “normal” life, this monitoring persists. The use of such surveillance was defended as a tool for saving lives through contact tracing of the infection. It turns out that this system, operated by the Shin Bet, only helped reveal a minuscule number of cases. Despite those poor results, we are still under full surveillance even after the containment of the virus and return to “normal” activities. Detailed information about every single aspect of our life is being watched and stored by government agencies. They know who we meet, how long we spend with our friends, where we shop, where we walk. They trace every action we take during the day. It’s often described as one of the most intrusive surveillance systems in the world and with the exception of China, no other countries have deployed such monitoring in their fight against COVID-19.
In fact, until a few weeks ago, this type of surveillance had only been used against suspected terrorists. Have we all become suspected terrorists in the eyes of our government?
Harden Not Their Hearts (or Minds)
As states and localities figure out how to proceed on COVID-19, I’ve noticed a framing of the argument that I think is a mistake, at least at this point on this particular issue. The framing I’m seeing is one of liberty vs. tyranny. Stay at home, wear a mask, follow the arrows in the grocery store aisles, and so on. As someone who largely agrees with those who think the benefit of staying home is far outweighed by the economic damage, those skeptical that wearing a mask will do much, and those disdainful of traffic signs for stores, are using framing will harden the hearts and minds of the people on the other side.
Immigration restriction comes to mind. When someone tells me that I hold my positions because of racism, despite my having laid out my actual reasons, then my heart and my mind closes. There is no conversation anymore, there is no compromise, there is only strife. War. Pick your issue — abortion, same-sex marriage, gun control, whatever. When my interlocutor insists that I want to impose racism, control women’s wombs, or see people die, I stop caring what they say because they obviously don’t care what I’m saying. I stop listening to them because they’re obviously not listening to me. When that happens, there is no way we can have any sort of exchange or even come away with a mutually agreeable plan. On the other hand, people can and do change minds when we’re actually talking about the same things and not mischaracterizing others. At least we understand each other and can continue with love and trust.
Childcare is essential for recovery
The economic recovery has no chance to succeed until schools and daycare centers for younger children re-open. This week kids in elementary school up to third grade will return to their classroom at least a few days a week, but early childhood centers are still close and will not re-open until the middle of May if at all. The…
History and the Vector of Shame
Perhaps you have seen the meme that shows WWII soldiers and says something along the lines of “they stormed the beaches for us, we’re just being asked to stay on our couches.” As far as exhortations to stay home go, I suppose it is one of the less annoying and more anodyne ones, but it’s still full of a smug, pompous, and scornful shame directed at us today, extolling the virtues of our honored ancestors over and against the alleged sins of our current generation.
It absolutely reeks of the sort of derision that says “not only are you no better than them, but you’re actually likely a great deal worse since we have to nanny you into staying in your own home.” It is an appeal to heroic nostalgia for a sepia-toned and non-existent past, where somehow the people were “more real,” more manly (or womanly) than today. Putting aside my general annoyance with such nannyism, as a perpetual student of history, I also have to cry foul over the comparison and call it what it is: bilge.