Collateral Damage

In a recent post, I argued that by rapidly becoming the face of the "keep-America-closed movement (a.k.a. "Team Apocalypse"), the Democrats were heading down a cul de sac. As states begin to open up, there are still a number of Governors (all Dems) who insist on keeping things closed, let their state economies be damned.

After recounting the Dems unsuccessful and sometimes buffoonish efforts to unseat Donald Trump, Jordan Davidson writes:

... few crusades seem more idiotic and self-defeating than trying to keep the economy under wraps, which Democratic officials and their media allies are trying to do. We get it; soaring unemployment and continuing misery hurts President Trump’s reelection prospects.

But at the same time, 40 percent of low-income Americans have lost their jobs, entire industries are on the verge of collapse and tens of thousands of small business owners are watching their nest eggs and dreams go up in smoke.

Plus, the collateral damage to Americans is hideous. Millions have foregone medical treatments and check-ups. In addition, Well Being Trust, a national public health group, has recently warned that the isolation and fear brought on by the virus could lead to increased alcohol or drug abuse, resulting in 75,000 deaths.  

And our children are not in school.

Democrats think this is good?

Apparently so.

Just two days ago, as reports of a possible vaccine candidate from the biotech company Moderna have emerged (it's early and data are limited, but nonetheless encouraging), members of Team Apocalypse have leaped into action, questioning just about everything concerning the news. Why the pessimistic tilt? Sure, things remain tentative, but you'd almost think the Democrat catastrophists are hoping that Moderna's efforts fail—justifying their insane efforts to keep the country closed until a vaccine emerges (anytime after November 2nd).

After recounting the fact that hundreds of thousands of people across the country are flaunting overly restrictive stay-at-home guidelines and restarting their lives, Davidson continues:

These battles over reopening are making headlines all across the country. It seems absurd. Surely the fact that 40 percent of U.S. counties have had not a single death from COVID-19 should make media types clustered in New York and D.C. recognize that there’s a big country out there not much impacted by the virus, and that a top-down prescription is not the right approach.

Democrats seem to think they will score points by posing as the realists in the crowd, the authorities who follow the science and guide people to safety.

There's only one problem—history and science, not to mention the massively negative effects f continuing closure, dictate reopening a.s.a.p.

Over the long haul, their anti-reopening position will hurt the Dems, but it appears they're so driven by a need to oppose anything that Donald Trump recommends, they refuse to consider the backlash (that has already begin nationwide). So be it.

UPDATE-1:

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Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson writes:

The time for mass quarantines is passed. And yet in some places -- and this is the measure of bad leadership --lockdowns are becoming more restrictive, not less, and much, much weirder.

In Illinois, for example, J.B. Pritzker ...has issued yet another emergency order. This time, Pritzker vows to imprison business owners if they try to reopen.

Meanwhile, in New York City, pothead Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that anyone who dares to swim will be yanked out of the water, of course, because the virus spreads so easily in the ocean ...

In Los Angeles, ... the mayor there has told the beachgoers they can walk on the wet sand,-- totally fine -- but not the dry. Dry sand is dangerous.

On Long Island, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran has banned doubles tennis ... Singles only, no doubles. She wants you to know that in Nassau County, it is illegal to touch other people's tennis balls.

This is what happens when neurotic dumb people get power. They do neurotic dumb things and then throw you in jail if you complain about it.

Thankfully, in spots around the nation, people are starting to remember that this is America. Just because morons like J.B. Pritzker would like to stage a flu d'etat does not mean that the rest of us have to play along. Several sheriffs in Illinois have now announced they will no longer enforce J.B. Pritzker's orders. They're too stupid. They're absurd. They're also unconstitutional.

In my own area, traffic has picked up substantially, businesses of all kinds are re-opening, youngish people are acting like what they are—a population cohort that is VERY unlikely to suffer any truly bad affects from COVID-19. 

Oh, BTW, my home state, FL, has seen hospitalizations and deaths go down, despite catastrophist predictions of disaster, ever since our governor had the wisdom to reject catastrophist propaganda and reopen.

UPDATE-2:

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This comment by Glen Reynolds of Instapundit touches on how Trump Derangement Syndrome makes people, really, really stupid:

I remain amazed at the complete abandonment of reason on the subject of hydroxychloroquine. It either works or it doesn’t. There’s decent evidence that it works with zinc, and that it doesn’t work very well without zinc. It could still turn out not to be very helpful, though if I were Trump I’d be taking it too after exposure. But pretending that it’s somehow highly dangerous when it’s been routinely taken by millions for longer than I’ve been alive is outright crazy. I swear if Trump endorsed Vitamin D, half the country — and 90% of the press — would be wearing burkas over 100X sunblock.

Oh, one more thing. If you're stupid enough to believe the canard that Trump recommended drinking or injecting bleach to cure COVID-19, and then you became hysterical when some idiot did just that, remember this reality—you can't just walk into a grocery story and buy hydroxychloroquine. It's a prescription medication, provided in consultation with a doctor. It represents a danger to no one, unless a doctor assesses the risk and agrees it should be taken in your situation. It it was a "dangerous" as Team Apocalypse says it is, why doesn't the FDA ban it outright. Screw the Lupus patients who benefit from HQC, not to mention those suffering from malaria—THERE ARE SIDE AFFECTS!! Yep, TDS makes people really, really stupid.

UPDATE-3:

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Team Apocalypse celebrates the indefinite closure of schools "to keep our children safe," even though "science" indicates that children are not at risk statistically. There have been no peer-reviewed, double-blind studies to confirm that closing schools will result in better health outcomes. 

Team Apocalypse cheers when beaches reman closed, even though UV light kills COVID-19 in about 2 minutes. There have been no peer-reviewed, double-blind studies to confirm that closing beaches is scientifically justified or results in better health outcomes.  

Team Apocalypse calls you a "murderer" if you suggest that the damage to the economy might be more severe than the damage caused by COVID-19. There have been no peer-reviewed, double-blind studies to confirm that closing the economy will result in any better health outcome than keeping it open.  

Glen Reynolds of Instapundit quips: "Apparently the only coronavirus countermeasure that can’t be deployed without peer-reviewed, double-blind studies involving thousands is hydroxychloroquine.