As we finish our first year of shutting down education for our kids and shutting down the economy for everyone, evidence is emerging of what a terrible mistake we made.
A series of posts will commemorate this regrettable anniversary.
Today’s articles:
- Worst public health mistake in a century
- Lockdowns okay for those of us fortunate enough to be a part of the “Zoom class”
3/11/21 – Summit News – Stanford Medical Professor: Lockdowns “Worst Public Health Mistake in Last 100 Years” – A Stanford medical professor repeated his assertion that the lockdowns are
“the single worst public health mistake in the last 100 years.”
He indicated it will take a generation of research to tally the harm to physical health and psychological health that has been imposed on poor people across the planet.
He goes on to say that the shutdowns have protected the “non-essential class” from infection while leaving the essential workers, primarily working-class people, heavily exposed.
Translating that last comment means he is asserting middle-class, upper-class, and professionals (specifically to include teachers) have been able to stay home and continue working. Their income has not taken a hit. They have saved money from not commuting and not having to go to lunch every day.
Conversely working-class people who staff grocery stores, drug stores, department stores, transportation companies, delivery services, and other services essential to keep modern life functioning went to work every day. They may have had a mask and after the summertime had a Plexiglas shield but were still out in public dealing with the public and thus exposed to infection.
Extending that idea…
3/17/21 – American Thinker – Lockdowns as class warfare of the rich and the professional class against the working class – Article explains the rich and professionals had it easy. Professionals were able to work at home, attend their meetings by Zoom, and could afford to have all their stuff delivered to their home. For a few extra bucks you can get your take-out food delivered to your door.
Article quotes one pundit who pointed out:
“As a friend said, we didn’t have a lockdown. We had poor people delivering (stuff) to rich people.”
Don’t know if this pundit invented the phrase, but it is the first time I have seen the reference to professionals and the rich as the “Zoom class.”
In addition to poor people doing all the delivery and taking disproportionate risks, small businesses were devastated. Many of them have been destroyed and will never reopen.
Author points out that Florida opened up early while California stayed closed. The economic impact has been to devastate California. In terms of infection rates and mortality rates, California and Florida have about the same outcomes. That is consistent with my ongoing tracking of infection and mortality rates. Florida has slightly higher mortality rates, which is almost certainly due to a higher average age of people who live in Florida compared to California.
So for minimal impact on health outcomes, the California economy has been shredded.
Yes indeed, the “Zoom class” has done well.
The working class? Not so much.
Oh, and I won’t even start on our freedoms being shredded. And trust in health officials evaporating.
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