Wow. So much can happen in just a week it really is unbelievable. Surreal. When I went to the grocery last Monday there were already reports of panic buying, punctuated mostly by images and anecdotes about runs on toilet paper – but somewhere else, not in Huntsville where Corona Virus had yet to launch it’s insidious, invisible war. I was taken aback to find the shelves above completely empty. The rest of the store had been worked over pretty good too.
Since then, stores all over Huntsville, and the entire country, have practically been ransacked as the stock market continued it’s slide losing nearly 35% of it’s value in only thirty days. Now entire states are being locked down, and in spite of a paucity of actual Corona Virus cases, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has declared a state of emergency, the national guard has been called up, gatherings have been outlawed, restaurant dining rooms are off limits, events have been cancelled… ad nauseum.
And I do mean …nauseum. Anyone who hasn’t felt just a little bit sick at their stomach is either still in shock, doesn’t believe the virus is all that bad, or fails to understand the economic gravity of the situation – or a combination thereof.
As for me, I’m not a believer. Don’t misunderstand, the Corona Virus is a serious illness. But the rhetoric and numbers just don’t add up. The so-called experts are the purveyors of the hysteria and yet, they say the symptoms are mild and even stopped including children as high risk. Only the aged or those already with illness are at high risk from the Corona Virus. By all means, lock down everything and everybody associated with elderly care.
In China, the disease followed a typical ten week flu-life pattern and new cases ended almost as fast as the outbreak started. How does that imply, as our now warming weather usually indicates the end of flu season, that we have “months” of overwhelming and insurmountable medical doom and gloom ahead?
Also in China, a country with four times more population than the United States, total Corona Virus deaths are less than 5000. The seasonal flu in the US typically is blamed for 20,000 to 50,000 deaths every year. No deaths are good, but it seems to me a lot less extreme precautions would have reduced the combined total from the flu and Corona Virus to less than a usual year.
So what, am I supposed to see the hysteria as some sort of grande civil defense drill? As it is today, the economic impact has injured a lot of people, some of which will not recover for months or even years. Some people and businesses will never recover and it’s therefore likely the permanent economic hardships will also result in loss of life.
It’s not at all unthinkable that we could still experience a total economic crash with spiralling inflation and worthless money. Literally, anarchy. Don’t think it can happen in the modern world? Check the recent history of Venezuela. In fact, we are teetering on the same economic conditions that gave rise to WWII, with geo-political conditions that have already been described as a prelude to WWIII. Literally, world war.
Therefore, it is my opinion that the extremism to “flatten the curve” is extraordinarily and unnecessarily expensive and in fact apocalyptically irresponsible. Reasonable and appropriate steps and precautions could have, and should have, been taken that would not have incited the hysteria that still could ultimately and literally threaten the future of the world and all humankind.
Enough already. It’s time for all public officials and media to dial it back and exercise reason and temperance in response to the Corona Virus.
©2020 – Jim Casey
