I'm Not the Only One

Almost 2 months ago we thought we were entering a pandemic.  We didn't enter one, but we're still acting as if one is occurring.   Pardon the pun, but that's batcrap insane.

Some people want to wait until it's "safe" before we open up businesses again.  It will never be safe.  Viruses and diseases will always be among us, the world is a dangerous place.  We can't stay in our homes forever--who will work enough to pay the taxes to keep the government employees on the payroll?  Will we just print money to give to everyone?  This is absurd.

Initially, when we thought we were at the beginning of a pandemic, the idea behind stay-at-home orders was to "flatten the curve".  Does anyone remember what that means anymore?  Or are we all just forming up in tribal fashion?  "Flatten the curve" was never meant to eradicate coronavirus, it was intended to spread out the time of infections so that our medical facilities wouldn't be overwhelmed by coronavirus patients.  Whether stay-at-home orders had any impact on that or not, it's occurred.  Yay, victory!  Now let's get back to life.

Healthcare workers are heroes?  Then why do we allow so many of them to lose their livelihoods:

Healthcare workers, championed as heroes of the COVID-19 crisis and applauded for risking their lives to protect others, have been hit especially hard by the severe economic fallout wrought by the pandemic.

In California, thousands of nurses, doctors and other medical staff have been laid off or furloughed or have taken a pay cut since mid-March. The pain has been felt broadly, from major facilities such as Stanford Health Care to tiny rural hospitals to private practitioners. Across the nation, job losses in the healthcare sector have been second only to those in the restaurant industry, according to federal labor statistics.

Hospitals and doctors’ offices lost billions in revenue when they canceled elective surgeries and non-emergent visits to prepare for a possible surge in COVID-19 patients and to reduce the spread of the virus.

Patients also began scheduling fewer appointments and avoiding the hospital, even for medical emergencies, creating another hit for providers who were already hurting. The surge, in places where it did arrive, was not enough to compensate for the losses, experts say.

More in a whisper than in a bang, many people are just starting to ignore the governmental diktats.  More and more they see the silliness and quietly rebel:

State leaders are considering reopening economies and allowing people to leave their homes, but more and more Americans appear to be doing so on their own.

Emerging data suggests that though people dramatically altered their habits around staying at home during the first month of America's response to the pandemic, that cooperation has since leveled off and — eventually — decreased. This could point to long-term challenges for state governments asking citizens to cooperate with extended stay-at-home policies.

The data, provided to NPR by a mobile phone location data company called SafeGraph, is based on the locations of approximately 18 million mobile phones across the country. NPR's analysis determined the percentage of cellphones that did not leave their "home" location daily in every U.S. county.

Gruesome Newsom is generously returning our freedoms to us.  Let us thank Dear Leader!

Here is the list of permissible activities in California:

Athletics
Badminton (singles)
Throwing a baseball/softball
BMX biking
Canoeing (singles)
Crabbing
Cycling
Exploring Rock Pools
Gardening (not in groups)
Golf (singles, walking – no cart)
Hiking (trails/ paths allowing distancing)
Horse Riding (singles)
Jogging and running
Kite Boarding and Kitesurfing
Meditation
Outdoor Photography
Picnics (with your stay-home household members only)
Quad Biking
Rock Climbing
Roller Skating and Roller Blading
Rowing (singles)
Scootering (not in groups)
Skateboarding (not in groups)
Soft Martial Arts – Tai Chi, Chi Kung (not in groups)
Table Tennis (singles)
Throwing a football, kicking a soccer ball (not in groups)
Trail Running
Trampolining
Tree Climbing
Volleyball (singles)
Walk the dog
Wash the car
Watch the sunrise or sunset
Yoga

How generous that I can now watch a sunrise or sunset. Why is skateboarding allowed but not surfing or paddleboarding?  This list is idiotic, as is our governor.

Some people are choosing to act as if this Seneca quote applies: “Sometimes even to live is an act of courage”--that we're facing an existential crisis, that we must change, that life as we knew it is over.  I choose a different Seneca quote, "You want to live but do you know how to live? You are scared of dying and tell me, is the kind of life you lead really any different from being dead?"  And if you prefer Rousseau:  "I prefer liberty with danger than peace with slavery."

If you want to stay home, stay home.  If you want to go out wearing gloves and a face mask in public, do so.  But don't expect the rest of us to kowtow to your fears.  (Caveat: if you're a member of an at-risk group--like my parents--then take reasonable precautions.)