CONSEQUENCES: THE CURE IS REALLY WORSE THAN THE DISEASE
ALMOST FROM the beginning of the COVID-19 response, many experts were warning that the cure was likely to be worse than the disease, particularly if it continued for an extended time. And it did. A couple of weeks to “flatten the curve” turned into a few more weeks and then months of restrictions with absolutely no end in sight. The emperors and empresses running the states and health officials even stopped putting forth a goal that if reached would put an end to their unconstitutional power grab.
There seemed to be no balancing of the potential harm from the virus versus the harm from policies inflicted on the public. Both governors and mayors continued to issue one crushing decree after another with complete disregard for the consequences of their decisions.
By the end of March 2020, people were stressed, with many begging for relief. By the end of the summer the carnage was almost unbearable. The economy had crashed, the unemployment rate was at an unprecedented high, homelessness was increasing, and the suicide and overdose rates had skyrocketed. The most vulnerable children had gone backwards academically, and nursing home patients were dying of neglect. Society as we knew it had evaporated and a growing number of people were realizing that the U.S. government, as well as the governments of other countries, had been overthrown by criminals. These criminals had declared themselves unaccountable to the public and demonstrated daily that they did not care about the impact of their decisions on their “subjects.”
An honest evaluation of the consequences of the COVID-19 debacle must start with an examination of data showing which groups of people were at risk, and whether the measures taken were justified.
Impact Based on Age
The data are clear that the most vulnerable people during flu season every year are seriously ill or immunocompromised people of any age, and the elderly, and especially those who are sick or frail enough to be confined to nursing homes. This certainly turned out to be true for COVID-19.
On August 5, 2020, CDC Provisional COVID-19 Death Counts showed the following:
These data clearly show that risk of death increases with age, and that most deaths (79%) were people age 65 and older. On the other hand, there were only 270 deaths in the U.S. from COVID-19 in people age 24 and younger.2 The total deaths for people 54 and younger in the U.S. was 11,317.3
While every life lost is important, these numbers show that the heavy-handed and draconian measures implemented by government and health officials were egregiously off base and could not be justified.
Social Distancing
According to the Centers for Disease Control, social distancing, also referred to as “physical distancing,” means staying at least 6 feet (about two arms’ length) from anyone not living in your household. The CDC states that this must be done both inside and outdoors and must be practiced in combination with other strategies such as wearing masks, not touching one’s face, and frequent handwashing.
The CDC’s site makes several contradictory statements. First, it states that social distancing works only when combined with other strategies like wearing masks. If masks are effective, social distancing should not be necessary. Conversely, if social distancing is effective, then masks should not be necessary. The site also states that COVID-19 can live for hours or days on surfaces and that social distancing can limit opportunities to come in contact with contaminated surfaces. This makes no sense at all. A person can be 6 feet away from another person at the grocery store and still touch a theoretically “contaminated surface.”
The CDC’s site goes on to advise that people are best protected by not going anywhere at all. Shopping should be limited to only purchasing essential items and it’s best to use delivery or curbside pickup. The message is clear. Stay as far away as possible from everyone except those you live with.
Social distancing has never been advised, let alone mandated, for the entire population for any period. Essentially what the government did was to declare by edict that it is conducting a clinical trial with hundreds of millions of subjects. Under normal circumstances, a clinical trial requires review before starting in order to limit potential damage from an experimental intervention. Like so many orders given by the government during this debacle, little consideration was given to the collateral damage likely to occur.
For many people, particularly those who live alone, instructions to practice social distancing resulted in isolation. There is considerable evidence of the negative effects of isolation. For example, a 2015 meta-analysis of 148 studies with 308,849 subjects showed that social isolation increased the risk of premature mortality by 29%. The researchers recommended that social relationship factors should be added to the list of other factors for early mortality such as smoking, diet, and exercise.4
Quarantining adults is associated with confusion, anger and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The impact is greater when increased duration, fear, and financial loss are added.5
Another analysis of 70 studies including over 3.4 million people showed that during seven years of follow-up, the likelihood of dying increased by 26% for those who reported feeling lonely, and 29% for those who were socially isolated. Surprisingly the risk of death was higher in those under age 65.6
While people of all ages are susceptible to the damaging effect of social isolation, the elderly likely suffer most of all. A report published in 2020 by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine concluded that social isolation was a risk factor for premature mortality in the elderly on par with high blood pressure, smoking or obesity. The report makes specific recommendations for identifying those at risk and the development of interventions to address isolation.7
For periods of time during the COVID-19 debacle, entire populations were essentially held under house arrest. Historically quarantine has only been reserved for the very sick, most likely because it is considered such an extreme measure and the risks are significant. A review of 24 studies that looked at the effect of quarantine during outbreaks of SARS, H1N1, Ebola and other infectious diseases since the early 2000s found that people who were quarantined experienced short-term and long-term mental health problems including stress, insomnia, emotional exhaustion, and an increased incidence of substance abuse.8
Studies have shown that the negative effects persist long after the quarantine is over. A follow-up study of 549 hospital workers in Beijing who were quarantined during the 2003 SARS outbreak showed that almost half reported alcohol abuse three years after the event.9 Factors that increased the risk of psychological problems included quarantine lasting longer than 10 days (associated with increased risk of PTSD), and poor rationale for quarantine.
This effect is likely to impact children, too. A review of 80 studies showed that children and adolescents are more likely to experience high rates of depression and anxiety both during and after social distancing and isolation associated with school closings and home quarantine.10
According to psychiatrist Damir Huremovic, the health risks associated with social distancing are extremely concerning if the practice is extended beyond a few weeks. The collateral damage of this event includes economic recession, unemployment and overall uncertainty, and combined with social distancing these can trigger “unpredictable and widespread health challenges.” He went on to say, “I sincerely hope we do not get to this stage.”11
During the debacle, people were encouraged to stay in touch by phone, Zoom, Skype and the use of other technology. But this is not a substitute for in-person contact, holding hands, or hugs. It is normal for humans to want contact with other humans. We are, by nature, social creatures.
It is fair to ask whether social distancing is effective given the known risks associated with this practice. As mentioned earlier, there has been no research on the use of this practice in entire populations. However, there are two relevant and very public reports that merit coverage.
In May, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo reported that most hospitalizations in his state were people sheltering at home and who had almost no contact with the outside world. The data was drawn from 113 hospitals and showed that 66% of patients had self-quarantined, as compared to 18% who were nursing home patients. Claiming shock about the data, he said, “This is a surprise: Overwhelmingly, the people were at home,” he added. “We thought maybe they were taking public transportation, and we’ve taken special precautions on public transportation, but actually no, because these people were literally at home.”12 These findings did not cause him to change his policies, however.
A 60-page analysis conducted after the massive protests following the death of George Floyd showed that there was no spike in cases or deaths due to the protests themselves. The authors noted that there may be several mitigating factors, including the age of the protesters, and business closures in the general vicinity of the activity.13
The Bottom Line
It appears that like almost everything else associated with COVID-19, efforts to “protect” people were ill-conceived and not based on science. In addition to the research presented herein, the fact that lockdowns, restrictions, and school closures continued after months of “following the science” from the “experts” provides evidence that wearing masks, social distancing and quarantine were failures.
“Protecting” the Vulnerable
Even the lockdowns of nursing homes seem outrageous when looking back at the impact of residents. Almost everywhere, visitors, including family members, were prohibited at nursing homes and extended care facilities. Employees were tested every day to reduce the risk of infection. But the strategy was miserably ineffective. On August 5, 2020, the Ohio Department of Health reported that 2060 patients had died from COVID-19 in long-term care facilities.14 Total deaths from COVID-19 on that date were 3668.15 In other words, Ohio nursing home patients were prohibited from having interaction with anyone other than staff and still 56% of all deaths from COVID-19 took place in these facilities. Even now, long-term care residents can only see visitors outdoors, residents and visitors must wear masks, and social distancing is required. Visitations must be scheduled in advance and if it rains, most visits are postponed.
Summertime in Ohio is hot, which makes outdoor visits challenging for some older people. The mask requirement can make these visits almost unbearable. Stroke victims have difficulty communicating under the best of circumstances and masks make it impossible. Those who do not hear well don’t get much out of visits which require 6 feet between residents and their guests. Many frustrated people have stated that the Emperor DeWine thinks it is ok for long-term care residents to get COVID-19 from strangers but not from family members.
The consequences of the isolation and restrictions? Unbearable. Most of the staff in long-term care facilities are caring people who want to offer the best care to their patients. Still anyone who has had a family member in one of these facilities reports that the constant presence of family members and friends helps to keep the staff accountable. Both family and staff agree that regular visits are extremely important for the mental, cognitive, and physical health of patients. These facilities were not designed with the intention of staff providing companionship, interaction, or extras like baked goods, flowers, books, and DVDs.
When visits were cut off, it did not take long for care to degenerate, and for patients to start suffering from loneliness, boredom, and mental and physical decline.
Here are just a few heart-breaking stories.
I’m in Florida and the rest of the family lives in Quebec, Canada. Last Monday my sister called me crying and very distraught. She’d been called by the retirement home where my father lived. They told her they had found my father non-responsive and rushed him to the hospital. She wasn’t allowed to go to the hospital to be with him yet but they asked her if she could come clean his room while he wasn’t there. We pay extra for that cleaning service, mind you.
When she arrived, she found food and beverages all over his room, much of it with mold on it, stinking and rotting. She found his dirty Depends diapers everywhere. Under the bed, the couch and bathroom. She spent half the day cleaning this mess while balling her eyes out.
The following day, the doctor called her to the say there was nothing they could do and since he was terminal, now she could come visit. She was never able to have a coherent conversation with him the whole week and he passed a week later.
Since this whole nonsense started, all she could do was stand in the parking lot while he was peaking his head out his 3rd story window. She’d ask him “how’s everything?” And he’d respond “Fine.”
She couldn’t see the mess in his room. He wasn’t eating and was withering away. Something she would have noticed if able to visit him as usual.
The residents in this home went from a routine of going to the cafeteria 3x day, eating their favorite food. My father had no teeth so it was usually soft eggs and a juice, soup and mashed potatoes etc. He socialized with friends, spent time on the patio
And then one day, he was imprisoned, confined to a small room for months.
My father got too lonely to cope with this and just gave up and stopped eating. AND they were bringing him coffee that he doesn’t drink in the first place and fruits he couldn’t chew.
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I wanted to let you know that I am sick with worry than my 91-year-old mom, who is in an assisted living facility in Oakwood, Ohio, might succumb to the quarantine rather than the virus. On December 15, 2019, we lost my father. My parents were married 66 years. We moved my mom to a pricier facility with the idea of having more activities and chances to interact with others
Then the quarantine. None of her four kids can visit her. She has been hysterical, and the facility does not like it. Consequently they load her up on drugs. I just had a Zoom conference with her and she couldn’t communicate. She arrived at this new facility with slight dementia. The loneliness and isolation are killing her. I am writing to you because I want her voice heard.
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My husband’s Aunt and Uncle, who are in their late 80’s, reached a point where they were no longer able to care for themselves and so they checked themselves into an assisted living center about a year ago in The Dalles, Oregon, where they were born and raised. He had been a career minister and, besides being a Sunday school teacher, his wife volunteered selflessly in every way possible helping out the church and community. Both were very sociable, beautiful people with countless friends who loved them dearly.
When the lockdowns ensued in March, their health started going downhill rapidly. Of course no one was allowed to visit them, but when his Aunt’s health failed further, they took her away to a separate intensive care ward in the same building, and not even her husband of 65 years was allowed to visit her. There has not been a single case reported in the facility. Of course they would argue that’s because they did such a good job locking everyone up :(. To date, there have only been 3 deaths in a county of 30,000, and who knows if those 3 were even legit.
Two months later, his Aunt died (NOT from covid!), and the family wanted to have some sort of funeral for her, and involve his Uncle in some way. The only solution allowed was to hold a small service of immediate family only, in the parking lot of the care center where the Uncle, who is extremely hard of hearing, could watch through a window if we all wore masks. So the day came, and as luck would have it, the weather did not cooperate. We all gathered outside of the window, in a torrential downpour, getting absolutely drenched (including my husband’s 90 year old mother) trying to hold a service, while the Uncle sat in his wheelchair behind the window where he could watch. There he sat, looking out at a bunch of masked faces, unable to hear, unable to be comforted, and we could all see him crying like a little baby and were helpless to console him in any way. He was not allowed to go with us to the burial site, so we tried saying our good bye’s by waving at him through the window and I expect that will be the last we ever see of this kind and gentle Godly man. I’m just relieved that my 98-year-old mother died two years ago with all 8 of her kids at her bedside, as it should be. What kind of cold, heartless, cowardly, unconscionable people do this? Great moments in public health, indeed.
Perhaps saddest of all was a news story featuring 52 nursing home patients in Gatesville Texas who were photographed holding signs asking for people to become pen pals.16
The criminals and despots in charge of our lives seem unconcerned by the consequences of their decisions, which clearly did not prevent death from COVID-19 in long-term care facilities. Data from most states and even most other countries was similar to Ohio. Most deaths were in elderly people, and a significant percentage of those who died were locked down in nursing homes.
According to psychiatrist Dr. Peter Breggin, the isolation of seniors “…was contrary to every principle of caring for the elderly. There is no controversy about the best way to help the elderly with their overall health, cognitive and emotional problems, or dementia. Keeping them in close touch with the people who love them while providing maximum autonomy and opportunity for a degree of normal functioning is critical to maintaining the mental and physical function of these fragile humans. The restrictions imposed by the lockdown on nursing homes was devastating to the morale and the health of the patients, destroying both quality of life and life itself.”17
Impact on Children and Adolescents
Lockdowns and school closures were particularly difficult for children. According to the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER), closing schools in March was, essentially, a grand, unethical social experiment designed by supposed infectious disease experts. The AIER says, “We consider the experiment to be unethical because there has been no informed consent, either from parents, children, or even our legislative representatives. The bottom line is that our children’s future and the quality of their lives have been sacrificed to conduct this experiment.”18
Schools had little time to convert to “schooling at home,” and the challenges in making this conversion were almost unsurmountable. According to an April 7, 2020 article in the New York Times, in rural communities many children did not have internet access. In these areas, educators reported that students and parents just dropped out of touch and were not available by phone or email. Absences were very common in low-income school districts. According to Michael Cassidy, Executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools “The dramatic split promises to further deepen the typical academic achievement gaps between poor, middle-class and wealthy students and unfinished learning will be a serious issue that could have implications for years.”
Eric Gordon, CEO of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District reported that 30-40% of students did not have access to internet. A teacher in that district reported that most of her students’ parents do not speak English.
A school district in Minford Ohio distributed laptops and work packets to students. But Mari Applegate, school psychologist, reported that regardless of whether or not the students can log in or turn in assignments they will be passed on to the next grade since it is not their fault and “cannot be held accountable.”19
An analysis of 800,000 students conducted by researchers at Brown and Harvard Universities determined that student progress in math decreased by about half in poor zip codes, and one third in middle income zip codes. Kids in high income zip codes were not affected. They estimate that the average student will fall behind by 7 months, 9 months for Latinos and 10 months for black children. The hardest hit may be rural areas, since only 27% of schools in these areas required any instruction at all while the schools were closed.20
In addition to falling behind academically, keeping kids out of school resulted in lack of social and emotional development because they were deprived of play, sports and other activities. Autistic and special needs children were hurt most, since their routines were interrupted, and they had little to no access to the specialized help that they required.
According to Shelley Allwang, program manager at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) the COVID-19 response resulted in a significant increase in reports of child abuse. In April 2019, NCMEC received about one million reports. During the month of April 2020, 4.1 million reports of child abuse and exploitation were reported.
The staff attributed the increased reports to bad actors who were taking advantage of children who were out of school and at home, along with parents who were overwhelmed with schooling at home while trying to work. Kids suddenly stopped spending time outside and playing with their friends, and spending more time online than ever before, which created more opportunities for exploitation. Another issue was assignments from teachers that involved internet searches. The searches were broad and had the potential to result in visiting inappropriate sites, or alerting bad actors patrolling online that the child was online and available.21
Adolescents missed important rites of passage, like the school prom and graduation. Their college educations were interrupted, and they were sent home with nothing to do. For athletes, the consequences might be particularly punishing since college sports are often the ticket to lucrative professional careers.
Here are a few stories demonstrating these outcomes:
I am so angry. My son was enjoying his junior year of college abroad in London. First his friends at the university were ordered back one by one to their home states, some states which had higher rates of the virus than in London. I kept telling him to stay because there was more risk (although still extremely low) of flying back then just staying put. Eventually within the span of a couple weeks, he was practically the only one left. His school was open so I still told him to stay. Then the school eventually went online, but he was still allowed to stay. Then the school closed and he was basically kicked out. Now he’s home and sits in his room all day except for taking a run or the dog for a walk (which I’m worried will eventually be banned also.)
I have another son in college forced to come home and he sits in his room all day also. I’m more worried about their mental health at this point. They are both well adjusted, happy, social kids, so I hope this doesn’t affect them too negatively. I seriously worry this will trigger some sort of mental instability. These young people should be out living their lives!
* * *
This mishandled situation has significantly affected our family. We have 2 teenage sons, one is a sophomore and one is a senior. At the beginning of March our senior had a part time job and was successfully completing his senior year in high school and eagerly looking forward to the end of year senior activities. Now he and the other classes of 2020 are missing out on those milestone activities and graduation. Now he isn’t working and is home doing distance learning. He has been working on his Boy Scout Eagle Project process for the last year and a half. Thankfully his Eagle Scout service project at a county park, which had been scheduled months in advance, was a week and a half before the shelter in place orders were issued here in the middle of March.
Our younger son, a sophomore, was in the process of starting his Eagle Scout project but his project has been postponed indefinitely due to the shelter in place order and cancellation of non-essential activities and gatherings here. Future schooling (college and high school) is completely up in the air for our sons, based on whether or not schools reopen or continue with online and distance learning.
* * *
My niece is traumatized by missing all her high school senior year activities she looked forward to for four years, not to mention she still had to meet the deadline to choose a college while not being allowed to visit any of the campuses.
The same niece’s teenaged boyfriend who suffers from depression had suddenly gotten so bad the past month in isolation that he said he didn’t think he would make it another month and would kill himself. She grew so concerned she contacted his mother, and he cannot get an appointment with a therapist to get medication for a few more weeks.
Suicides and Overdose Deaths
The increase in drug overdoses and suicides started shortly after the lockdowns began. This is not difficult to understand since the effect of unemployment, business failure, isolation, financial insecurity and other consequences of the lockdown are well-known.
Doctors at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek reported on May 21, 2020 that there were more deaths by suicide during the quarantine than deaths from COVID-19. The head of trauma, Dr. Mike deBoisblanc stated it was time to end the shelter-in-place order because it was clear that the hospitals were not overwhelmed, there were adequate resources to take care of COVID patients, and the rest of the community was suffering. “We’ve never seen numbers like this, in such a short period of time,” he said. “I mean we’ve seen a year’s worth of suicide attempts in the last four weeks.”
Kacey Hansen has worked as a trauma nurse at John Muir Medical Center for almost 33 years and expressed concern because not only was the facility dealing with more suicide attempts, they were not able to save as many patients as usual.22
Robert London MD, a psychiatrist, noted that the country was experiencing “a national epidemic of trauma,” which he described as “a clinical picture of PTSD.” He stated that isolation…is both painful and stressful,” and cautioned that worry about many things, including family, finances and work is overwhelming for millions of people. In addition to social distancing, for many people there is no work, people cannot spend time with people they care about, there is no recreation, no shopping, no normalcy.
London expressed concern about people experiencing nightmares, anxiety, and insomnia, and reports that people were stocking up on guns and ammunition.23
Some have spoken out against the tragedies inflicted on our youth. Here is one example:
I’m exhausted.
I’m tired of the garbage on FB and mask shaming and self-righteous sanctimony spewed by every noodle out there who thinks they are right and if you disagree, you are not only wrong but *dangerous*.
The 15-year-old son I’ve never met of people we knew during our Seminary years killed. him. self. the other evening. At home. Feet away from his pastor father and mother. No warning. Their only child. He couldn’t process the “new normal” and the constant drumbeat of negativity. The loss of everything a normal child needs in his life.
Shame. On. Us.
That we have allowed this to happen. That we have sat by complicit in the erosion of liberties and the decimation of our economy. That we have excused the behaviors that have left adults and CHILDREN so bereft that suicide can happen right in their home. All because of a bad flu. There. I said it. THE FLU.
Hate me? Think I’m wrong? Crazy conspiracy theorist? Don’t bother commenting. Two can play at this. You cannot justify a total lack of compassion and empathy at this point while demanding compliance. Door’s over there, see yourself out. I’m done defending myself. I’m done being castigated for daring to think differently. There is no tolerance. No discussion. No agree to disagree. In a world where the EXPERTS can’t agree, and have changed their stance a hundred times, *I’M WRONG* when I don’t immediately buy the science du jour. And who pointed it out? My 15yo son. Who spends 8 hours a day in his room, on the internet, “doing school”. Not with friends. Not at the rink. Not at school. He said “When did it become only one thought process was acceptable?” NEVER, Lex. It should NEVER be that way.
I thought my charge was to protect my kids from a virus. The virus doesn’t scare me anywhere near as much as this insidious darkness falling over society. Where neighbors are tattling on each other. Actually MAD that other people are not living in fear. “Defying orders”. Embracing masks which make everyone look angry and hide expression, furthering the feeling that everyone is suspicious and dangerous. I can’t wear a mask, and the amazing thing I’ve found is people are GLAD TO SEE MY FACE. The like to see my smile! They miss human contact and they know they can converse with a mask-less person because we aren’t going to freak out. I haven’t encountered one single cashier who wasn’t delightful and pleasant (except Menards, and they need Jesus over there, for sure).
No, my charge is to protect them from the Biblical levels of darkness falling. Their entire world has been damaged, and to believe that the love and protection of their parent is enough to save them is naive. Their world is far bigger than me, and it should be. But it has been taken from them and there is no hope being offered by ANYONE in authority that they will get it back. Nope, instead there is the constant drumbeat of “new normal”. That discourages *ME* and I’ve got the maturity and life experience to process that better than our children.
So...I’m not participating. I’m not excusing any of it. I’m not playing the middle. I’m not trying to be “balanced”. I’m done. I refuse to sit by and just mourn, from a distance, no less, for a CHILD who despite being raised in the church, by devoted and loving parents, and showered with the love of Christ, still was so hopeless he was compelled to take his life at 15.
Shove your masks. Screw your fears. I’m done participating. I’ll be in church, same row as ever, no masks, hugging all takers. I will not contribute to the darkness.
Shame. On. Us
The Inhumanity of it All
During a five-month period, we received thousands of horrible stories about horrible and inhumane treatment and which reflected a general disregard for human life. Many of these people reported that they had contacted, called and written letters to government officials and were either ignored or treated badly. In other words, reports of harm and pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears. Some people who answered the phone casually mentioned that “a lot of people were complaining” but appeared to have become immune to hearing about suffering people and seemed not to care.
Here are a couple examples of these stories:
On Saturday a friend and client passed away. I’m so sad and angry. Not that it’s ever a good time to die or go through the many difficulties of cancer, but doing it during this COVID19 “pandemic” is horrific. She turned 59 on April 8th. Her mom and sister had booked plane tickets at the beginning of March to visit her for her birthday. Due to COVID, they were not able to visit her before she passed away. On April 13th the pain she was experiencing from ascites was so bad her daughter took her to the ER. She stayed in the hospital ALONE for 4 days and was then released to hospice care. At the end of March, when she really started going downhill, I asked her if there was something she really wanted to do. She wanted to go to the beach. I was unable to grant her wish because the beaches were closed due to COVID. There are so many more atrocities I witnessed her go through during her cancer treatments, but I can’t continue typing right now. I’m just so furious with the whole medical establishment and overcome with sadness.
* * *
My husband and I have 3 kids who still currently live at home with us. The oldest is my son from a previous marriage, he is 22 and is intellectually disabled. He has suffered the most from all of this tyrannical behavior, so my letter to you is mainly about him. He is considered high functioning autistic. He is able to do things for himself and be fairly independent, however he will never live on his own independently.
He will never drive, so therefore he takes the county transit in order to go to and from work. He has worked at his job for over 3 years, he loves it there and his fellow employees are very kind to him. Customers love him and some come in just to see him and his big smile.
He considers himself famous because he is very involved in Special Olympics and went to the 2018 USA Games and last year we went to Abu Dhabi for the World Games to watch him compete and bring home 4 gold medals in Powerlifting. He was on cloud nine and living up his best life.
But lately, that smile has disappeared, it has been replaced with anger and frustration, uncertainty. He is not the same person he was at the beginning of this year and I completely blame it on our state governor, whom I don’t even like saying his name anymore at this point, mr dictator dewine. Along with his former sidekick, Acton, they have caused my son severe mental anguish that I fear will affect him long term. We have come so far with my son, and now all his successes are failing him.
My son went to his local gym 3 days every week so when the dictator of Ohio closed gyms, this was traumatizing to say the least. Fortunately we have gym equipment here at home, so that became his only outlet. It still wasn’t the same though overall. He still has not returned to the gym due to the strict guidelines that have been ordered in order for gyms to even be open. He wouldn’t have the time to follow everything and still get his workout in before work. He is also afraid he will not follow as well as is being demanded and therefore be kicked out of the gym. Along with the fact that they make them sign in, which I am not willing for him to do because of the whole contact tracing mumbo jumbo. He ended up almost, call it what you will, having a mental breakdown over all this.
He was off work for about a month, with no income because his place of employment never shut down or closed. He just couldn’t even function at work so there was no point in him going there. He couldn’t go to acupuncture because they were closed down, which is vital to him and a vital balance for his mental health, so that on top of everything else, he was like a ticking time bomb. To see your grown 22 year old son breaking down, sobbing...it’s not something I even knew how to handle and I know him best.
Once things started opening back up again and it seemed more relaxed for him and he could go back to acupuncture, he then returned to work and I was seeing his smile again. He was still frustrated at times because of the mandates the health departments were now enforcing and would come home and need to tell me everything they were making him do. We would talk it over and then he was fine.
Then the mask thing started intensifying. He was seeing people on social media shaming others for not masking up and implying those that don’t do it, do not care for others. I told him to quit looking at it, those people are not doctors and they don’t know everything. He said but I do care about people, I just can’t handle having that on my face. He is a kind soul who would do anything to help others, truly unique. He is a good boy :) He kind of has a tick type thing where he tends to rub his fists on his face, not all the time, just some. He is careful and keeps his hands washed and tries to control touching his face. Honestly, I believe our whole family already had this virus back in February, but that is not important to any of our rulers.
Back to the masks...He obviously is exempt but that did not keep people from making comments to him. We had a plan and it was just that he was to respond by saying it was none of their business and smile, walk away. Thankfully, this did not happen much. Now that licking county was moved to red level and masks were mandated last week because we had like 14 positive cases added to our faulty total of like 400 cases out of nearly 180,000 people, I was more concerned for my son and what might be said to him. People can be cruel and this whole masking has gone way out of control. No one seems to care that there are actually people who cannot tolerate or physically can’t wear one. Our entire family are not mask wearers and we are doing all we can to avoid that entirely.
My son was encountered by his transit driver just yesterday, telling him if he didn’t wear a mask that he would be kicked off and no longer permitted to ride. Not a good thing to tell my son at all, he was furious and called me at work. He was to the point of almost crying. I called the county transit service and got it straightened out and noted on his file that he is indeed exempt. The kicker was at first, they were going to require a doctor note to excuse him from wearing one. I was like what? That was not mentioned in the health departments standards at all. They hem hawed around and I told them he is exempt from wearing a mask along with exempt from having to get a doctors’ note because he is on a waiver through the County DD and they have transportation provided by county transit as part of his ISP plan and the DD pays for it as part of his plan. That settled it and I was glad to have it resolved. I was just somewhat still taken back by the fact of the doctor note request, where did this come from?? People will be required to now prove why they can’t mask up??
Sadly, my son thinks our world is ending now and he is back to his state of mental breakdown mode once more. So to all this, thank you so much dictator dewine for ruining my happy, smiling, somewhat carefree son who had everything going for him - you basically took it all away in a matter of several months. He was set to compete in more competitions this year and obviously participate in the Summer Special Olympic games, which was canceled due to all of this mess. The last time my son competed was at the Arnold Sports Festival, which thankfully that happened just in time before the tyrants took total control of that situation. My son misses so much of what has made him who he is, that he has actually lost himself in the midst of everything. He is even having trouble identifying with himself and can’t think straight, he is confused easier. He hasn’t seen his special olympic team mates since, I honestly can’t remember when.
In closing, now with the episode that happened yesterday with transit and other things that have been mentioned at his work and his mental state, he is going to have to take more time off work. My son is at the breaking point and what dewine has done and is doing..I hold him ultimately responsible for. He has made my son with his pandering rules and regulations into someone who is not happy and can’t handle the day to day. Yesterday was the first day since my son first got a job, in like 3 plus years, he has begged me to not have to go to work. This guy has loved his job, a totally dedicated employee that any employer would be happy to have. He is a hard worker and now his face is long and tired, he is mentally exhausted. I have it in my mind to speak to an attorney friend, because my son has lost income over this and mental well being. I have never seen someone have a mental breakdown and I don’t care to either, but it has come to that point. Everyday life is actually harming my son!!! Who would have ever thought that.
I just wanted to share my story with you as far as the mental toll this is taking on the intellectually disabled and how basically criminal this all is. Our state government is not taking any of this into consideration at all, its harmful and why so many suicides have occurred. DeWine would rather have someone get on and talk about things to do for your mental health, he forgets about the ones that do not understand what that even means. I hope and pray for better days ahead, but the path this is going is dim and I don’t see it getting any brighter any time soon...at least not until the election perhaps ;)
The Economy in Freefall
In February 2020, the unemployment rate in the United States was 3.5%. In April of 2020, due to the government response and shutdown, 20.5 million jobs were lost.24 The numbers continued to rise throughout May, and as of May 8, the unemployment rate had risen to 14.7%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.25 The United States had a thriving economy, a thriving stock market, and companies were reporting record earnings. Almost overnight, millions of people saw their businesses evaporate, their life savings depleted, and a significant percentage were thrust into poverty.
Government officials felt compelled to do something, and tens of millions of now financially insecure people were demanding assistance. The government’s response? Congress passed a $2.4 trillion dollar stimulus bill designed to help Americans to survive.
This stimulus bill pushed The United States’ national debt to well above $25 trillion, with China continuing to own a large percentage of it. This move, which essentially meant the government was printing money it did not have, will most certainly result in a devaluation of U.S. currency, and will ultimately cause inflation to rise.26 In fact, many economists, including Martin Hutchinson, a well-known author and market analyst in the industry, believes that by early 2022, this will lead to double digit inflation rates.27
Qualifications for the check were based on most recent tax returns (either 2018 or 2019) and any person whose adjusted gross income did not exceed $99,000 received a check.28 This included people who were still employed, many of whom were happy to receive a check from the government, but did not need it. On the contrary, it is doubtful that the assistance was meaningful to most households that did need the money. Other than feeling better for a short time, how helpful is a $1200 check to the average person who has lost some or all of his household income? Most likely not much.
Most middle-income Americans tend to live on what they make. A family making $50,000 per year tends to live in a residence and have other expenses that are affordable within that range. This is also true for individuals and families with a $100,000 income or more, and these individuals and families were excluded from the stimulus check. For example, a restaurant owner with an Adjusted Gross Income of $100,000 in 2018 or 2019 was not eligible to receive a check, even though his income currently may have been reduced by 50% or even dropped to zero due to lockdown restrictions.
Another $3 trillion dollar bill introduced by Congress on May 12, 2020 was no better.
Included in the “stimulus” was bailout money for the already failing and mismanaged postal service, and “election assistance,” which included dropping the requirement for identification to vote.29 This, of course, will have the effect of making it easy for illegal immigrants to vote. It offered little in the way of relief for the tens of millions of people who had lost their jobs or whose businesses remained closed. It had not passed as of mid-August.
Art Laffer, a former economic advisor to the Reagan administration who was opposed to this approach to resolving the economic crisis the government created said, “Whenever people make decisions, when they are either panicked or drunk, the consequences are rarely attractive and that especially goes for politicians, so I thought Trump’s proposal of a tax cut on payrolls was great, but that’s about all I would suggest him doing.”30
As of the time that this book was being finished, there were no meaningful proposals from Congress, or anyone else for that matter, that had the potential for addressing the coming explosion of joblessness, financial devastation, homelessness, food insecurity and other related consequences of the draconian measures the governors of various states had caused. And the long-term consequences for both the economy and individual businesses will most likely continue to get worse.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is often the primary metric used to determine the state of the U.S. economy. A recession is typically defined as two consecutive quarters of negative GDP. Given the unemployment rate and business shutdowns, many economists have made dire predictions for the U.S. economy. Goldman Sachs predicts an annualized decrease in GDP for 2020 of 34%. Deutsche Bank predicts 33%. JPMorgan’s prediction is grimmer at 40%.31
Some economists are optimistic that the economy will bounce back toward the end of the year but given the fact that it took several years to build the economy from the last disaster in 2008, this is not likely. Many states implemented a phase-in plan for businesses to reopen, but many remain closed, or are forced to operate at limited capacity, like restaurants; or with extreme restrictions like gyms. Even for those businesses that fully open, sales are down since customers have been frightened by the ginned-up hysteria over “cases” and are afraid to shop or remain unemployed and thus have little money to spend.
A discussion of the post-lockdown economy would not be complete without returning to China and the CCP. We may never know if the release of the virus was deliberate or accidental, but the CCP was certainly not going to let an opportunity go to waste. The CCP withheld information, in collusion with the corrupt World Health Organization (remember that Tedros re-appointed President Xi’s wife, Peng Liyuan to another 2-year term as “goodwill ambassador to the WHO) which allowed the virus to spread while most in the world were unaware of its existence.32 While the data make it clear that COVID-19 never qualified for pandemic status, the WHO declared it as such, which is what triggered the closing down of the entire global economy, including that of the U.S.
Knowing full well that troubling economic times have historically created difficulties for an incumbent President to get re-elected, the CCP had a powerful incentive to play a role in these events. Joseph Bosco, former China Country Director for the Department of Defense stated, “Xi might well have asked his colleagues: Who will rid me of this troublesome president?” Suddenly, thanks to the export of China’s virus, Trump’s reelection prospects seem considerably less favorable than they did just a few months ago. A return to a more accommodating U.S. China policy with a new president seems disturbingly more likely.33
In fact, right on cue some politicians in Washington began calling for the removal of the tariffs, and if they are lifted, the CCP will have free range to saturate the U.S. market with its products again. Michael Wessel, a member of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission stated “As our steel and other manufacturers all suffer, when the bottom hits, China is poised to come back in, China is now looking at ways of taking advantage of everyone else’s suffering.”34
The Chinese haven’t exactly been quiet about their delight about recent events. Han Jian, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the Ministry of Civil Affairs for the China Industrial Economics Association, and who received his doctorate at our own Johns Hopkins University, said on March 4, 2020: “It is possible to turn the crisis into an opportunity — to increase the trust and the dependence of all countries around the world of ‘Made in China’.”35
The Impact on Businesses
It is almost impossible to describe the full extent of the devastation and destruction the lockdowns had and will continue to have on businesses. People literally watched their life’s work destroyed within a few short weeks to months. Both frustration and anger are palpable in the following accounts.
I am mad as hell.
The intent of this statement is to share with you and all others involved, that the Regulatory Taking without compensation of my businesses in the emergency period, has been misused and abused by Governor Jay Inslee of Washington State. The original intent of the 2 week Stay at Home order was to slow the spread of the Covid-19 virus from China. Judging by the infection numbers, death rates of actual Covid patients and the counties affected, Jay Inslee has intentionally killed my livelihood in Chelan County and I demand it stops now!
We are in the 11th week of a 2-week shut down. I am mad as hell that I have had to take 2 loans against my business that I have painstakingly built 7-days a week for the last 24 years. I am mad as hell that at 50 years old, the term on the SBA loan puts the payoff on my 80th birthday. These new loans may not even save my businesses, because the re-opening of our County has been batted around as a toy by our Governor and King, Inslee. This is not a game, this is life and death for us and I am mad as hell.
When asked to be a good citizen and “flatten the curve” and then I hear “we are all in this together” my blood boils because I know its political bull-excrement at this point and I am mad as hell. We are not in this together, if we were, there would be a remedy post haste. I have laid off all 63 employees that have families, mortgages, rents, diapers, food and the list goes on. The extended actions of Jay Inslee have put their lives in danger. How dare you Jay?
His orders have crushed my $3 million a year business with a payroll of more than $1.4 million because we are deemed “non-essential”. By scaring our communities to the point of endless isolation, the future of my business is also in jeopardy.
Since we were unable to open this past weekend for Memorial Day and begin to dig out of this mess, it was a slap in the face of every soldier that laid down his life for the freedoms we celebrate. If I lose my life’s work to Jay Inslee’s ignorance and arrogance, by no damaging act of my own, there will be restitution due.
* * *
Marie Ann Longlade School of Dance has been my mother’s business since 1965. Yes, 55 years in the business of sharing the love of dance. A female entrepreneur that rode out the recessions and made sure, no matter what, that “The show must go on”
For the first time, in all those years, the catch phrase of “The show MUST go on.” FAILED. The studio has been hosting remote Zoom classes, since the end of March break. Parents paid a $100 deposit for their child’s recital costume for each class the child was registered for. Some costumes were made already in preparation of the International Dance Educator’s of America and Canadian Dance Teacher’s Association Spring. These competitions were obviously cancelled. Her 55th Spring Melody Recital with a BIG surprise celebration including of decades of past students returning to the stage in honour of this tenacious woman WAS CANCELLED.
* * *
As a result of the FEAR that Trudeau has instilled, and the crushing cancellations throughout 2020.... my mother, age 77 with COPD, and my step-dad, age 66, with Parkinson’s have decided to give up one of their vehicles. They made this choice in light of the NEW NORM. They are convinced my mom will need to restrict her lifestyle forever more.
Not only has this destroyed her business, but it has crushed her drive to live. My step-dad has been observed crawling in his hands and knees to get across a room... with tools in tow as he is constantly, building repairing, and creating things. Parkinson’s and COPD never stopped them. But COVID has held them hostage in their home since Feb 27th.
My mom had pneumonia in December. They found nodules on her CT that were highly suspicious of Cancer. They repeated the CT IN Jan. Still there. They took biopsies, but the results were negative. The Specialist told us she was certain it was a false negative and reordered a biopsy. She endured 12 hours in hospital in Feb due to a collapsed lung. The results were still inconclusive. Then all hospitals shut down except for severe COVID patients. Sooooooo, nothing has been done since. My mom thinks she has cancer and is waiting to die, paralyzed to live life as she once had.
Do you think this NEW NORM of isolation for the rest of their lives is healthy? I am so sad that their fear has totally stripped them of living a full life. They are being robbed of life!
* * *
Shelli and I did not post this to offend anyone, from our perspective this was very good news for our employees and our business. We have worked tirelessly for the past 20 years building first our ice sculpting business and then the restaurant. Then in a very short amount of time all this work has collapsed around us without our doing. It is very hard to see all that we have worked for, the very future of our children and ourselves disappear.
We grieve for those of you who have lost loved ones thru this illness and we continue to follow the guidelines with the exception of wearing a mask.
We do greatly care about our patrons and our staff. We believe everyone has a choice. We offer both indoor outdoor dining and our staff each has a mask in his/her pocket and will wear it at your table if you ask. Our staff tried to wear them but at the rate they rush around and the summer heat they were having difficulties breathing and felt faint.
At this point though for us it is very difficult to see this as not being politically motivated. We have faced 4 months of either forced closure or lowered abilities to have our business open while so many others were not financially burdened. We are facing unrealistic minimum wage and unemployment issues that threaten the very fabric of our business and therefore our lives. With all the government has done to the hospitality industry we have not been able to catch up and make ends meet. We are not being taken care of by the government. Shelli and I did not collect unemployment. Nor have we received all the promised grants for the business. We are 500,000 in debt for this business and prior to the forced shut down we were a financially sound business. We had to make a choice to open without restrictions so we could try to rescue our livelihood and keep the 35 individuals that work for us employed as well as ourselves.
This is in no way a political stance we are just fighting for our livelihood
What made business owners even more furious was the backlash from government officials and citizens who had been brainwashed by the media. These people accused anyone who was concerned about their livelihood as being a heartless capitalist who cared only about profits. Business owners who were justifiably panicking about their economic futures had to endure accusations from self-righteous and indignant individuals that they were selfish and had no regard for human health.
In fact, the selfish ones were those who seemed to lack any understanding about how the world works. The economy is what sustains human life. For many people, their business is their life’s work. Business owners, along with their employees, often are driven by purpose – to better the lives of one another, their families, and their customers. All businesses are essential – to the people who own them and who are employed by them. Businesses allow people to take care of and feed their families and to contribute to their communities. Communities rely on businesses for their tax base, funding of arts organizations, museums, and culture. To suggest that businesses are not important is preposterous. And further, to think that commerce could all be indefinitely suspended and then reconstituted at some later date is insane.
Worldwide Impact
According to David Bealsey, head of the World Food Programme, the world is now at risk of families “of biblical proportions” going hungry as a result of actions taken in response to COVID-19. He noted that many parts of East Africa and South Asia already had severe food shortages caused by numerous factors such as drought and insect infestation. He referred to the developing famine as the worst humanitarian catastrophe since WWII.
According to Beasley, the crisis most affected millions of people who were “already hanging by a thread,” and is particularly devastating for those “…who can only eat if they earn a wage.”36
According to a report by Oxfam, the COVID-19 response is likely to throw another half a billion people into poverty. This would be the first time since 1990 that poverty increased and could be severe enough to put some countries back to where they were three decades ago.37
Worldwide, the COVID-19 debacle will likely result in an additional 1.4 million deaths from tuberculosis, 500,000 additional deaths from HIV, and 385,000 additional deaths from malaria. The reason is that delivery of services to sick people have been disrupted, diagnostic testing has been delayed, travel to receive treatment is difficult and often impossible, and access to medications is limited.38
Indeed, the cure was far worse than the disease. And it will most likely get worse since the draconian actions taken, ranging from lockdowns to school closures have not yet ended.
No one even knows the goal, if there even is a goal. We flattened the curve, the hospitals were empty, and cases are only rising because tens of thousands of people are being tested every day. Most of those being tested are asymptomatic and many are only being tested as a condition of employment or attendance at school. The conversation seems to have shifted to “safety.”
But what does safety mean? Does it mean no cases? Does it mean that there are no deaths from COVID? If this is the case, we will never regain our freedom. There is no such thing as elimination of all risk. People are injured or die every year as a result of car accidents, flying in airplanes, and diving. People are struck by lightning, they fall while mountain climbing, and they can be injured while performing household tasks like mowing the lawn or painting while standing on a ladder.
Humans understand the risks associated with these activities and choose to do them anyway. Historically we have allowed people to make these decisions because we lived in a free society that allows people to take personal responsibility while making their own choices. This is not the case now, and if things do not change soon, we may not ever regain our freedom.
ENDNOTES
1. Provisional CoVID-19 Death Counts by Sex, Age… Centers for Disease Control. https://data.cdc.gov/NCHS/Provisional-COVID-19-Death-Counts-by-Sex-Age-and-S/9bhg-hcku/data accessed 8.8.2020
2. IBID
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4. Holt-Lunstad J, Smith TB, Layton JB. “Social Relationship and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review.” PLoS Med 2010 Jul;7(7):e1000316
5. Brooks SK, Webster RK, Smith LE et al. “The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence.” Lancet 2020 Mar;395(10227):912–920
6. Holt-Lunstad J, Smith TB, Baker M, Harris T, Stephenson D. “Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality: a meta-analytic review.” Perspect Psychol Sci 2015 Mar;10(2):227-237
7. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults.: Opportunities for the Health Care System. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine. https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/the-health-and-medical-dimensions-of-social-isolation-and-loneliness-in-older-adults accessed 9.2.2020
8. Brooks SK, Webster RK, Smith LE et al. “The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence.” The Lancet 2020 Mar;395(10227):P912-920
9. Wu P, Fang Y, Guan Z et al. “The psychological impact of the SARS epidemic on hospital employees in China: exposure, risk perception, and altruistic acceptance of risk.” Can J Psychiatry 2009 May;54(5):302-311
10. Loades ME, Chayburn E, Higson-Sweeney N et al. “Rapid Systematic Review: The Impact of Scial Isolation and Loneliness on the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents in the Context of COVID-19.” J Am Academ Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2020 Jun;S0890-8567(20)30337-3
11. Sujata Gupta. “Social distancing comes with psychological fallout.” ScienceNews March 29, 2020 https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid-19-social-distancing-psychological-fallout accessed 9.2.2020
12. Noah Higgins-Dunn, Kevin Breuninger. Cuomo says it’s ‘shocking’ most new coronavirus hospitalizations are people who had been staying at home.” CNBC May 7 2020 https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/06/ny-gov-cuomo-says-its-shocking-most-new-coronavirus-hospitalizations-are-people-staying-home.html accessed 9.2.2020
13. Dave DM, Friedson AL, Matsuzawa K, Sabia JJ, Safford S. “Black Lives Matter Protests, Social Distncing and COVID-19.” National Bureau of Economic Research June 2020 https://www.nber.org/papers/w27408.pdf accessed 9.2.2020
14. https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/dashboards/long-term-care-facilities/mortality accessed 8.8.2020
15. COVID-19 Dashboard. Ohio Department of Health. https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/dashboards/key-metrics/mortality accessed 8.8.2020
16. Thalia Brionez. Gatesville nursing home residents looking for pen pals during pandemic. ABC25 August 4 2020 https://www.kxxv.com/news/local-news/gatesville-nursing-home-residents-looking-for-pen-pals-during-pandemic accessed 8.8.2020
17. Peter R. Breggin and Ginger Ross Breggin. CoVID-19 SOS: Saving America from Governor Cuomo, https://breggin.com/covid-19-sos-saving-america-from-gov-cuomo/ accessed 9.2.2020
18. Robert M. Sauer, Donald Siegel, David Waldman. CDC Has Become Centers for the Destruction of Childhood American Institute for Economic Research. June 25 2020 https://www.aier.org/article/cdc-has-become-centers-for-the-destruction-of-childhood/ accessed 9.2.2020
19. Dana Goldstein, Adam Popescu and Nikole Hannah-Jones. As School Moves Online, Many Students Stay Logged Out. New York Times April 8 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/06/us/coronavirus-schools-attendance-absent.html accessed 9.2.2020
20. Dana Goldstein. Research Shows Students Falling Months Behind During Virus Disruption. New York Times June 5 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/05/us/coronavirus-education-lost-learning.html accessed 9.2.2020
21. Fernando Alfonso III. The pandemic is causing and exponential rise in the exploitation of children, experts say. CNN May 25 2020 https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/25/us/child-abuse-online-coronavirus-pandemic-parents-investigations-trnd/index.html accessed 9.2.2020
22. Amy Hollyfield. Suicides on the rise amid stay-at-home order, Bay Area medical professionals say. ABC7 May 21 2020 https://abc7news.com/suicide-covid-19-coronavirus-rates-during-pandemic-death-by/6201962/ accessed 8.8.2020
23. London RT. Is COVID-19 Leading to a Mental Illness Pandemic? Medscape April 3 2020
24. Paul Davidson. Unemployment soars to 14.7%, job loses reach 20.5 million in April as coronavirus pandemic spreads. USA Today May 8 2020 https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/05/08/april-jobs-reports-20-5-m-become-unemployed-covid-19-spreads/3090664001/ accessed 9.2.2020
25. The Employment Situation – July 2020. Bureau of Labor Statistics. August 7 2020 https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf accessed 9.2.2020
26. Jim Sergent, Ledyard King, Michael Collins. 4 coronavirus stimulus packages $2.4 trillion in funding. See what that means to the national debt. https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/2020/05/08/national-debt-how-much-could-coronavirus-cost-america/3051559001/ accessed 9.2.2020
27. Martin Hutchinson. The Coronavirus Economy Will Bring Inflation. April 23 2020. https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/04/the-coronavirus-economy-will-bring-inflation/ accessed 9.2.2020
28. Libby Kane and Tanza Loudeback. The IRS has sent over 159 million stimulus checks so far. Here’s what to know if you are still waiting on yours. Business Insider Jun 23 2020 https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/coronavirus-stimulus-check-questions-answers-2020-4 accessed 9.2.2020
29. Grace Segers. What’s in the House Democrats’ $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill? CBS News May 15 2020 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-relief-package-heroes-act-3-trillion-bill-house-democrats/ accessed 9.2.2020
30. Talia Kaplan. Art Laffer on market selloff amid coronavirus fears: ‘Put your hands in your pockets’ and wait it out. Fox News Mar 10 2020 https://www.foxnews.com/media/art-laffer-on-market-volatility-advise-investors-to-keep-hands-in-pockets-do-nothing accessed 9.2.2020
31. Emel Akan. Economists: World Slumps Into Worst Recession in Decades. The Epoch Times April 15 2020 https://www.theepochtimes.com/economists-world-slumps-into-worst-recession-in-decades_3313512.html accessed 9.2.2020
32. Brahma Chellaney. Opinion: the World Health Organizationmust stop covering up China’s mistakes. Project Syndicate April 23 2020 https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-who-has-a-big-china-problem-2020-04-22 accessed 9.2.2020
33. Joseph Bosco. The Wuhan virus and regime change in Washington. The Hill March 19 2020 https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/488141-the-wuhan-virus-and-regime-change-in-washington accessed 9.2.2020
34. How China is Planning to use the coronavirus crisis to its advantage. Washington Post March 16 2020 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/16/how-china-is-planning-use-coronavirus-crisis-its-advantage/ accessed 9.2.2020
35. IBID
36. Coronavirus: World risks ‘biblical’ famines due to pandemic – UN.” BBC News April 21 2020 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52373888 accessed 9.2.2020
37. Karin Strohecker. Coronavirus crisis could plunge half a billion people into poverty: Oxfam. Reuters April 9 2020 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-poverty/coronavirus-crisis-could-plunge-half-a-billion-people-into-poverty-oxfam-idUSKCN21R0E7 accessed 9.2.2020
38. Apoorva Mandavilli. The Biggest Monster is Spreading. And It’s Not the Coronavirus. New York Times Aug 3 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/03/health/coronavirus-tuberculosis-aids-malaria.html accessed 9.2.2020