The lessons I hope you’ve taken from this Podcast so far, Pt 3

If you haven’t listened to the Liberty Relearned podcast in a while, I really hope you’ll listen to this one and the previous. All of the major topics I’ve discussed since the inception of the podcast will be covered in a planned multi-part series. I’d like to think that the ideas I talk about are of value to the listener. I deeply value the opinions of my readers and listeners so I encourage you to share your thoughts on this episode. Your feedback is the primary way I know to make the necessary improvements and adjustments, plus I want people to feel free to add their own thoughts to what I say — Thanks. J.P. Mac.

• COVID 19 measures
  • Lockdowns, proved counterproductive in many instances
    • Drove people indoors, during the first wave most of the cases in NYC were people who were locked down
      • An article appearing in the Washington Examiner entitled: Lockdowns May Not Effective at Stopping the Spread of COVID-10 dated 7/22/21 says in part:
        • “Finally, new research is emerging that suggests shelter-in-place orders might actually be counterproductive in that they may do more to spread the coronavirus than prevent it. A new paper by University of Chicago economist Casey Mulligan suggests that large organizations have an incentive to protect their employees and thus impose mitigation protocols such as mask-wearing and social distancing. By contrast, people sheltering at home are not likely to remain isolated for long. Being social creatures, they will eventually invite friends over, throw small parties, and so on. In such gatherings, people have much less incentive to enforce mask-wearing or social distancing. The empirical evidence Mulligan collected suggests that workplaces were safer than households.”
    • Forced people together for longer periods of time.
    • Unintended consequences include: Social isolation, depression, increased drug abuse.
    • Most masks don’t afford much protection against COVID-19
      • KN95 masks afford the wearer the most protection, but only if properly worn
      • Simple cloth masks, bandanas, and dust masks are only useful in protecting others, not the wearers. Some are next to useless, acting only as a psychological balm.
  • Vaccines are an imperfect solution.
    • As we accumulate more knowledge on the effectiveness of the different vaccines, the evidence seems to be moving in the direction that we’ll find certain vaccines are best for some people, but not for others.
    • If a vaccine is said to be 95% effective by the maker, that means it’s 5% ineffective. We need to know who is in that ineffective group.
    • Most of us aren’t doctors but… Most conservatives will tell you that vaccines are worth serious consideration, but the decision should be between you and your doctor.
• COVID 19 response
  • Brought out the best in some people
    • Medical professionals and other first responders made a heroic effort, often making do with barely adequate supplies of PPE. This was especially true during the initial wave of the pandemic.
    • The private sector stepped up and retooled to fill the need of things like PPE and respirators. Often, they volunteered their services. Very few times was the Federal government forced dictate to companies what to produce in their factories.
    • Ordinary people made great sacrifices with very little guarantee they would pay off.
  • Brought out the worst in people and governments.
    • Strict lockdowns ordered for the first time in history, healthy people be quarantined.
      • Scant evidence exists that prolonged lock downs do more good than harm
      • Lockdowns and travel restrictions, by their very nature are repressive.
    • Given people license for political leaders to dominate populaces, bordering on the sadistic.
      • Keeping loved ones from attending their sick relatives and attending funerals
      • Specious edicts by overbearing officials that cannot be backed up by science, like controlling what items stores can sell or travel between homes in the same state or Provence.
    • Some officials curtailed or eliminated certain basic human rights such as the free exercise of religion, freedoms of speech and association with alarming ease.
    • Using COVID as an excuse to circumvent the Constitution and change voting laws to favor a particular party and possibly facilitate fraud.
    • Some people, motivated by fear have tended to become abusive against those that show reluctance to use masks or become vaccinated
      • Many have resorted to bullying against the “vaccine-hesitant” stereotyping them as uneducated, science deniers or stupid.
        • Their actions are counterproductive.
        • They fail to understand or empathize with people who are reluctant to take a vaccine. They assume what motivated them, fear, would motivate any reasonable person. They discount real concern of side-effects, even though knowledge of side-effects also comes from science.
        • They fail to understand that some people prefer to make an analytical decision rather than an emotional one. The right data, rather than scorn, derision or shame is what will ultimately inform their decision.
  • COVID won’t be eradicated. There will ALWAYS be another variant that the power-hungry can exploit the fear of and use as an excuse to control others. We must eventually choose between mask mandates, lockdowns, and other disruptive measures in perpetuity, or learn to live with COVID as we have myriad other potentially dangerous diseases.

To listen to the episode, click here.

Thanks!

J.P. Mac