Insanity Reigns

Nothing Makes Sense

My wife and I had multiple doctor’s appointments last Monday. At our age, we have come to accept doctor’s appointments as opportunities to get out of the house. Our first appointment was in Spokane Valley. We had a couple hours until our next one and decided to take the opportunity to buy watch batteries in the mall. What a sad experience. If all the people in the mall set around a table, there wouldn’t have been enough for a good poker game. It was dark and gloomy, as very few shops were open. Those that were trying to stay in business had chains across the doors and required customers to be disinfected before entering. It was sad. It was even more sad when compared to businesses in Idaho.

We have a cabin on the Pend Oreille River right on the Idaho border, so I frequently shop across the state line. Idaho is alive. People who want to wear masks do so, and those who don’t, don’t. People smile and say “HI.” as you pass them in the market. Restaurants have never been forced to close. If lockdowns and social distancing were working, the infection rate should be markedly different, but the COVID 19 infection rate is about the same as it is on the Washington side. It just doesn’t make sense. Oh, by the way. The employment rate in Idaho is about what it was pre-pandemic, and the state has a budget surplus.

When the virus was discovered in the Seattle nursing home, our Governor panicked. He accepted chronic unemployment and economic collapse as normal consequences of this epidemic. His approach has been narrow-sighted. He never considered a reasonable policy that would consider public health as well as the economy. The example of Idaho proves it could have been done, but rather than apply reason, our Governor chose to be a dictator. One of his first steps was to close “non-essential” businesses. He, of course, decided what business were and were not essential. He closed churches, schools, construction, hospitals to all but emergency care, and all businesses that allowed social gatherings. Pot shops, on the other hand were considered essential. Despite these draconian measures, the virus spread like wild fire.

The media warned the annual Sturgis motorcycle rally would have dire consequences. Less than eighty new cases were attributed to the half-million riders who partied for a week. It didn’t make sense. Reports of a surge of cases following Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day were used to warn against family gatherings and back-yard barbeques. There were more cases two weeks after each of the holidays than there were the two weeks prior. When examined mathematically, however, the curve was continuous. The rate of cases increased at a steady rate. Holiday gatherings had no apparent effect. Nothing made sense.

Some recommended precautions were just silly. We were told to increase our social distancing when jogging because the airborne virus would still be there when the next runner came by. One author showed “scientific data” proving two masks were better than one, and everyone to wear three. Recently, we were told we must still wear masks after being vaccinated because we could breathe in an infected person’s air and exhale it in the vicinity of an uninfected victim. Nothing makes sense.

Frank Watson is a retired Air Force Colonel and long-time resident of Eastern Washington. He has been a free-lance columnist for over 20 years.