Paul Krugman, in the New York Times (which has replaced Mad Magazine in the humor section these days), inquires loudly: “How Many Americans Will Ayn Rand Kill?”
Even as New York contained its pandemic, however, the coronavirus surged out of control in other parts of the country. There was a deadly summer spike in much of the Sunbelt. And right now the virus is running wild in much of the Midwest; in particular, the most dangerous places in America may be the Dakotas. …
[W]hy does this keep happening? Why does America keep making the same mistakes?
Donald Trump’s disastrous leadership is, of course, an important factor. But I also blame Ayn Rand — or, more generally, libertarianism gone bad, a misunderstanding of what freedom is all about.
If you look at what Republican politicians are saying as the pandemic rips through their states, you see a lot of science denial. Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota, has gone full Trump — questioning the usefulness of masks and encouraging potential super-spreader events. (The Sturgis motorcycle rally, which drew almost a half-million bikers to her state, may have played a key role in setting off the viral surge.)
But you also see a lot of libertarian rhetoric — a lot of talk about “freedom†and “personal responsibility.†Even politicians willing to say that people should cover their faces and avoid indoor gatherings refuse to use their power to impose rules to that effect, insisting that it should be a matter of individual choice.
Which is nonsense.
Personally, I’m hoping she knocks off all the looters and all the moochers, starting with Paul Krugman.
Seattle Sam
Will she kill more than than the Trump Tax Cuts did?
OneGuy
85% of people who catch covid say they wear masks all the time. Masks don’t work, the science says so. 6′ of social distancing doesn’t work either. Try stand 6′ from a smoker, can you still smell the smoke? Both of these were made up to allow some excuse for trying to continue living a normal life. As in you can open your restaurant but can only take off the mask while sitting and the sitting has to keep customers 6′ apart. It’s a kind of ‘magic’ and any scientist or doctor who disagrees will be censored and censured.
Shutdowns/quarantines do work, for awhile. But it is impossible to shut down for long or to shut down completely. You still have to go buy food and eventually you must get out of your house or you will go crazy. Thus is born the second wave. But if you are a ‘Karen’ or left wing politician (but I digress) you think it was the masks and 6′ that worked and you demand everyone bow to your greater wisdom.
And so it will repeat, can anyone say third wave???
Pip McGuigin
I love history. History proves that Krugman has never been correct in any of his rants. The Pennsylvania groundhog is more reliable.
SteveS
> History proves that Krugman has never been correct in any of his rants.
Didn’t he win the Nobel Prize for Being Wrong About Everything?
Fusil Darne
If it did not include cash, nobody would accept the Nobel anymore.
Teresa Pittman
Sturgis cause ONE death, a 60 year old guy. I am so tired of these people whining about the number of people testing positive. So what?
OneGuy
I think more people die on the way to Sturgis than died from covid caught in Sturgis.
Schill McGuffin
@Fusil Darne — I can think of one guy…
Boligat
It seems that South Dakota gets picked on a lot. Some would say that SD has it coming because of Sturgis and a spike in Wuhan cases. While I’m sure that is partially true, I’m betting that it is more likely that SD elected a hot, smart, conservative governor with some real common sense. That she sides with Trump is an added ‘bonus’.
Paul Kerpash
If we would all turn off the MSM news and stop the testing it would be a great start to ending this “virus!”. The more tests the more positive “cases” pop up. Everyone has had a corona virus at one time or another, the common cold. How many false positives are out there? I know of at least a dozen or more personally. Why on earth do they say 6′ as one commenter mentioned, put a smoker in the restaurant with the socialist distancing BS policy and you will all smell the smoke. So yes in my opinion the masks are a BS feel good measure to see who will comply. I think walking into any building with circulated air provides a chance to catch any bug that is out there. How does masking up and walking to a table, then removing the mask to eat or drink do a damned thing? As one meme put it, it’s like having a pissing section in a swimming pool…
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