Saturday, April 4, 2020

The means out of this cannot be all negativity all the time

Every day now, we watch news information broadcasted or written on the current COVID-19 crisis, with particular attention paid towards the cumulative numbers. Yes, the number of cases continues to rise, and the mortality rate along with it, as is common with any epidemic. Typically, the number of new cases and new deaths is also mentioned, which are important numbers needed to stay on top of the spread. Yet, there's one number that no matter how hard I try to find it in report after report, it's simply ignored and never mentioned: recoveries! Only place I've been able to keep up with that is here (follow the link):
Nearly every outlet that I've looked up online that would even dare to discuss why these numbers aren't being reported (a sampling here, here, here and here) suggest that either we don't have enough accurate numbers to publish about recoveries or it just isn't important enough to record or report right now. Say what? Uhh, no less accurate numbers than reported cases, particularly when everyone hasn't been tested, but this has to be accurate to be newsworthy? We know there are more cases than are being tested, yet that hasn't stopped the press from reporting those by the minute. This irrationale of incessantly focusing on one number while never mentioning the other just doesn't pan out. It feels very similar to the tamp down in talks (and in some circles, attempted discrediting) of using a hydroxychloroquine/azithromycin combo as a viable treatment measure. Might I put forth the proposition that the same thing we're seeing reported about this crisis is essentially the same thing that's occurred with much of everything over the past several decades: negativity and bias, first and foremost.

Understand, this is not ignoring the severity of the situation. This is simply stating that even in the severity of it all, whenever there have been positive developments, they're buried by the inundation of negative news, and I would suggest purposefully so. Not to mention the excessive amount of hyper-politicization mixed throughout. It's no wonder what I've been feeling syncs up perfectly with what Levin enunciated a few days back...
Press, pundits and politicos are hand-in-hand on this. As far as the political realm goes, readers were reminded a few weeks back about the disunity being sewn by Democratic leadership at the onset of this epidemic, while the Trump administration was working on how to address the situation and seeking solutions. Well, Democrats are back at it, chastising President Trump for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic; but yet again, they've got damn little room to talk (h/t: Grabien)...
...a review of their initial handling of the crisis looks far worse in retrospect. As news reports began circulating that the disease was able to be transmitted from person to person, Democratic lawmakers continued encouraging Americans to gather in large groups.

As if that hypocrisy is not enough, we've now got Washington Democrats who want to launch more investigations into the Trump administration, this time over they're handling of a pandemic (that's ripe...recall the reminders immediately above!), while the media stirs the pot, egging them on, and busily tries to figure out how not to cover the President's daily pressers on the latest coronavirus developments. Can there not be an allowance of unity and helping our fellow citizens under such circumstances? We've got private citizens and industries of all stripes coming together for the sake of the American People, yet the same two groups of Big Media and Big Government fight tooth and nail against positive progress.

Turning to the economy, while there may have been merit in passing the first coronavirus stimulus bill, albeit filled with more Pelosi pills that do little-to-nothing in addressing the matter at hand, I have to agree with Levin again that infusing more stimulus future-tax paid dollars into the economy isn't gonna help if we keep the very economy it's supposed to save shut down...
...Mark Levin blasted the big government stimulus spending amid the COVID-19 pandemic and called on President Donald Trump to reconsider opening up parts of the economy again by Easter (April 12), a previously stated hope of the president that has since been nixed.

...Thursday night, Levin slammed the latest phase of the recently passed economic stimulus package, arguing that infusing the economy with stimulus money won't help if much of the economy is still closed.
"I'm hoping people in Washington are listening. You cannot deficit spend your way into prosperity. If you could, Venezuela would be the richest nation on the face of the Earth. The media and the Democrats and some of his advisers, I fear, are boxing the president in. The president a few weeks ago, I thought had a very good idea: Let's look at the areas of the economy that we can open up. ... I'm not saying drop all the conditions. I'm saying let's get a little smarter about this."
Levin suggested that certain businesses could be operational in some capacity while still abiding by social distancing guidelines.
"I'll give you a perfect example. We have food, we have heat, we have clean water. Who you think is giving that to us? Other citizens. Electricity, gasoline for our cars. Truckers, we have a mail service, UPS, FedEx, grocery stores, fast-food drive-throughs, all open, all functioning. We get soap and diapers and toilet paper, prescription drugs, 7-Elevens are open. Doctors, nurses, cops, firefighters, more, going into these hot zones despite the fact that they are exposed."
Or at the very least, he argued, we could ask businesses if there are things they could still do while taking measures to prevent the spread of the infectious disease.
"We don't ask these businesses, 'Can you adjust to the virus? Are there things you can do?'"
Last weekend, President Trump extended the White House's social distancing guidelines until the end of April. Though the president's advisory says nothing specifically about closing businesses, it does instruct Americans to follow the directions of their state and local authorities. Many officials in states across the country have opted to force the closure of businesses deemed "nonessential" in an effort to combat the ongoing pandemic.

The economic fallout from the shutdowns has already been sizable. Earlier this week it was reported that in late March an additional 6.6 million Americans had filed unemployment claims, and the Federal Reserve estimates that, before all is said and done, the country could suffer 47 million job losses and a whopping 32% unemployment.
"...if this economy tanks, there are no hospitals, there's no ventilators, there's no vaccines, there's no doctors, nobody's working!"
Finally, and again, not to downplay the seriousness of this virus, but something I've addressed since its onset stateside, that continues to be lost in the media narrative when much of the above is ignored: perspective. Granted, we still have yet to flatten the curve, this is still an ongoing crisis, but just click on the link below for the latest glimpse at the reality of the situation...
The means out of this cannot be negativity taking the spotlight each and every day. There are glimmers of light piercing through this struggle, as with all that have come before, and we must pursue them with all our might for our families and friends, for our lives and jobs, in faith and unity, and don't let the press or politician convince you otherwise.

Related links: After mocking Trump for promoting hydroxychloroquine, journalists acknowledge it might treat coronavirus
Trump Is Right: Economic Shutdown Will Result in Deadly Health Crisis, Scientists Say
The $2 trillion relief package makes unemployment pay more than work
The Red Tape Pandemic
Unsung Heroes of the Coronavirus Pandemic

ADDENDUM: Had enough of the media pointing fingers? Had enough of the media acting like they saw the virus coming? Had enough of Democrats blaming Trump instead of China? So has Jesse Watters in this all-inclusive CALLOUT of the Leftist liars and hypocrites...

"The rest of the country's uniting against a common threat. Let's turn our weapons against the real enemy: THE VIRUS. Not each other."
Amen! And here's another one of those glimmers piercing through all the negativity...
Posted by an ebb and flow at 3:33 AM