A few days ago I wrote a post entitled, The Great Compromise. When I wrote it, I thought it might still be a little while before we would get to that point. Apparently my thinking was way off. The great compromise has begun. There are forces pushing boundaries to see what we will tolerate and what we won’t.
Here is why I believe the great compromise has begun.
This past week, Dr. Oz appeared on Fox “News” and essentially said it would be worth risking two to three percent of our children if we could get them back into school. It was worse having them home than the possibility of catching a fatal disease while at school. Of course he is getting backlash and is trying to walk back his comments. But you know some people believe he was right and it is worth the risk.
In Florida, the Governor said it was okay for beaches to re-open. Two counties did so. Thousands descended on the beaches, many were not practicing social distancing. The rationale was people needed to get out and have some exercise. Florida is 8th in the nation for COVID-19 cases, and 10th in deaths.
A handful of states are still acting like it is business as usual, even as more of their citizens become ill and are dying. They have refused to call shelter-in-place orders.
The Trumpists are protesting lock down orders, some of them in masks, and others carrying what I would call machine guns. These protesters would rather be able to go shopping, to the game, or hang out, regardless of the consequences to society as a whole.
The Supreme Court ruled Wisconsin could not extend their mail-in ballot deadline so voters would not endanger themselves by having to vote in person. The Justices did so even as they themselves are conducting business remotely to keep themselves safe.
An Indiana Congressman said letting Americans die of COVID-19 would be the lesser of two evils, i.e., better to have people die than have the economy falter.
Although this is old news, even the man in the Oval Office, and his yes people, considered letting COVID-19 takes its course rather than doing anything to mitigate its spread. Doing something in the early stages may have staved off multi-state shelter-in-place orders, tanking the economy, and $2,000,000,000,000 . (i.e., more debt on top of tax cut debt, although this debt was the right thing to do), in Relief Funds to help during this Medical Crisis—it is not war no matter who says it is.
Not too long ago, the Texas Lt. Governor let us now he believes older Americans should gladly sacrifice themselves—sacrifice themselves to save the economy.
The great compromise has begun. Let’s see if it continues to play out, or will people of conscience win the argument of safety over deaths.
I will be honest and say I want life to return to something one might call normal, but not at the risk of hundreds of thousands of lives lost to make it happen.
Are you willing to be a person who compromises hundreds of thousands of lives, just to be able to eat out, go to a movie, or sit in a stadium with thousands of people to see your favorite team win?
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 