Here's an interesting quote, “In the U.S. and the U.K., lockdowns went from being regarded as something that only an authoritarian government would attempt to an example of ‘following the science.’ But there was never any science behind lockdowns — not a single study had ever been undertaken to measure their efficacy in stopping a pandemic. When you got right down to it, lockdowns were little more than a giant experiment.” The rant of some far-right conspiracy theorist, hoax-claiming anti-science nut, right? Wrong. This is a quote of New York Times veteran Joe Nocera and Vanity Fair contributing editor Bethany McLean. They even say of Dr. Fauci, “What he could never acknowledge was that ‘shutting things down’ didn’t stop the virus, and that keeping schools closed didn’t save kids’ lives. Then again, to understand that, you had to be willing to follow the science.” Remember, this is the mainstream media talking, the mouthpiece of the preferred government narrative.
Of course, we libertarian wackos have been singing this song since, oh, about March of 2020 when California issued the first lockdown order. Shortly after people on this show said that 1.) with a 98%+ recovery rate, COVID was no more lethal than the 1968 flu and did not warrant the panic it was engendering. 2.) The vast majority of the deaths related to COVID were occurring among old people or those who were already severely ill. That it would make sense to quarantine those at high risk but that it made no sense at all to lock down the rest of the population. Not to mention that it violated pretty much the gamut of civil liberties: freedom of religion, freedom of association, freedom of movement, freedom of commerce and ultimately freedom of speech and of the press. All gone with one deep state administrative edict. No democracy involved.
We also pointed out that the FDA totally reversed its normal slow, plodding, ultra-conservative pace in approving new medicines in approving not one, but three anti-COVID vaccines. Turns out the truncated drug approval process missed some significant but rare (one in 10,000) side effects like myocarditis. I got the vaccinations and am even participating in some of the ongoing vaccine trials. But given the dramatically shortened drug approval process, forcing the young and healthy to get the jab or lose their job, right to travel, etc. was never morally justified.
I don't have time to go into all the fiscal and monetary policy nonsense that resulted from the COVID panic. But rip roaring inflation now and for years to come and two years of missed education for our youngsters is just the tip of the iceberg.
I hate to say "I told you so." But I told you so. In unhedged language. At the time it was happening.