The Never-ending Pandemic

This coming week, the legislature will vote whether to award Governor Lamont yet another extension of his emergency powers, granting him greatly enhanced executive authority for what will now be nearly two years.  For each of his previous requests, I have voted no and made a thoughtful, reasoned, and undeniable case that this is imprudent and unnecessary on the grounds that while COVID-19 remains a concern for all of us, the state of a public health emergency has long since ended.

The state Department of Public Health’s own data shows that we have indeed flattened the curve, managed the stress on our medical facilities, and vaccinated a critical mass of our eligible citizens.  Despite the daily barrage of fear mongering rhetoric and pending expansion of medical mandates, hospitalizations and fatalities due to COVID-19 are way down and almost exclusively affect those over 60, particularly those already in poor health.

Add to this the daily hypocrisy from Governor Lamont and legislative Democrats as they continue to attend numerous fairs and political fundraisers, and even promote additional dollars for tourism, encouraging leaf peepers into our state with their “Full Color Connecticut” program.   Are these the type of things that you do in a public health emergency?

According to the state DPH COVID-19 Data Tracker website, there are around 325 people hospitalized *with COVID-19 in all of Connecticut, a state with 3.6 million people.  While total deaths are over 8K, those under age 60 account for around 700 since the pandemic first began.

Every loss is tragic and significant.  My point is not to minimize any death or the dangers of COVID-19, let alone debate the efficacy of masks or vaccines.  Everyone should do their own objective research and make their own personal choices as our American system guarantees us.

My point is that this information proves without question that the state is no longer in a state of emergency and accordingly, the Governor must return his power to the people’s representatives, and the people themselves.

I bet you didn’t know that even though the legislature has granted the Governor wide ranging “emergency powers,” the legislature itself never really skipped a beat, meeting and passing hundreds of new laws in both 2020 and 2021, including several special sessions having nothing at all to do with the pandemic – even calling the legislature in to hold a critical conversation on law enforcement controls, ultimately handcuffing our police to the point where they are unable to complete their duties and emboldening criminals to act without the fear of consequences. I see this as a genuine emergency that needs legislative action now.

I have had enough of this clever plan, designed to let the Democrat legislators promote their pet projects, while Governor Lamont uses the excuse of the pandemic to further damage our American system of government, aid his political allies, and negatively impact the individual liberty of countless Connecticut residents.  Anyone who questions the continued and repeated abuses of authority, is ravaged as putting others at risk – even killing grandma!

When we look back years from now, it will be crystal clear how the state’s long-term closure was far more harmful to the state than the disease itself.  The perpetual “state of emergency” continues to upset our entire economic system. Businesses were shuttered bringing some to the brink of bankruptcy and now a lack of staff is forcing some to close permanently.  Massive public assistance programs coupled with arbitrary and abusive executive actions have upended how our system works. Some people quickly discovered that public assistance enabled them to continue living with the same or sometimes even better quality of life without the responsibilities of going to work or paying their rent or bills, while others lost their homes and businesses as a direct result.  Increased drug abuse, violent crimes, and suicides are also a part of that equation.  Simply put, it will take decades to restore the state of our state.

The bottom line is that all CT residents deserve the unbiased truth about what is really happening and what risks truly exist. It is unfortunate and sad that this information, although public and available, is not what is being reported by this administration or the majority news media effectively.

The result has been huge division in our society stemming from the failure of this government to honor its limited role in disbursing information to free citizens for them to make their own informed choices. Instead of informing and educating citizens of their potential risk, we have seen a marketing campaign replete with fearmongering, intimidation, fake science, and coercion.

It cannot be overstated that medical mandates applied to people against their free will are, and will always be, wrong, immoral, and unnecessary.

Forcing another person (particularly children) to abide by one person’s opinion of what is best for them, or even society at large, to the point of denying that person’s own liberty to make their own choices is and will always be wrong.   Forced medical mandates are contrary to everything America stands for.  History is littered with examples of how groups of individuals were oppressed, even murdered, over such differences in opinion.

This point cannot be made strongly enough since we are witnessing a remaking of our freedom-based society into one based in collectivism, fear, and hatred.

It all needs to end.

I believe the key to that end is to assert the truth loudly and boldly.  Based on the facts, no one can deny that that there is no public health emergency and that individual, local, and legislative powers must be restored.  I pray the vote will go the right way but if not, I will not rest until our system of representative government is returned to us.