This Is Socialism

For all of you ignorant people out there who think socialism is the way to go -- how do you like what's happening in our country right now?  This is socialism.

Do you like going to the store to find empty shelves?  Do you like having to stand in line for hours to buy a package of toilet paper?  Do you like being limited in the amount of bread or water or toilet paper you can purchase?

This is socialism.

Do ye like the government telling you that you have to stay home?  Do ye like the government forcing businesses including restaurants to close?  Do you like the government telling you that you cannot go to church?  Do you like the government closing schools down?  Do you like the government telling you that you cannot go to work?

This is socialism.

Kids on spring break are being arrested for going to the beach.  Weddings are being crashed by cops and people are being arrested for gathering.  A pastor in Texas was arrested for holding church services.

This is socialism.

Do you know why the mortality rate of COVID-19 is higher in Italy and most European countries?  Because they are socialist and have socialized medicine.  They are just letting people die.  But socialized medicine is wonderful isn't it?

Our country right now looks like communist Russia where people had to stand in line for hours every day just to buy one loaf of bread.  Okay maybe it's not that bad yet but you get the picture.

Communism and Socialism are not good.  They take away our God-given right of agency.  Agency is a major part of our Heavenly Father's Plan of Salvation.  We are free to choose.  Satan's plan takes away agency. Socialism and Communism fall right in line with Satan's plan.  Who wants to be told what they can and cannot do?  Certainly not me.  I treasure my agency.

What's with all this anger and shaming going on?  This media generated panic has people shaming each other for living life.  "You're selfish for going out of your house."  "Stay 6 feet away from me."  "It's because of people like you..."  Etc.  My question is, why are the shamers out of their house?  If they self quarantine, then what chance do they have of contracting the virus?  Leave people alone.  Quit judging others. If you're so concerned about contracting the virus from others, stay home!  There's no need to shame other people.

I am all for preventing the spread of infectious diseases.  And sometimes that requires quarantine of sick people.  And I would even agree that in the future perhaps these drastic measures may need to be implemented to prevent a virulent pandemic with a high mortality rate.  But COVID-19 isn't it.  It is much less virulent than past pandemics such as SARS and MERS which have mortality rates of 15% and 35% respectively. COVID-19 is such a new virus that it's hard to put hard stats on it yet.  But it appears to be mild in about 80% of the people who contract it.  The mortality rate is estimated at anywhere from 0.4% - 3% as of now. Apparently it is more contagious but less virulent than SARS or MERS.  Because it is so mild in so many people, the number of people who contract this new Chinese virus may be much greater than what they are counting.  Which would drive down the mortality rate.

Anyway, I don't believe -- at this point with this novel Chinese coronavirus -- that healthy non-symptomatic people should be quarantined and their lives turned upside down.  All 327 million Americans lives are being majorly disrupted because of all the government regulations.  The economy is tanking.  Society has pretty much shut down. America has become a giant ghost town.

This is socialism.

And for what?  The numbers are silly.  As of right now, according to Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker, there are 353,692 known cases worldwide. And 15,430 deaths worldwide. According to WHO the seasonal influenza virus kills 290,000 - 650,000 people every year worldwide.  And we don't shut the country and world down every flu season. Even if the numbers do reach or exceed the levels of the seasonal flu, I still think all this panic and government regulation is unnecessary. And this is coming from someone who even a cold might kill.  But I'm not panicking.  I'm not scared.  Cautious yes, scared no.

Because of the media generated panic, people are treating this new coronavirus like it has a 100% mortality rate.  And that is far from the truth.

The good news is, pandemics always come to an end.  They always run their course.   In a few months, this will be behind us.

We will all go back to living in a democracy where we can exercise our agency. We will be able to go to church again.  Schools will reopen.  Live sports will be played again.  Grocery store shelves will be fully stocked.  Restaurants will reopen.  Stores will reopen.  And life will go on normally, as it once did.

If there is a silver lining to this -- Hopefully people will realize the devastation that socialism/communism causes.

That's my two cents.