The initial COVID-19 response was excessive, but I understood it.
Around March 11th, the NBA and other massive companies and corporations began shutting down. Not long after, the state governments followed suit.
The reason, we were told, is that we needed to “flatten the curve” of infections because our medical system was not equipped to handle a potential influx of sick patients. There were not enough beds or ventilators.
If we did not slow the spread of the Coronavirus, many would die because they could not be treated.
It seemed extreme, but understandable.
Here we are about 6 weeks later, and the United States economy is still effectively shut down. There is increasing debate over whether or not states should begin to reopen “non-essential” businesses (which is a ridiculously arbitrary concept) while schools are shut down across the country for the remainder of the school year.
There is a social civil war brewing over masks, social distancing, and government overreach. Massive protests have begun at statehouses, tens of thousands of people showed up at California beaches over the weekend, and there is a general feeling of unrest in our workplaces and on social media.
I already wrote about the division in churches.
I have also dealt with why at least two-thirds of the population will likely do whatever the authorities tell them, regardless of how foolish or unconstitutional it is.
I would now like to deal with some of the facts of Coronavirus that underlies my opinion that any state order mandating continued business closures or mask wearing policies is no longer doing so in the name of “flattening the curve,” but for increasing social control.
THE MODELS
Reich Lab is a flu laboratory that compiled a graph showing predictions of several of the most prominent COVID-19 models that the media keeps citing.
When you look at the aggregate of the models, you can see a pattern, trend, or trajectory emerging. While the overall numbers might differ based on how each research team measures and controls for variables, the trend appears to be that we are reaching the “peak” – at least of this wave – of related deaths.
Notice when you click a 50% confidence interval (CI), the variance is small. When you click 95%, the variance is larger.
95% is considered statistically significant, so that is the one you really want to focus on.
You will see that Columbia predicts higher deaths with less social distancing.
You might also notice that the University of Texas changes their data in real time – which I think is a good way of being relevant. Rather than assuming a social distancing prediction, it measures current distancing habits.
One need not be a data scientists, epidemiologist, or statistician to see that the spike of new deaths is beginning to curve. A curve is exactly what we want right now. This graph also shows that there will be far fewer deaths than originally estimated so long as we continue appropriate measures – distancing, hand washing, and staying home when sick.
We can still do all of these things AND fully reopen the economy.
THE VACCINE
We are constantly told by “experts” and politicians that a full reopening can only happen once there is a vaccine. However, a vaccine is not, and has never been, a cure.
For anyone who believes that a COVID-19 vaccine will be a cure, I present the CDC report on the effectiveness of the flu vaccine that has been around for years and reportedly saves thousands of lives each year.
Overall vaccine efficiency is defined as “the reduction in the transmission rate for an average individual in a population with a vaccination program at a given level of coverage compared to an average individual in a comparable population with no vaccination program.”
In other words, in the best year on the first graph, the flu vaccine was 60% more effective in preventing flu than having no vaccine at all.
If you drew a line from 2009-2019, you would clearly see a downward slope as time goes forward.
In other words, the flu vaccine is becoming less effective over time.
If you look at the second graph, you will see the vaccine coverage. For this one, the slope would be going up. This indicates that more adults (the children’s graph has the same trend) are getting the flu shot over time.
This presents a negative relationship between these graphs. As more Americans are getting the flu shot, it appears that the effectiveness of the shot is decreasing over.
Sure, a Coronavirus vaccine might be helpful, but there is no way a critically thinking person would believe that it will save all of us from getting it at some point during our lifetimes.
THE DISEASE
Coronavirus is only one pandemic facing the populace. There is another, much deadlier disease slowly creeping through the nation.
Socialism.
There is a growing anti-capitalist sentiment that has been brewing for years. It has permeated our colleges and news media. This latest Democratic primary is evidence that it has infiltrated the political system.
The reactions to COVID-19 demonstrated that socialism is here, and this crisis will not go to waste.
Because socialism is an economic virus, we must pay close attention to the coming destruction of our way of life.
- Food shortages are coming as meat plants are shutting down and farmers are now destroying crops.
- Our food supply chains are breaking down.
- Some economists are predicting a “Greater Depression.”
- The Federal Reserve is printing money in an unprecedented fashion with little regard for consequence and is now practicing Modern Monetary Theory – an economic idea supported by infamous socialist Bernie Sanders.
- There are attempts to push the “Green New Deal,” an enviro-socialist policy aimed at restructuring the economy in the name of the environment, hidden within massive “stimulus” packages worth trillions of taxpayer dollars that will allegedly help lower income families and small businesses.
Marx’s entire catalog was dedicated to division – beginning with the division of labor. He was a heavy influence on social “conflict theory” that views all social problems through a lens of division and conflict.
Dividing capitalists and socialists, Republicans and Democrats, Christians and non-Christians, the compliant and non-compliant, and all of the fractures within each group is exactly what Marx would have wanted.
His modern and postmodern sycophants are making his dream come true.
CONTROL
The data does not support the fear felt by many Americans. The data does not support keeping the economy tied up and treated like a hostage by mayors, governors, police chiefs, and corporations.
The Coronavirus is not nearly as deadly as it seems. In fact, the bulk of deaths seem to affect the elderly – particularly those in nursing homes. Some states are counting the death by any means of a person who tested positive for COVID-19 as a Coronavirus death.
The death rate might not be as high as reported and the infection rate might be much higher. If we control for age (because those over 50 account for a majority of deaths), the actual death rate might be much less severe than it appears – and the average estimate at the moment is around 0.1%.
If I asked you to choose 1 out of 1000 jelly beans for $1,000,000 dollars, would you take the chance?
Because right now, we are losing well over $6,000,000,000,000 between stimulus, bailouts, and loss of income for 0.1% of the population.
This cannot last. There is no data driven reason why it has gone this far. The best reason that I can come up with is that this is no longer about safety, but control.
The American people are sheep being led to slaughter, and the majority are going willingly. They raise their voices and argue with the rest of us because we would rather get sick and possibly die than be enslaved to debt and unlimited government power.
It is disheartening for me to argue with my fellow Christians over church shutdowns, but it is catastrophic for me to believe that they would be so willing to take authority from God and give it to government.
Yet here we are.
Divided. Broke. Hopeless. Lost.
SALVATION
There is only one Savior, and His name is not Donald Trump, Anthony Fauci, Mike Dewine, Andrew Cuomo, or Nancy Pelosi.
His name is Jesus Christ, and He is fearless and powerful – just as we are because of His grace.
We are the children of the Creator of the universe; the God who brought the universe into existence with a word.
We must stop being afraid of COVID-19 and start standing up for our biblical and Constitutional rights. We should stop bickering and arguing about a thin cloth that will not stop germs and start digging into the Book for answers.
We must recognize that all of the principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkness of this Satanic world are organizing en masse to bring about the destruction of Christianity by destroying the most Christian nation on earth.
There is more evidence to suggest that the End Times and Mark of the Beast are coming VERY soon than that COVID-19 is significantly more lethal than a horrible flu season.
This should bring about peace and positivity to a Bible believing Christian, not fear and depression.
If you are not a Christian, or are unsure of your salvation, and you want to experience true peace, then read 1 Corinthians 15 and/or reach out to me.
They say, “we are all in this together,” but that is short-sighted. In eternity, many of us will not be together. It is heartbreaking, but an eternity without Jesus Christ will make the pandemic and coming economic collapse seem like a peaceful Saturday at the park.
Read the Book. Stop conforming to this world.
Join me.
Simmons' Opinions 