When the CoViD-19 (Corona Virus Disease, 2019) first broke out, there was little-to-no data. Without factual evidence, medical advisers had to depend on mathematical models such as the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis from the Imperial College in London. With an estimate of more than 2 million American deaths, a draconian response was instituted with a nearly-complete cessation of social and commercial interactions. Most people are now functioning under a lock-down, travel ban, and infringement on civil liberties analogous to martial law. With five months data since the virus was identified in Wuhan, and with the entire globe focused on one subject only, there are now reams of data on CoViD-19, from its genome to its behavior and clinical consequences as well as daily reports of infected cases and deaths. With volumes of evidence now available, it is time to reconsider what we are doing. A cost/benefit analysis can help advise whether we should stay t...
As the Pfizer-BioNTechvaccine is now being shipped out,and with Moderna's mRNA vaccine about to achieve FDA approval,Americans begin tobreathe easier believing that vaccination isthe answer to our prayers, an end to the CoViD-19 nightmare. Suchconfidence is misplaced. Vaccination is part of the answer but not the complete solution. The goal of vaccination is to make all Americans immune to the virus. This is impossible for two reasons. First, there is vaccine efficacy. The most optimistic, early reports suggest 94 percent effectiveness. Even if everyone were vaccinated, 6 percent or 19.8 million Americans would remain susceptible, i.e., could become infected. A second reason we cannot achieve anything close to 100 percent immunity is that many will not accept vaccination. A report in the Wall Street Journal (12/8/20) suggested as many as 40 percent of Europeans intend to refuse vaccination. The number of Americans refuseniks is unknown but is likely to be large. ...
Before the American Revolutionary War, residents of the North American colonies were subjects of the British crown. They were entitled to whatever goods and services the aristocracy allowed. Their living conditions and daily activities were determined by government fiat. They paid taxes arbitrarily imposed by the crown.? In 1776, the founding fathers of the U.S.A. rejected centralized dominion and replaced it with a structure that took control away from the central government and gave it to the individual. The new Americans were free to make their own choices and accept the consequences of their decisions, good or bad. Without using the word capitalism, the founding fathers created a capitalist system. The new Americans were personally responsible and were entitled to nothing, except an open road. Entitlement is an integral part of socialism, an economic and political system where the means of production, distribution, and exchange is regulated by the government. The government i...
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