The Ultimate Sacrifice

I am really starting to believe that the economic shutdown cost will far exceed the cost in lives saved. First, there is no definitive proof that social distancing and the lock-down procedures work to eliminate death. In one Israeli study on the subject of over 50 nations, Covid 19 follows a definitive pattern regardless of the precautions taken by the nation meaning nations with running economies are showing no increased infection or death rates. Second, the U.S. government will more than likely print out more than 6 trillion dollars. That is equivalent to 30% of our economy and should theoretically keep the economy a float for 4 months, but it has tanked in one month after economic closures. For this reason, I dislike bailouts because they are not serving their purpose with unemployment surging to 20%. Sure, this bailout is a bit different than Obama's stimulus that rewarded companies that were complicit in the economic collapse. In 2020, the companies and people being helped were not complicit in the economic collapse. I prefer loans to bailouts, especially to larger companies. I think they should pay back loans at an interest rate.

Third, this feels like a war, it seems like we are under a partial Marshall Law and the death rate will exceed those killed in Vietnam. It feels like the enemy is not just the Virus, but China and the WHO. Earlier this week, China increased its death count from the virus by one-third. This is not even close to being factual, but it proves they have a math problem after seeing what Covid has done to dozens of other countries. However, this war is different from other wars in that we shut down the economy, and all the death is from innocent civilians. Unfortunately, with war comes the ultimate sacrifice - death. I do not want to die, but if I were to die to help keep the economy a float then that has some value. On the other hand, all the death that is happening now is in vein because we are losing the war with an economic collapse. In war, soldiers die so others can enjoy the freedoms of living in a free state. Right now, people are dying and we are losing all our freedoms at the same time. No one wants to die, but we all die at some point. The ultimate sacrifice is to die so others can enjoy their freedoms. That is how we justify all those deaths in the Civil War, WWI, and WWII. I always wondered how soldiers were so brave and did not seem afraid to die. I always figured I would be a coward on the battle field. I remember watching "Band of Brothers" and one brave Captain named Spears. In one battle Spears was trying to figure out were another U.S. division was during the battle. To do so, Spears, by himself, ran across an open field 100 yards and then directly through the German line. Both sides stopped fighting because no one could believe a man would be so stupid to do such a thing. After Spears found the other division, he ran back! In another episode Spears told a scared soldier until you realize you are already dead, you will be scared of dying. In other words, Spears came to grips with his mortality to deal with his dire situation. Similarly, I have come to grips with my own mortality over the past 12 or 13 years. When you learn you have lived with a deficient immune system your entire life and then have to battle neurological and muscular disease you start to understand that you may die young and or end up disabled. At first, it is scary but over time you learn to deal with it. It is not easy to come to grips with our mortality. But the ultimate sacrifice is die so others can enjoy the freedoms we have fought to protect. The freedom to worship, work, enjoy family and friendships, the right to travel, the right to play, the right to enter into contracts with businesses, and so forth. We take these freedoms for granted, but this is the first war where we have lost these freedoms. If death does not come from the virus, it will come to others via suicide, addictions, and other means with a depressed economy. This war will come at a loss of freedoms which is like dying and being born in a socialist state or dictatorship.

If this is the new normal, to live in fear and have the government destroy our personal liberties, I know I do not want to be part of it. I realized a long time ago, I won the lottery when I born in the United States. I was lucky to have the opportunities I was afforded. This new normal does not feel that way. To live in fear, to screw our neighbors by hording food, to loose our freedoms. Maybe it is temporary until a new vaccine comes around, but I am not convinced the new normal means less freedom in the future. The virus is winning this war and we all will pay dearly for it.