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… is from an e-mail sent to me yesterday by my GMU Econ colleague Bryan Caplan; I share it here with Bryan’s kind permission (ellipses original to Bryan):
Leftists often talk about the importance of “quality of life” – but COVID policies (and norms!) have done more to destroy American quality of life than… well anything in my lifetime.
DBx: It seems that what Progressives mean by “quality of life” is life lived according to the fancies of Progressives. And Progressives now have come to equate “quality of life” almost exclusively with avoiding contact with the coronavirus: Because such contact has a greater than zero chance of causing harm, the only “quality” of life worth pursuing is escaping the risk, however minuscule, of a reduction caused by the coronavirus (and only by the coronavirus) in the quantity of life, however small.
Scant, if any, attention is paid to the greatly different risk profiles of different age groups by those who advise us, regardless of our age and health, to cower in fear indefinitely, to cover our faces even when outdoors,* and to behave like obedient prisoner-patients to the wise, all-knowing, Science-guided masters who alone can protect us from this unprecedentedly lethal devil of death.
…..
* On masks, this piece in today’s Wall Street Journal by Dr. Joseph Ladapo is superb [2]. Here’s his conclusion:
Until the reality of viral spread in the U.S.—with or without mask mandates—is accepted, political leaders will continue to feel justified in keeping schools and businesses closed, robbing young people of the opportunity to invest in their futures, and restricting activities that make life worthwhile. Policy makers ought to move forward with more wisdom and sensibility to mitigate avoidable costs to human life and well-being.
DBx: Unfortunately, asking government officials “to move forward with more wisdom and sensibility” is as likely to have the desired effect as is asking a Madam to move forward with enforcing chastity within her premises. Most successful politicians are in that racket precisely because they enjoy exercising power. And, my oh my, what a gift is Covid-19 to such tyrants!