April 29, 2020

How do people stay safe, sane and solvent in a world that has seemingly turned upside down? How can people make their own best choices for their own lives and that of their family members? It’s not easy when everyone looks to some level of government for the answers.

Getting into the weeds of the pandemic is best left to medical personnel first and politicians last — if at all. Beyond “social distancing,” there is no universal medical consensus on what people should or should not do. Still, there has definitely been overreach from various governors across the country, especially when their “guidelines” become enforced by police.

A man in Philadelphia was forcibly dragged from a bus for not wearing a mask, even before people were told to wear masks. Indeed, we were initially told not to wear them.

When Gov. Tom Wolf decreed what businesses were allowed to stay open during his shut down, one of the businesses granted a waiver was Wolf Home Products, the governor’s former business. That waiver was eventually withdrawn, but only after several members of the state press corps asked how a cabinet supply business could be characterized as “life-sustaining,” which was Wolf’s own metric in determining what companies could or should be open.

What gives a governor the wisdom to decide whose jobs are essential and whose aren’t? When people work to feed, clothe and house themselves and their families, their jobs are essential. It doesn’t matter whether they work at Walmart or Hank’s Place, at a drug store or a vitamin shop.

As state Rep. Stephen Barrar said in an interview last week, “We’ve seen a mixed bag of interpretation coming from the governor’s office. But we’ve seen no science behind what he’s doing.”

Millions of people across the country and, at least at one point, one in six Pennsylvanians, are out of work because of the virus and the various shutdowns of businesses.

In Michigan, people have been prohibited from visiting relatives, with the operative word there being “prohibited.” In other places, mothers have been handcuffed for taking their kids to play in an empty park and a former police officer was hassled by cops for having a catch with his son. People have even gotten citations for attending worship services in their cars.

However, having 50 governors make those types of decisions for their states is better than having someone in Washington, D.C. making those decisions for everyone. The virus hasn’t hit every place the exact same way. Some states were hit hard, others not so much.

But, better still would be for people to get honest answers from doctors and scientists without the cloak of government or political agenda surrounding the issue.

To be sure, there would still be differing opinions from the medical community, with some saying stay inside and maintain social distancing, while others say get outside, even without a mask. Develop herd immunity. But people need to decide for themselves whether they want to take a risk.

Even Dr. Anthony Fauci — the director of The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 and, since January, one of the lead members of the Trump Administration’s White House Coronavirus Task Force and a major proponent of social distancing and maintaining a lockdown — has said it’s OK for people to “hook up” if they’re willing to take the risk.

The lockdown has caused an increase in domestic abuse around the world and here in Pennsylvania. Montgomery County reported last week that there’s been an 8 to 9 percent increase in domestic violence cases reported since the Coronavirus outbreak. Other studies indicate an increase of 16 to 17 percent.

What hasn’t been reported are increased cases of child abuse or suicide. While some couples and families are strong enough to weather the emotional uncertainty, others aren’t. For people who live alone, lockdowns are borderline sentences of solitary confinement. Only the most misanthropic among us can handle that well. For others, being away from people causes depression and that can be severe. We are social animals.

Some countries, such as Sweden, have not locked down, have not forced businesses to close, even kept schools open. And the infection and death numbers there, according to those within the medical profession, are equal to or better than those in countries where there have been lockdowns. Indeed, Sweden allowed its people to decide whether to distance themselves socially and now the country is claiming success against the virus.

In the interim, supply lines are broken. Look at those gaps, those empty shelves in the supermarkets. Farmers are dumping milk, vegetables are plowed under, chicken eggs are being destroyed and pigs are being slaughtered but not sent to market. Some are speculating the same could happen with beef supplies.

No, one size does not fit all and neither does one single reaction to COVID-19. Businesses that want to reopen should be able to. At the same time, fearful employees should not be forced back to work, but business owners should provide protections to assure a safe work environment. And the rest of us have a choice of whether to venture out or not.

Just as no one person, or even 535 people, in Washington knows what’s best for every one of nearly 330 million people, neither do governors of individual states. The people themselves know what’s best when they are given honest information and are free to make their own choices. Will some make bad choices? Of course, but so can governors, members of Congress and presidents. And when those legislators and executives make mistakes, millions suffer.