Coronavirus and Public Ineptitude

 Unlike their US counterparts, European political leaders are ready to admit their mistakes and stop doubling down on dumb policies.  Today's WSJ reports that new cases in Europe are spiking, primarily among young people, but new broad lockdowns will not happen. For example, the German health minister said Germany would have opted for less-sweeping measures had they known then what they know today. And the coordinator of the EU scientific advisory panel noted "there is only so much a government can do." European governments will stress personal responsibility, similar to how other public health problems are managed. 

Fat chance that governors like Cuomo and Whitmer will listen, let alone act.   

"Experts"

Don Boudreaux is an economics professor and a disciple of Hayek. Here's his letter to the editor of the WSJ commenting on a Jason Riley op ed.  

Editor

Jason Riley rightly warns of the dangers lurking in the Progressive assumption that humans are stupid, self-destructive, hate-filled hedonists who can cohere into a productive society only if so regimented by alleged experts – ‘experts’ whose commands each puny individual must obey (“Spare Us More of the Arrogance of ‘Expertise’,” September 2). Mr. Riley also rightly quotes the great Thomas Sowell in opposition to this arrogant and deeply mistaken notion.

But my favorite line from Prof. Sowell is a different one. It’s the closing sentence of his 1980 book, Knowledge and Decisions, in which he pleads for “above all, the right of ordinary people to find elbow room for themselves and a refuge from the rampaging presumptions of their ‘betters.’”*

Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Professor of Economics

I'm starting to think that Thomas Sowell is one of the great analysts of our time. 

News Media

 It's not easy getting news on TV.  I often rotate through CNN, Fox News and MSNBC. None of them is close to being unvarnished.  So today I watched CBS Evening News, and was pleaseantly surprised.  A little left leaning, but  not too bad.  And it was news, not garbage and no Enquirer type fodder.   Who'd athunk it.   

Soft on Crime DAs

The left wing voters of Berkshire County elected a criminal defense attorney to the position of county district attorney. Her name is Andrea Harrington.  She is like the DAs in Chicago and St. Louis who fail to understand that their job is to protect the public.  She just issued a press release announcing an expanded Brady policy that will require police to confess, among other things, "racial bias." Why not just hand out "get out of jail" cards? I posted the following response to the announcement: 

This is not a news story, it's a promotional brochure for Andrea Harrington's "wokeness." If the story is accurate, the policy goes well beyond Brady requirements. I am sympathetic to the plight of the relatively small number of defendants who are wrongly convicted. I am more sympathetic to the plight of victims of criminals who are wrongly NOT convicted because of overly generous policies imposed by district attornies who want to make political statements more than they want to prosecute wrongdoers.

Cancel Culture

A man named Robert Moulton lives in North Adams, MA.  He serves on several local committees and the volunteer ambulance service.  He ran unsuccessfully for mayor.  Recently, on a local radio show, he made two controversial comments: he said that black lives matter is a terrorist organization, and he said that the coronavirus shutdowns were a horrible mistake and that worldwide coronavirus dealths were "miniscule."  The local online newspaper published my letter to the editor:

"The Eagle front page story on July 24 about Robert Moulton is deeply disturbing.  If, as seems to be the case,  the North Adams Ambulance board forced Mr. Moulton to resign, the other members of that board should resign en masse.  Disciplining someone for views that have nothing to do with his or her performance or ability constitutes cancel culture at its worst and should not be tolerated.

Regarding Mr. Moulton's views, people should remember that Black Lives Matter was often labeled a terrorist organization during the Obama administration.  If it is, the fact that the public now has more sympathy for Black Lives Matter doesn't change its nature.  Mr. Moulton's attempt to spur public discourse about an important public matter should be applauded, not condemned. 

Regarding his views on the coronavirus, not only should Mr. Moulton be applauded for encouraging public discourse, but he is correct. The number of worldwide deaths from the coronavirus, most of them in the over 65 age group, is less than one-tenth of one percent of the world's population. Even if the death toll more than doubles, two-tenths of one percent falls within the definition of the word "miniscule." The media and politicians have scare-mongered the public into thinking that death from the virus constantly lurks just around the corner.

Our democratic system requires that all viewpoints be constantly aired and debated.  Stifling viewpoints that are contrary to politically correct dogma is known as "groupthink."  It inevitably leads to tyranny."

As you might expect, comments condemning me appeared immediately.  Because cancel culture and similar nonsense are a serious threat to our democracy, I followed my new practice of responding to all of them.  How long will it be before I will need my gun?

Harper's recently published a letter that was described in the NY Times as follows. It caused a firestorm on the left, because it didn't follow the "woke" narrative. 

"Artists and Writers Warn of an ‘Intolerant Climate.’ Reaction Is Swift.

An open letter published by Harper’s, signed by luminaries including Margaret Atwood and Wynton Marsalis, argued for openness to “opposing views.” The debate began immediately."

Brian Allen posted the link to the letter  - with no other comment - on the Village of Hastings Facebook page.  It was pulled down within an hour.

Using Federal Troops

Someone posted a long screed on our local e-newspaper here claiming that Trump's threat of sending in federal troops to quell the recent riots was not just awful but also patently unconstitutional. I posted the folloiung rebuttal:

"In September 1957, nine black students enrolled at a high school in Arkansas. On the first day of school, the governor barred them from attending by calling in the national guard. The President sent in federal troops to ensure order and enforce Constitutional rights.

In 2020, many state governors refused to enforce the law and chaos resulted. Some governors brought in national guard troops and quietly ordered them not to enforce the law. Sound a little familiar?

If Eisenhower were President he would have once again sent in federal troops. Hatred of Donald Trump does not change the situation."