Self-isolating in the rubble of a failed Republic

It certainly didn’t take much to bring down our vaunted House of Cards. Anyone with the slightest bit of foresight within the big picture has understood even before this President announced his candidacy nearly five years ago that we were all basking in the glory of a fool’s paradise. The frustrating part of this whole surreal ordeal is that it was almost entirely avoidable or at very least could have been far less damaging. (What me and so many others wouldn’t give to have a Federal Response Team in place that limited American Ebola fatalities to two <2>!) Because of this the American people are going to forever be known as a nation who had to learn the hard way the difference between an imperfect but seasoned public servant and an ill-prepared reality show host with a debilitating case of malignant narcissism.

If all that blather was just a matter of making an elected official appear less than worthy of his office it would be one thing. Sadly though, the penalty for this lesson is a body count that is only increasing.

Covid-19 did not impose anything on America that was not already here. All it did was highlight the flaws and pitfalls of poorly regulated capitalism, a chronic maldistribution of income and an endemic problem of excessive personal debt among a few other things. Dow-Jones and NASDAQ may have been setting records just a few weeks previous and Unemployment may have been trending below 3%, but there was a catch. These numbers reflected the success of what was largely a service economy and were just fine so long as there were services being provided and available consumers seeking them. When pandemic mitigation was imposed causing a sudden cessation of services and idling those providing them, records of the undesirable kind were set. Indeed, all the job gains of the whole of the past decade were completely wiped out in four weeks time.

As in times past, those in the Congress, on both sides of the aisle, reached for the one much maligned economic tool to save capitalism from its excesses and failures: SOCIALISM! Certain Congresspersons who couldn’t find within themselves to support social programs previously had no problem with signing off on the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act of 2020! The President even signed off on it with little if any complaint.

Although much is still being learned about the Covid-19 virus, a reliable vaccine remains months away. It is known that when superimposed on persons over 65 years old with coexisting disease like asthma, hypertension, diabetes and morbid obesity, it significantly increases the risk of mortality. This has been shown to be particularly worse in minority communities. Given it is known to be spread through personal contact and droplet, a demonstrable method of limiting its spread is strict social distancing protocol, wearing a mask to protect others and vigorous hand washing. In order for this to achieve its intended result, it must be followed by all who would be subject to its infection. Carriers may not show symptoms for several days but they can still transmit the virus. There is however a growing number of people who are willing to risk contracting a lethal contagion in exchange for their normal unrestricted lifestyle which community lock down orders disrupted. They may not care about their own well being until they start showing symptoms, but could they at least show some regard for that of the more susceptible around them? This is where poorly educated and self-serving instigators, some of whom have a bully pulpit or access to a broadcast platform and a wide audience, do so very real harm by telling their minions that this thing is “just the flu” or “the cure cannot be worse the the disease” or dismissing it as an “overblown hoax.” I feel myself sporting a growing intolerance for willful and wanton stupidity. Having retired from a career in the front line of patient care just a month ago, I find it hard to have sympathy for any non-team player in this conflagration when they succumb to it as a result of their own idiocy. I get especially upset when they impose it on the rest of us.

As was mentioned above, Yours Truly retired last month from nearly forty-two years as a front line patient care provider. I still have friends in that front line and one of them sent me a meme recently:

As it turns out, the depth of patient care manpower is not limitless. Multiple sources have indicated that retired RNs, respiratory therapists, and other such former front line ancillary staff may be called back to work if enough of those currently on the job fall prey to this damned virus. It was learned before my APRN-CRNA license was due to expire on March 31st that our Governor’s Executive Order 2020-7, Amendment 4 has extended it until fourteen days after the EO is rescinded. Just what I wanted to hear the month I retired from practice, NOT! Talk about a rude awakening.

There are some positives coming out of all this mess generated by our mitigation efforts. With people staying inside, wild animals have come out of their natural habitats and ventured into urban areas.

With far less driving and almost no air travel happening, the air in some of the more smoggy places has gotten cleaner than it has been in several years.

Speaking for myself as one who lives alone, aside from not working a regular job, my lifestyle has changed very little. I can’t speak for those cohabitators whose togetherness has perhaps gotten the better of them. It was learned this past week that the only crime statistic that sadly has markedly increased is domestic violence. In spite of everything, this whole thing is entirely survivable if we just stay focused and work together.

I have always believed optimism is a good thing, even when one is confronted with so many unknowns. That said, I have heard multiple members of the political pundit class use such terminology like “America is over” and “America will have a new normal.” We do have a Presidential Election on November 3rd. If this entire ordeal emphasizes any concept, it is that ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES and RESULTS MATTER. Please remember these two phrases when you are in the voting booth or looking over your absentee ballot. This is no longer about winning the dinner table argument with your conservative relatives or any other such nonsense. This is now a matter of life and death. As America sustains more lost lives this week than we did in the entire Vietnam Conflict, the visuals below go with those two phrases above:

Stay calm and continue to self-isolate. Peace, out!