Opinion by George Barron
The White House Coronavirus briefings were hard to take on many levels. But the part when the press asked questions was particularly difficult for me to stomach. One moment stood out at the time that I saw it and I’ve been reminded of it throughout the pandemic and as various state mandated lock-downs have been ordered:
President Trump was explaining his general position of not being a fan lock-downs. There were the economic issues of course and on this day he went into the severe health issues that would result. He said that alcohol and drug use would increase, people would get depressed, suicides would spike and loneliness would take it’s toll. Then one of the idiot reporters hollered out, “Do you have any proof that those things would happen?”.
Trump, almost disbelieving the question, simply answered, “It’s just common sense.”
But another reporter, also apparently lacking in common sense asked, “What research can you point to that suicides will increase?”
Trump, like he was talking to little kids, explained, ” Look, we don’t want the cure to be worse than the disease. An extended shut down will devastate our economy. We can’t do it. People will suffer in many ways.”
Then there was the day that he devoted to education and the importance of children going to school. He met with educators and health experts. The press was present for much of those meetings but were largely uninterested. The meetings showed Trump to be interested in the well being of our children. That he was concerned about education. But they would have nothing to do with anything that showed Trump doing anything good. They ironically ignored the science that clearly said that children were the least likely to contract and transmit the virus. They accused the president of spreading false information while they were doing just that.
For months, the President was desperately trying to make a very important and profound point. One that even doctors struggle with. And if the press would have treated it as such, and not scoffed at it because of their selfish hatred of him, much human suffering could have been alleviated. Perhaps lives would have been saved. Helping people to become aware of the risks of lock-downs and how to take steps to protect their families with those issues would have been a good thing. Scoffing and mocking the President of the United States in front of millions of people about it was not helpful. It was harmful.
Nine months into various mitigation controls imposed on the population some in the press are finally getting around to admitting that the cure may be worse than the disease. Reports on heath issues are starting to appear. Domestic violence incidences, alcohol and drug use, suicide, and a generation of uneducated children are taking a toll on the country. The cost of panicking and government over-reach during the pandemic will have far reaching and devastating affects. The cure was worse than the disease. Trump tried to warn us but the press refused to fairly report about it.