These are my observations and opinions from my select news of the day.

YOU KNOW WHERE I STAND – If you are a regular reader, you know where I stand on shutdowns, sheltering-in-place and the need to treat the health of our economy as urgently as we are the prevention and treatment of the virus. If you missed my “SPECIAL: I’m tired. Damn tired,” published on April 22, 2020, you may want to check it out.  It will make this follow-up more meaningful.

I thought President Trump’s mid-March initiative to slow the spread with its guidelines for social distancing and the practice of proper hygiene made sense, and I did my best to follow them, even when he extended the period to the end of April, though reluctantly.

As each day passed, I became more concerned for the economy.  The cure was becoming worse than the disease itself.  Restoring our economy to the robustness we were experiencing prior to the virus shutdown is going to be extremely difficult. You don’t just flip a switch.

State governors are now trying to follow the phase-in process outlined by the president’s task force for reopening businesses.  Some are faced with protesters who want openings expedited.  Like me.  They’re tired.  Damn tired.

The more I hear and read, the more cynical I get.  I’ve been listening to Doctors Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx, because they’re there for us on the virus task force, to keep us informed.  But understand, they too, are still learning about Covid-19.

LOOKING AT MODELS – Early predictions that we could expect 1-2 million coronavirus deaths in the U.S. if we didn’t stay at home and practice the guidelines were scary.  Listening to Doctors Fauci and Birx talk about the models, and how they can be flawed, depending on the input, wasn’t encouraging, although I understand it.

“I love models,” said John Ioannidis, a professor at Stanford’s School of Medicine, in a Wall Street Journal interview with Allysia Finley. “I do a lot of mathematical modeling myself.  But I think we need to recognize that they’re very, very low in terms of how much weight we can place on them and how much we can trust them.

“They can give you a very first kind of mathematical justification to a gut feeling, but beyond that point, depending on model for evidence, I think it’s a very bad recipe.”

Arizona’s Gov. Doug Ducey is looking at models for his state, and remarked how the models have changed “so dramatically” over recent weeks, proving that they must be looked at carefully.

Tim Lant, a mathematical epidemiologist at Arizona State University, who is in charge of Arizona’s state-specific model, compared modeling to rolling a ball down from the top of a hill.  It could go in any random direction.

The various models are mathematical calculations and do not necessarily drive decisions, commented Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services.  “They are just models, and we will continue to use real data to make the on-the-ground decisions,” she said.

Imagine, if you will, health officials in each state looking at models specific to their states, and you can see why a “one size fits all” approach cannot be taken in Washington.

ON LOCKDOWNS – I found Ioannidis’ cautions against drawing broad conclusions about the efficacy of lockdowns based on national infection and fatality rates quite interesting.  “It’s not that we have randomized 10 countries to go into lockdown and another 10 countries to remain open and see what happens, and do that randomly,” he says.

“People are making big statements about ‘lockdowns saving the world.’  I think that they’re immature.  They’re tremendously immature.  They may have worked in some cases, they may have no effect in others, and they may have been damaging still in others,” according to the professor.

Having watched the media in action during the daily virus briefings, I was particularly interested in his view of their speculation stories, noting that “we have some evidence that bad news (stories) are more attractive than positive news.  And, of course, we know that fake news travels faster than true news.”

Professor Ioannidis blames the media in part in the current environment, referring to the generation of “a very heavily panic-driven, horror driven, death-reality show type of situation.”

Then, of course, there’s their “gotcha” style inquiries during the briefings.

AN UNBELIEVEABLE TURNABOUT – I am often critical of the left-leaning Arizona Republic and its columnists, but this morning I was surprised that the paper allowed a blogger and a contributor, Jon Gabriel, op-ed space to advocate for reopening our economy.

After briefly reviewing some of the faulty science, including that of the World Health Organization, Gabriel notes that “If all the scientists agreed, the path forward would be clear.  Until they have more data, we’re looking at months, if not years, of trial and error both in medicine and public policy.”

He writes about those who want to continue the lockdowns indefinitely, forcing Americans to abandon their workplaces.  While sheltered at home, they may be safe from the virus, but they will suffer in many other ways – domestic abuse, suicides, postponed doctor appointments despite being diagnosed with cancer, and so forth.

Tomislav Mihaljevic, CEO of the Cleveland Clinic, recently noted that there has been a dramatic decline in people seeking care for heart attacks, strokes or new cancers, presumably out of fear of going to hospital.

As I have written previously, Gabriel refers to restrictions that were put in place to help “flatten the curve,” which has happened, hospitals are not being overwhelmed, and reportedly there are plenty of ventilators.

“It is time to reopen our state (Arizona) and our nation.  It won’t be all at once and should follow the facts on the ground, but open it must,” he concludes.

While Gabriel believes that those most at risk will remain sheltered, the symptomatic will stay home, I for one, being in both categories, am an adult and will seek my freedom.  Thank you.  While continuing to practice social distancing and proper hygiene.

BUY AMERICAN, NOT CHINESE – Not long ago, I suggested we stop buying products made in China. I also wrote of our dependency on China for many of our pharmaceuticals. I feel more energized to avoid products made there now that there is evidence the China has not been truthful regarding the virus origin.

During a recent trip to Home Depot for “essentials,” I placed one item back on the rack as it bore the words ‘Made in China.’  Yesterday, I received a box of 50 face masks I had ordered from Amazon because I couldn’t purchase them locally. I was shocked that they were not only Made in China, the company’s address was listed in Wuhan, Hubei, China.

SWING STATE VOTERS AGREE, that manufacturing must be returned to America as President Trump has emphasized since his 2016 campaign.  Since hearing of the U.S. reliance on China, some 75 percent of over 8,000 swing and persuadable voters surveyed in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Iowa told Heritage Action for America’s new Project 2020 they agreed.

THE PRESIDENT SIGNED the latest installment on funds going to businesses and workers affected by the virus, but not before Speaker Nancy Pelosi took her merry time getting to Washington.

“She was going to kill off as many jobs and small businesses as she could before she inevitably rolled over,” wrote Kurt Schlichter in Townhall. “If you got canned last week, thank her and her garbage party.”

After an endless series of leaks, investigations, and impeachment, the Democrat strategy now is to use the pandemic as a weapon to bring down the Trump presidency.  They see it as a dream come true.  An opportunity to kill the booming economy and ruin the livelihoods of the people who were getting a taste of prosperity.

They are actively slow walking the reopening, too.  “Their scheme,” writes Schlichter,” is to leverage the crisis to keep Trump-friendly areas down as long as possible to do as much damage as possible to POTUS and hurt his chances in November.”

DID YOU NOTICE how Speaker Nancy Pelosi approached the House lectern prior to the latest unanimous consent agreement wearing a fashionable scarf over her nose and mouth as if to be adhering to the rules of the House.  No ordinary face mask for her.

For some reason, she felt the need to pull the scarf down while she spoke, while those of us speak through our masks, if we have one, while speaking to the butcher or checkout clerk at the local supermarket. After having her hands on the lectern, used by others before her appearance, she put her hands to her face, a guidelines no-no.  The guidelines. They’re for ordinary folks.

May God continue to bless the United States of America.