The Debate Isn’t Lives vs. Money, It’s Lives vs. Lives

RUSH: I’ve been chomping at the bit to get here ever since last night, folks, and we’re finally here. EIB, Open Line Friday. Let us get started.

RUSH: And for those of you new to the program, Open Line Friday in the normal course of events was an opportunity for people to talk about whatever they wanted to talk about. Didn’t have to be anything that interested me. It’s kind of out the window now because there’s really one topic with a bunch of offshoots that everybody wants to talk about; so the rule is, whatever you want to talk about, whatever observation you have, any questions, comments, let’s hear them — 800-282-2882 is the phone number. The email address, ElRushbo@eibnet.us.

So I was just watching Fox here, their Outnumbered show, and David Asman, who I really admire, one of the people on the show. And, by the way, folks, I’m very happy, there are a lot of people — well, not a lot. There are an increasing number of people beginning to pick up my refrain: When is this gonna end? This is not sustainable. This uncertainty cannot go on. What is the future? Where are we looking? When are we looking at reopening?

And David Asman just said that he wants to hear from Dr. Fauci when we’re gonna be able to. Dr. Fauci? Folks, if it’s left up to Dr. Fauci, we’re not gonna reopen ’til a year from September. We’re not gonna open until we get a vaccine, if it’s left up to Dr. Fauci. We didn’t elect Dr. Fauci. Everybody has a lot of admiration for Dr. Fauci. He’s 79 years old, he’s been at the National Institutes of Health, he was instrumental in overcoming the medical blockade that was killing so many people from AIDS and HIV. He’s done great work, don’t misunderstand. But we didn’t elect Dr. Fauci, and Dr. Fauci’s not the guy that ought to be the one determining when we reopen the economy. And we are going to have to do this.

The jobs report is in. The U.S. economy lost a total of 701,000 jobs in March. And I hate to tell you, the Drive-By Media is crowing about it. You watch them report it, and you almost get the impression they’re happy about it. And it just burns me. I’m gonna have to go a long way in exercising some discipline and self-control today, because there’s just a lot of stuff that is beginning to really trouble me.

For example, these briefings. The briefings are great. They have been great. But you know what? There’s a sense of permanence setting in on these briefings. And it is obvious that the people in these briefings love the process of the briefings. And we’re not hearing anything about the end of any of this in the briefings. The briefings continue to be focused on the apocalyptic nature of the virus. Apocalyptic nature of the virus. Governor Cuomo’s briefing just concluded. His was wide-ranging, but it also was a focus on the apocalyptic nature.

So you want some facts? Here’s some facts. We’ve now surpassed 6,000 deaths. The ballpark number right now, because it’s a moving number, 6,550 deaths; 700,000 jobs lost. That’s as of now, about 100 jobs lost for every death nationwide from the virus. Now, most of the deaths, not all, most of the deaths are of elderly people, people that have underlying health issues or a combination of both. I don’t know how many of the deaths are people, say, working at grocery stores or gas station attendants, liquor store clerks, people working for essential businesses. I don’t know what the death rate is among people working at essential businesses. But it doesn’t seem to be reported to be very high.

So 6,550 deaths; 700,000 jobs lost. Here’s NBC News and the way they’ve reported it. And literally, folks, they are crowing about this, because it’s bad for Trump. In their minds, anything bad for Trump is good. Now, by the way, these unemployment numbers are not as bad as most of them were hoping. They were hoping for worse. In fact, unemployment only went up to 4.4%. Do you realize how much worse off we’d be if there had not been the three years of a roaring economy from 2017 to the present, that cushion? I’m not kidding.

There were media people reporting/hoping that the unemployment rate would reach 15% to 20%. But despite that, despite the percentage number, the economy lost 700,000 jobs. And NBC is saying that this number only represents the tip of the iceberg, and they added that the worst is yet to come. And I swear, I think they were excited. As journalists get excited by bad news, by doom and gloom, the worst is yet to come.

Let me read to you from the NBC article. “Economists and market participants are in agreement that the April jobs report will better illustrate the havoc wreaked by the coronavirus on the workforce. Some economists are predicting the employment number could be as high as 20 million.” Okay. When I came back to this program on Monday, one of the things that I immediately zeroed in on was the models and how I was made nervous by them, the models that were projecting 2.2 million dead if we didn’t do anything. Then they projected between a hundred thousand and 200,000 dead. And then they upped it to 240,000. We’ve never met the modelers. We’ve heard their names in some case, but the modelers have never shown up at a briefing to explain their work.

On Wednesday after the dire death models were touted at the White House briefing, I again commented that all we keep getting is this modeling data and wouldn’t it be great if the people doing the modeling actually showed up to explain it. Well, guess what? I have two stories today.

The Washington Post has a story where the modelers now think these numbers are too high. The modelers have gone to the Washington Post to say that they don’t think these numbers are accurate, meaning the 240,000. We know the 2.2 million number is not accurate because that was if we hadn’t done anything, no social distancing, no mitigation. But they’re saying now that the 200,000 to 240,000 death number is not accurate, the very modelers who gave us these – (interruption) Oh, you don’t believe me? Well, let me share with you a couple of headlines here. “Experts and Trump’s Advisers Doubt White House’s 240,000 Coronavirus Deaths Estimate.” White House? White House? See how this is working? Experts, Trump Advisers Doubt.

So they put out this number — 200,000, 240,000 deaths — earlier in the week. Now they come along and say, “The Trump White House is wrong!” Well, the Trump White House relied — along with Dr. Birx and Dr. Fauci — on the models, which I had a bad feeling about from the get-go. I could play you the audio sound bites of me from Monday and Tuesday if you want.

A second story: “Trump Officials Privately Question White House Coronavirus Death Toll Estimate.” The Washington Post and TheHill.com. Two stories — and I’ll tell you what I think this is. I think the media may be trying to set the table to deny Trump credit for lower fatalities. Look, everybody knows how bureaucrats work. You give us a worst-case scenario, 2.2 million but it ain’t gonna be there — a hundred thousand, 240,000.

Then the deaths come in at, say, 60,000 to 80,000, they say, “Oh, my goodness. We were so wonderful! Look at it! Look at it! We lowered the death toll with our social distancing” or whatever. But in the same time here, I think they’re trying to deny Trump credit for the lower failures and all bureaucrats are gonna try to claim here.

The computer models predicted… The media, you know, the worse it is, the better for the news, for ratings and what have you — and the worse it is, they think, the worse it is for Trump. I mean, they’re out there wanting a Category 6 hurricane with this stuff. Good for business; bad for Trump. So when the projections of a hundred thousand to 240,000 deaths were announced, CNN Jim Acosta says, “Trump gets it.

“Trump gets it. Trump looks scared.” The media was happy. We had a catastrophe. But now, now the very people that gave us these numbers through the models are now suggesting that maybe they’re not right, maybe the death toll isn’t gonna be that high. I told you on Monday. When this is all over, we’re gonna have a big debate in this country about whether this shutdown was ever even necessary.

It’s gonna be a knock-down, drag-out debate — and remember: The doomsayers, because of psychology, are never wrong. I also want to share with you, before we get too deep into things… By the way, a far-left media group now, Free Press, is actually asking the FCC to censor Trump’s briefings every day. More on that. I got an email from a guy that I met.

He lives in Chicago; I met him years and years and years ago. When I met him, his family was very Chicago liberal. He was apolitical, but he followed along with the family. He knew who I was. We became friends. I got two emails from him last night. Normally, I would keep this to myself, but this really profoundly affected me, and it reminded me why I do what I do.

“Rush, you are the only person nationally who is really questioning what is going on. So many of us are gonna be financially ruined from this. And no one on a national level is focusing on that. Rush, please, even if the mainstream media takes snippets of what you say out of context, sensationalize it to make you seem like a creep, screw them!

“Keep it up. Keep going. Keep talking. Your take on all of this calms me down. In over 16 years, I haven’t wanted to throw it all away more than I do right now. But it’s helping me knowing that somebody actually cares, and I really appreciate that you do not have a death countdown on your website.

“You ought to have a live ticker of all the people who have recovered from the virus and survived it. All these media companies are salivating over reporting the devastation of our lives that we have worked endless hours and made immeasurable sacrifices to build. This is the greatest country in the world. You are the only person who seems to be fighting for our way of life.

“I’m gonna continue to write these emails to you because it’s therapeutic for me, and if my emails are annoying, feel free to say, ‘Chill out,’ and I’ll go away. On the positive side, I’ve become a hell of a teacher for my kids. I’ve loved being able to be around them lately. Stay healthy. Keep fighting.”

So I replied — I thanked him — and he sent back another email. This was the follow-up: “Rush, it’s insane. I could go on for hours. It’s driving me crazy. If I end up having to sell my house in a horrible market or if I can’t pay my taxes because of this, I’m gonna have to tell my kids it was because Americans were shamed into becoming Europeans.

“During the blitzkrieg on London, Londoners were less fearful and shameful than we are now, and they were being bombed. Actual bombs could drop from the sky and kill ’em at any moment. People like Don Lemon have this permanent, I-told-you-so smirk on their faces. They don’t offer anything substitute or positive. That’s why what you’re doing is important to the average person like me.

“For crying out loud, Rush, you have lung cancer. You of all people could hide. You have every right to hide or go away; cash it in. But instead, you’re actually trying to promote the American way of life. It drives me crazy, especially because I live where I live. How do all these people think America was built, by being complacent and scared and fearful? It’s crazy. Sorry for rambling. I’m just really worried and angry.”

And I totally, totally understand it. I literally… I mentioned this yesterday. I’ve experienced every economic circumstance you can in this country except for pure, abject poverty and uber-billionaire/multimillionaire kind of wealth. I have had nothing. I’ve been broke. I have been fired a whole bunch of times and so forth. I know what this feels like. I know the abject fear, and it frustrates me to no end

It’s unsustainable, and I am worried for everybody in this circumstance. I know we have got these bailout and aid packages, but the money is not gonna get to the people as fast they’re trying to get it to people, and there’s some really great work being done in that area. Mnuchin opened the briefing yesterday and was great. He’s gonna try to maintain viability for small businesses, keep payrolls open even when the businesses are closed.

It’s a tremendous objective, and it’s a great effort It’s gonna require a lot of logistical coordination, and I really hope they pull it off. But it still is a really scary thing, and I’ve been through it when the economy was roaring. I’ve been through it in the 1980s, when I was the only one not doing well or one of few not doing well. I’ve experienced it all. I can relate to it.

I know how frightening it is. I know how it’ll tax your self-esteem. I know how it makes you feel worthlessness. I’ve been through all of it. And I despise it, I hate it — and when it’s not necessary, it frustrates me even more. As I say, there are a couple of people now writing, “Hey,” one in New York, “Governor Cuomo, can you start talking about when this is gonna end instead of just the daily apocalypse?

“Can somebody give us some hope? Can somebody give us…?” It’s exactly the theme that I had on the program yesterday. This is starting to effervesce and bubble up out there. It’s going to have to happen. The debate is not lives versus money. The debate is lives versus lives.

Rush is saying what I wrote this morning. We are losing lives either way.

This will end when enough Americans rebel, hit the streets and take their freedom back.

I’m not saying that needs to happen today and I’m still staying away from people as much as possible. But it will happen at some point. And you can’t just jail everybody, that’s dangerous too, they are letting criminals out because it’s too dangerous to be in jail.

Is it just me or is it everytime there's a question of the severity or reach of Covid-19, Dr. Fauci and the media doomsayers up the ante... now it's all of sudden it can be airborne, the virus can live longer on surfaces, and masks work (or don't work... bla, bla, bla) depending on the day!

We're in an arms race of any good reports being countered by the "good" doctor's and his allies cold water. Fauci's dedication to his sacred "testing" seems more important than defeating the virus and saving lives! He seems to value "process over product"... SOP in bureaucracies!

I spose when you get the spotlight. it's hard to leave! But now, it’s time for the question of the cure being worse than the disease to be asked and asked LOUD and OFTEN!

One man's opinion.

Been asking our governor (”Asterisk Inslee”) for a week or so “What is your exit plan?” Crickets. Do we have to wait for zero infections/deaths for a week? A month? Six months? A year? What???

And who gets to decide whose life/livelihood is more important than someone else’s? Because decisions are being made that affect 95% of us for the sake of the other 5%. Might seem like a hard attitude, but it is life. And government workers continue to get paychecks while the private sector suffers immeasurable pain. So they are more important (first responders excepted)?

Listened to the entire program today. He is on-point about the “medical experts” using nothing more than Computer Models to shut down the entire country and destroy our economy.
Now, those self-proclaimed “experts” are not just starting to walk back their apocalyptic model predictions but, they are not willing to man up about it.
They are trying to slough off blame on our president and Pence telling the media we don’t know where they’re getting their numbers. When in-fact they know damned well they provided those numbers.
Fauci today is now saying all of a sudden that we can’t believe the models. The models they used to convince everyone to shut the country down.
Why? Because we are nowhere near even their low-end infection and death rate predictions. That’s why?
And, it is they and their modeling that has ground our country to a near halt. And, they are looking for a way to shift the blame. To President Trump and VP Pence.

Some of this has to do with how people reason.

Some people are adept at deductive reasoning.

Some people are adept at inductive reasoning.

You can also look at the Mayer’s-Briggs work.

Some people use Sensing.

Some people use Intuition.

Some people are Feelers.

Some people are Thinkers.

It makes a difference on how they see and react to the world.

I came to the understanding that my life’s experience and training have caused me to see this in a way that many of my fellow American citizens don’t see.

I grew up spending my summers on a farm where death was common.

I grew up in a Christian home where death was not seen as an ending, but a transition.

The US Army put me in training situations when I was 19 years old where I had to think about who lived and who died in my unit.

The US Army put me in training situations where I had to contemplate an astounding loss of life.

The need to work through death and large numbers of dead was brought into my life at a relatively young age.

I’m not afraid of this disease, but some fellow citizens are.

Most of the women on the FBN want the lock down..

The men open the country and deal with it..

Fauci mighy be n iyi

The Intellectual Yet Idiot is a production of modernity hence has been accelerating since the mid twentieth century, to reach its local supremum today, along with the broad category of people without skin-in-the-game who have been invading many walks of life. Why? Simply, in most countries, the government’s role is between five and ten times what it was a century ago (expressed in percentage of GDP). The IYI seems ubiquitous in our lives but is still a small minority and is rarely seen outside specialized outlets, think tanks, the media, and universities — most people have proper jobs and there are not many openings for the IYI.

I listened to Rush and agree with his statements.

I paid attention to the bureaucracy remarks he made about the malaria medicine used for the China virus, where the govt is just sitting on it for procedural reasons while other countries are just simply using it.

Interestingly he remarked the many of the MSM may need a bailout as they are losing sponsors. These jackasses are destroying themselves and expect the taxpayer to fix it for them with a bailout. He mentioned the NYT in particular. Who the Hell wants to bail out that slime bucket lie factory?

Wisdom from C.S. Lewis

In one way we think a great deal too much of the atomic bomb. “How are we to live in an atomic age?” I am tempted to reply: “Why, as you would have lived in the sixteenth century when the plague visited London almost every year, or as you would have lived in a Viking age when raiders from Scandinavia might land and cut your throat any night; or indeed, as you are already living in an age of cancer, an age of syphilis, an age of paralysis, an age of air raids, an age of railway accidents, an age of motor accidents.”

In other words, do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation. Believe me, dear sir or madam, you and all whom you love were already sentenced to death before the atomic bomb was invented: and quite a high percentage of us were going to die in unpleasant ways. We had, indeed, one very great advantage over our ancestors—anesthetics; but we have that still. It is perfectly ridiculous to go about whimpering and drawing long faces because the scientists have added one more chance of painful and premature death to a world which already bristled with such chances and in which death itself was not a chance at all, but a certainty.

This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.

— “On Living in an Atomic Age” (1948) in Present Concerns: Journalistic Essays

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