Evil Florida

Townhall.com ^ | January 19, 2022 | John Stossel

[Kaslin]

Omicron spreads. The media say, "Governments must act!"

Many have, bringing back mask mandates and closing schools.

Do these rules work?

No.

My new video shows why Florida's approach is better.

Gov. Ron DeSantis ended pandemic restrictions last spring and refuses to impose new ones. "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result," he said. Lockdown states let "hysteria drive them to do really damaging things."

The media hate him for saying things like that.

"Some governors are putting their own political gain ahead of children's lives," said CNN anchor Don Lemon.

If you watch most TV news, you'd think the rules, bans and shutdowns really save lives. Florida killed people because Florida didn't impose tougher rules, we're told.

"Florida leads the nation in new COVID cases," says Action News in Tampa.

"Florida has the worst rate of coronavirus anywhere in the country!" rants "The Young Turks" host Cenk Uygur.

But it's not true.

Florida has had fewer deaths than 16 other states.

Mississippi, Arizona, Alabama and New Jersey had the most deaths per capita. New York, where most TV anchors and I live, had the sixth most deaths.

Florida did better even though Florida has more high-risk old people.

What's going on?

The media rarely just lie. Most simply cite Florida when deaths are high and ignore the state when deaths fall. They deceive by omission. Florida's good numbers just don't fit the reporters' biases.

But even some pro-lockdown politicians know that less regulated Florida is no more dangerous than other states.

After Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez complained that "anti-shutdown people" are "spreading COVID all over the place," she was filmed partying in Florida.

Two days after Rep. Eric Swalwell sneered that "Republican liars ... prolonged" the pandemic ... "your vacation cancelled," he was photographed in Miami.

DeSantis laughs about this. "If I had a dollar for every lockdown politician who decided to escape to Florida over the last two years, I'd be a pretty doggone wealthy man."

Fewer rules allow people to build better lives for themselves. Lack of shutdowns is one reason Florida's unemployment rate is 4.5%, well below New York's 6.6%.

Does this mean shutdowns and mask mandates are useless -- and less regulated Florida has the answer?

No. We can't say that. There's no clear pattern.

Yes, strict mandate states like New York, New Jersey and Michigan have some of the worst death counts, but California had strict mandates and fewer deaths.

The one clear trend: Lockdowns don't stop COVID-19, but they do destroy opportunity. California's unemployment is the highest in America.

Florida did some bad things. DeSantis should pay more attention to his own pro-freedom speeches. Last year, he decreed that even private companies may not require customers or workers to be vaccinated.

Governor? They're private companies! They should have the right to make their own decisions. It's usually the totalitarian left that won't let people set their own rules.

Aside from that nastiness, Florida's COVID-19 policies are among the most sensible.

Since lockdowns won't stop the virus, we must learn to live with it. Thanks to vaccines and new drugs that reduce COVID-19's effects, now most of us can.

"We don't have to upend human life in our quest to eliminate COVID ... which can't happen anyway," says economist Don Boudreaux.

Giving up these laws is not "admitting defeat" but "admitting reality. We learn to live with COVID in the same way that we learn to live with many other pathogens. ... One day, every one of us is going to be done in by something."

That's why I will vacation in Florida this week.

I'll wear a mask if I'm in a crowd, but most of the time I won't. It's a joy to breathe freely.

I might catch omicron. But since I'm vaccinated and fit, I probably won't die. I might even gain immunities that protect me in the future.

And anyway, "All of us will be done in by something."

I choose to live free.

[House Atreides]

“… Florida did some bad things. DeSantis should pay more attention to his own pro-freedom speeches. Last year, he decreed that even private companies may not require customers or workers to be vaccinated.…”
*******************************************************************

How about pro-INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM? DeSantis is right on this!

[Salvey]

Yet, he says he’ll wear the mask.

[Travis McGee]

[MV=PY]

DeSantis has this right.

BTW, many of us Floridians would prefer that the author stay home and keep his germs in NY.

[Caipirabob]

Florida is b-b-better?

But didn’t the latest democrap candidate for governor say DeSantis is HITLERRRRRRRRRRRR!

Or is she just mad she can’t date Hitler?

[livius]

I agree. There’s no way your employer should suddenly be able to impose a (dubious) medical procedure on you.

These weren’t employees who joined the company knowing that it had certain requirements, but current employees who were suddenly told they had to submit to a controversial medical procedure or be fired.

He defended their freedom to say no, and as we have seen, private companies have been as bad as government in imposing unconstitutional demands on their employees.

[daniel1212]

""Some governors are putting their own political gain ahead of children's lives," said CNN anchor Don Lemon. "

With a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of just 0.0.1% (0-17 years of age).

COVID-19 CFR rates as of 12-14-21
Age group	Covid-assigned deaths	COVID-diagnosed cases	CFR	% of Covid deaths
0-17	1,099	8,075,771 (accumulative 0-17)	0.0.1%	Under 0.1%
18-29	5,455	10,792,769	0.05%	0.8%
30-39	12,650	8,370,970	0.15%	1.8%
40-49	28,642	7,137,465	0.4%	4%
50-64	12,6322	9,228,494	1.37%	17.5%
0-49	47,846	34,376,975	0.14%
0-64	174,168	43,605,469	0.18%
65-74	159,070	3,353,831	4.74%	22.1%
75-84	187,390	1,662,223	11.27%	26%
85	199,806	859,270	23.25%	27.7%
65 up	546,266	5,875,324	9.3%
1-16-21: Confirmed cases as % of total US population (rounded):
All	67,000,000 cases out of 334,000,000 Pop. = 20.06%
1-16-21: Confirmed deaths as % of total US population:
All	873,000 out of 334,000,000 Pop. = 0.26%
Estimated Infection Fatality Rate (IFR: est. total infections and deaths) from February 2020 to September 2021:
All (9-21)	921,000 est. deaths	146.6 Million est. cases	0.63%
Est. deaths as % of total US population:
All (9-21)	921,000 est. deaths	334,000,000 Pop	0.28%

Therefore based upon statistics on those aged 0-49 who were tested as being infected with Covid-19 and judged as having died due to it, then the CFR is 0.14%

[daniel1212]

"Florida has had fewer deaths than 16 other states. Mississippi, Arizona, Alabama and New Jersey had the most deaths per capita. New York, where most TV anchors and I live, had the sixth most deaths. Florida did better even though Florida has more high-risk old people. "

6th highest in average age actually!

[fruser1]

Part of government’s role is to protect the rights of citizens, not provide them with cradle to grave life support as the left thinks.

Can a private company dictate the way you vote? Can it make you perform an Abrahamic sacrifice of your first born?

[Elsie]

OK...

[Elsie]

Now show a chart with the DEATH RATES that are NON covid.

[Gaffer]

An employer or commercial establishment that requires vaccinations as a condition of employment or entry is making individual choice impossible, IMO. They are requiring life-changing actions that extend to 24/7/365 for temporary access.

Do they have the ‘right?’ Probably so. But they also, at least in my mind are liable for the consequences of those requirements, ESPECIALLY employers. Outside of CMS-paid employers in the health industry there is no federal mandate cover for their actions and they should be legally liable for adverse effects of a vaccine their actions caused to be administered against an individual’s ‘choice.’ I can’t wait for the lawsuits to start flying.

[Joe Brower]

Florida Freeper

I'm compiling a list of FReepers interested in Florida-related topics.
If you want to be added, please FReepMail me.

[caww]

[M Kehoe]

Bttt.

5.56mm

[daniel1212]

"Now show a chart with the DEATH RATES that are NON covid."

That would take even more time, and I think I spend too much time challenging specious claims, and to give an answer for the vaccine that is not in me (in my condition, spiritual and otherwise. Your inoculation may vary.

However, searching from b4 Covid, I find:

How Americans die, in 5 charts [2016]

Quiz (before you look): What is the primary cause of death (by far) for Americans up to age 44? 1. Heart disease? 2. Suicide? 3. Diabetes? 4. Influenza and pneumonia? 5. Respiratory diseases? 6. Cancer? 7. Stroke? 8. Unintentional injuries 9. Kidney disease? 10. Septicemia? 11. Liver disease? 12. Alzheimer’s disease?

What is most dangerous for children as a cause of death: 1. Drowning? 2. Drug overdose/poisoning? 3. Suffocation? 4. Motor vehicle crash? 5. Fire? 6. Malignant neoplasm 7. Firearm-related injury? Contracting Covid-19?

[Elsie]

Easy...

CHOICE!

[GaryCrow]

Florida did some bad things. DeSantis should pay more attention to his own pro-freedom speeches. Last year, he decreed that even private companies may not require customers or workers to be vaccinated.

It's long been established that states can set conditions of employment. For example an employer can't pay an employee less than minimum wage even if the employee agrees to it as a condition of employment. The state mandates employees must get lunch breaks, etc. A state banning an employer from requiring a vaccination as a condition of employment is unquestionably within the state's authority. Employees have rights that are easily abrogated by employers due to their position of authority over an employee. It's the state's duty to protect the employee from coercive action unrelated to their job like these vaccine mandates. An employer shouldn't be able to demand control over all aspects of your life. They're employees, not slaves.