Posted on 03/09/2023 7:40:45 AM PST by george76
Three years after the March 2020 shutdowns, the legacy of Covid-era policies are still haunting Colorado.
History will show the Covid policies pushed by the Governor, State Health Officials, and the Federal Government not only failed to achieve their goals, but caused tremendous harm.
Communities suffered, businesses failed, and many individuals were pushed over the edge.
Drug overdoses, suicide, domestic violence and record crime are the legacy of the State’s Covid policies.
It must not be forgotten how destructive these policies were.
And the names of those responsible must be remembered.
Sadly, after three years, politicians and state health officials have not been held accountable for their malfeasance.
These Covid policies tore a rip in the fabric of our society, fracturing communities and causing real harm to individuals.
It may be easier to sweep the destruction caused by the Covid policies under the rug, but pretending this loss of life and livelihood didn’t happen is a slap in the face to those who suffered.
Thankfully, there has been some good that has come out of the Covid tyranny.
But before we get to that, let’s review the tragedies and crimes of the Covid era.
Communities Suffered..
We all remember when it happened. It was a surreal feeling, like something out of a movie.
It was March 2020 and the State forced society to shutdown.
Economic activity was halted.
Sporting events and concerts were cancelled.
Your children were told not to go to school.
Quickly, political rhetoric grew increasingly hostile.
You were called a selfish bastard if you didn’t wear a mask.
Your family wasn’t allowed to visit someone on their deathbed.
You were told you weren’t “essential.”
Society was blindsided and communities were fractured.
Let’s take a look at some of the specific attacks on civil society that politicians waged:
Businesses Under Attack..
Throughout 2020, businesses in Denver were forced to close, or issued citations for violating the city’s orders.
These shutdown threats and fines were used to force business owners to comply.
The city sent out their agents, and on July 31st “investigators and Sheriff deputies… teamed up to monitor compliance of the health orders and to enforce the rules. The teams will also pay extra attention to evening hours and weekends.”
For a time, law enforcement and city code enforcers patrolled the streets, seeking violators and responding to informants.
Business were threatened with revocation of their licenses: “We will hold them accountable to the maximum extent the law allows, including revocation of business licenses,” warned Denver Department of Public Health & Environment (DDPHE) Executive Director and Public Health Administrator Robert McDonald.
Businesses were forced to spend scarce resources on building ridiculous domes and repurposed green houses in order to serve customers outside.
...
5280 Magazine had a running list of restaurants and bars that shutdown permanently since 2020. They stopped updating the list in December of 2022.
They list 263 restaurants and bars that closed permanently across the Denver Metro.
I’m sure this underestimates the actual number of businesses that closed, or were unable to start due to the Covid restrictions.
Individuals on the Edge..
The overbearing restrictions of Governor Jared Polis and his cohorts led to Colorado workers losing their jobs, and many people were pushed over the edge.
Make no mistake, Polis’ orders caused more harm than in many other states.
In February, 2021, the Denver Pest reported that “Colorado paid a heavier price economically in its fight against COVID-19 than other states in 2020.
“As 2020 came to an end, Colorado had 269,200 people without a job and actively looking for one, a higher total for the state than at any month during the Great Recession, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“It also had the nation’s fourth-highest unemployment rate after Hawaii, California and Nevada. Entering the pandemic, Colorado had the fifth-lowest unemployment rate at 2.5%.“
Denver’s policies were so insane that in October 2020 it was announced, “face coverings will now be required outside unless you are alone or with people in your home, and the city will only allow groups of five unrelated people or less to gather.“
...
These anti-human policies led to real suffering. As reported in August 2020, 1 in 3 Coloradans were “struggling to afford food, with 40% of households seeing a drop in income.”
And if you spoke out, you were targeted online and in the real world.
Individuals utilizing their First Amendment rights were threatened with arrest, fines and jail time if they protested against government policies.
From November 2020: “The agency (DDPHE) said the order applies to protests, and the penalty for violators includes a fine and jail time. Anyone who attends a demonstration without wearing a face covering, which is required by Denver’s public health order, and proper social distancing, could be cited.
“A citation requires a mandatory court appearance and carries a maximum penalty of $999 per violation, and up to 300 days in jail, to be determined by a judge.”
The streets and public buildings became dangerous for those who want to breathe normally.
Not only did individuals suffer economically, but some Coloradans paid with their lives.
CPR reported in February 2021: “as state health officials finish compiling records from the deadliest year in state history, hundreds of additional deaths, which appear to have at least an arm’s length connection to the pandemic, are becoming apparent.
“They include those 100 out of 347 people who died last year of starvation, and at least some of those who died of parasitic diseases, drug overdoses, Alzheimer’s and liver diseases too.
“All those causes of death experienced double-digit percentage increases in 2020.
“That’s above the average number of deaths from the causes in the three-years prior to the start of the pandemic.”
...
It must be repeated: People died because of the Government’s Covid policies!
Not only due to missed doctor appointments, or loss of wealth, but because they killed themselves.
Nationally, the CDC reported in August of 2020 that a quarter of young adults considered suicide due to the Covid “pandemic.”
Unfortunately, Colorado’s suicide crisis had been building for years before 2020, and for some the year of Covid tyranny pushed them to the unthinkable.
In September 2020, it was reported that the leading cause of death of Coloradans ages 10-24 was suicide.
And the Denver Post reported in November of 2020, that, “suicide among U.S. military veterans reached record numbers in Colorado last year, with more than one former service member dying by suicide every week, a new report said.”
It’s a tragedy that became a crisis.
In September 2020, The Colorado Sun reported that some Colorado counties had more suicide deaths than Covid deaths.
And they also reported that, a 2020 “August poll by the Colorado Health Foundation found one in two Coloradans reported increased psychological strain – “anxiety, loneliness, stress” – as a result of the pandemic.
“A more recent U.S. Census Bureau snapshot survey found that from Nov. 11 to Nov. 23, about 46 percent of Coloradans reported symptoms of anxiety or depression over the previous seven days.
“Meanwhile, the number of monthly calls and texts to Colorado’s crisis line has climbed from nearly 16,000 in January to nearly 25,000 in October, a more than 50% increase.”
....
Youth suicide and mental health crises continued into 2021, with Children’s Hospital Colorado declaring “a pediatric mental health state of emergency” in May of that year.
“We’re overrun with kids attempting suicide and suffering from other forms of major mental health illness,” hospital President Jena Hausmann announced.
Nationally, it was reported there were “more ‘Covid Suicides’ than Covid deaths in kids.”
And in late 2021, Denver7 reported, on the efforts of youth advocates, “We’ve had a pandemic with youth violence,” said Jason McBride of Struggle of Love.
Unfortunately, youth violence continues in 2023, with tragic stories appearing daily in Colorado news media.
Crime, Violence and Drug Use..
After Covid policies shutdown society, violent crime, including domestic violence skyrocketed.
As the Denver Post reported in November of 2020: In Denver this year, aggravated assaults connected to domestic violence have surged over the three-year average, Denver Police Department data shows.
“Denver police recorded 775 stabbings, non-fatal shootings and physical assaults connected to domestic violence that resulted in serious injury in the first nine months of 2020 — a 46% increase over the average of 530 such assaults in the same time period between 2017 and 2019.“
Some abused individuals were trapped at home with their abusers, unable to escape the violence.
Some people escaped into drug use, while others found no reason not to indulge in substance abuse.
In January 2021, Westword reported, “Colorado set a record for drug overdose deaths in 2020,” and “fentanyl killed more people in the city last year than it did in the previous three years combined, and fatal overdoses related to methamphetamines and heroin are on the rise.”
In 2023, politicians are quick to blame drug dealers and advocate for new laws, but they should look back at 2020 to see where the path of destruction began for so many.
9News also reported that “Colorado saw more overdose deaths in 2020 than ever before.”
...
CPR reported in February 2021: “More Coloradans also died from causes often associated with substance use, like drug overdoses (up 26 percent) and chronic liver disease and cirrhosis (up 24 percent).
“More died from homicide/legal intervention (up 15 percent).
“Also, 186 people died from what’s classified as “other and unspecified infectious and parasitic diseases” (up 42 percent).”
Looking back, it seems obvious that the Covid shutdown policies were more harmful than Covid itself.
Politicians were more destructive than the virus.
And some politicians used Covid as an opportunity to expand their authority and engage in tyranny.
Tyrants Revealed Themselves..
In July of 2020, Colorado was ranked as having “the 5th most coronavirus-related restrictions in the country,” and as we saw above, Colorado suffered worse than many other states.
From the Governor, and his State Health Department to Mayors and City Councils, Covid was the opportunity of a lifetime.
These political authoritarians reached out to the community to support their power grab.
Snitches were encouraged: “People wanting to report face mask violators are asked to call 311,” proclaimed CBS news.
There was no shortage of villains, but the primary violator was the Governor himself.
Jared Polis..
Governor Polis, was the biggest spokesman for shutting down the State.
He called Coloradans who wouldn’t restrict their breathing “selfish bastards.”
Breathing freely and exhaling breath is necessary for a healthy life, but the Governor expected you to put your own health at risk.
He pushed mandatory masks on the public and even claimed, “Masks are very effective to protect yourself and prevent other people from spreading the virus.”
In a demeaning display, he “used his Dad voice,” telling Coloradans not to gather with more than four people during the summer of 2020.
Rural Colorado was not spared from his edicts.
He shut down a rural rodeo promoter who defied his rules. It didn’t matter that the rodeo was outdoors or that people were in a farming community.
Polis knew his shutdown policies were going to make it difficult for people to pay rent, so he initiated an eviction moratorium that went “well beyond what the CDC and other states have done,” hurting property owners.
He held Colorado hostage, saying, “If enough people are inoculated with a 90% effective vaccine, it ends the pandemic.”
Reality told a different story, but that didn’t stop other Colorado politicians from mimicking the Governor’s authoritarianism.
Michael Hancock..
In July 2020, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock bragged that he had no hesitation enacting “tougher enforcement on face-covering orders,” threatening violators with fines up to $999 or 300 days in jail.
Bob McDonald added to the Mayor’s threats, “Where there’s prevalence of non-compliance and they’ve been warned, we are going to take enforcement action.”
McDonald, Hancock, and their lackeys Denver threatened their city, saying “businesses will be issued a court summons if a health official finds its employees are not wearing a face covering or if 10% of patrons aren’t wearing masks.”
These policies didn’t apply to Hancock, who was caught traveling for Thanksgiving in 2020, right after ordering Denver residents to “stay home.”
State Legislators..
And in August of 2021, State Representative David Ortiz launched a tirade against angry parents.
He tweeted “antimaskers and antivaxers are the biggest domestic terror threat we face during this global pandemic.”
...
This legislator is unfortunately still serving in the State House.
And no Colorado Democrats that I’m aware of stood up against the Governor.
Media Bias..
The allies of the authoritarian political class in the media helped push the Covid narrative, and dismissed those who spoke against the policies.
Westword reporter Michael Roberts called Coloradans who opposed the State’s fear-mongering “deniers,” a sick and outlandish comparison to Holocaust Deniers.
And to no one’s surprise, The Denver Post downplayed the intelligence of Weld County residents and elevated compliant Boulder County residents.
These are just a few examples of the media abdicating it’s role as a watchdog and critic of government policy.
For more examples, just look at any of the links included in this article.
Tyrant Mayors..
In November 2020, Longmont Mayor Brian Bagley told the city to pass an ordinance restricting local hospitals from treating Weld County residents.
Bagley wanted to refuse medical help to someone in-need because he opposed the Weld County Commissioner’s policies.
Unfortunately, Bagley’s extremism was common among other Front Range Mayors.
In November 2020, 26 mayors signed a letter proclaiming that “restaurants that refuse to close should face suspension and/or revocation of state licenses.”
These Mayors begged the Governor to punish business owners and employees who refused to bow down.
Coloradans who believe in Liberty should do everything possible to prevent these Mayors from furthering their political careers.
Teacher’s Unions..
For the first time, many parents were exposed to how teachers talked to their children, and some were shocked.
So it wasn’t too surprising that teachers were more interested in protecting their own interests than those of their students.
In January 2021, Jefferson County teachers protested against returning to in-person learning.
It didn’t matter that children were less likely to get seriously ill from Covid, or that many students were falling behind in their studies.
Agendas were pushed..
Deaths Were Inflated..
State Representative Mark Baisley sounded the alarm in May of 2020, by announcing that Covid death figures were inflated.
Up until May 2020, the State Health Department had not “distinguished the deaths of those who died from COVID-19 from those who died from other causes but tested positive for COVID-19, health officials said, and reported them together as COVID-19 deaths.”
Vicitms of a violent attack in Grand County were classified as “covid deaths” because they died with covid in their systems.
These gunshot deaths accounted for 40% of Grand County’s Covid death count.
Grand County Coroner Brenda Bock went even further, “I honestly don’t believe you have to falsify the numbers to get your point across to the public, and yet I really feel like that’s what the CDC is still doing.”
La Plata County Coroner Jann Smith witnessed the deception in his own county. CBS News reported:
“He passed away from medical issues, not COVID problems,” said Smith. “He didn’t have a positive when he passed away.”
She said her assessment was that COVID-19 played no part in Kujath’s passing, so she was surprised to initially see local health authorities list it differently.
Montezuma County Coroner George Deavers saw the same thing happen in his county, “It wasn’t COVID, it was alcohol toxicity… Yes, he did have COVID but that is not what took his life.”
In these instances, the State reported deaths as “Covid Deaths,” when in fact they were not caused by Covid.
Race-based Covid Relief..
Eager to exploit the situation, Denver Democrats attempted to provide relief based upon whether the business was “minority-owned.”
Under the legislation, a minority-owned business would receive an advantage for Covid relief money over a non-minority-owned business.
Even during the Covid crisis, politicians were quick to push a race-based agenda.
Vaccine Mandates..
The Covid Tyranny became even worse when workers across the country were told they needed a drug injection if they wanted to work.
Joe Biden, with the support of his Governor allies like Jared Polis mandated drug injections, first for healthcare workers, and then for all workers.
In May 2021, Polis “rewarded” those who took the injection by exempting some indoor locations of the mask mandate, if 80% of those present could provide proof of vaccination.
In August 2021, Polis asked the Colorado Board of Health to force licensed facilities to require injections for their staff in order to legally operate. The Board of Health complied, and Colorado’s healthcare workers had a choice to make.
Many healthcare workers took a stand and refused to comply, and some even protested.
In September, the vaccine requirement was extended to other government employees, including law enforcement.
Seven Denver police officers filed suit, and others resigned rather than get the injection.
Shortly after Biden announced his employer vaccine requirement, Polis publicly came out in support.
...
The president’s actions are in some ways similar to what Colorado did a few weeks before,” Polis said. “We, as an employer, are implementing that for ourselves, just as employers of all sizes are,” reported Colorado Politics in September 2021.
Millions of Americans, and many Coloradans took the shot out of fear of losing their job.
Thankfully, Federal Courts halted Biden’s authoritarian mandate.
Coloradans Glimpsed a Frightening Future..
As bad as the Covid restrictions were, it could’ve been a lot worse.
Coloradans saw a glimpse of a future where liberty no longer existed, and a total authoritarian surveillance state was in place.
Straight out of a dystopian novel, Colorado became the “first state to deploy a phone app that would help track COVID-19 cases.”
There was worry this phone tracking app could have turned into a vaccine passport when in July 2021, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky indicated that a national vaccine passport system might be put in place.
State Health officials even explored a vaccine passport in early 2021, but fortunately, it didn’t gain ground.
What was first setup as a field hospital, many worried it could become a Covid Quarantine Camp.
This field hospital in the Colorado Convention Center, cost $60,000 per day, and was never used.
Sewage was monitored to track Covid, hinting at what a “smart city,” could accomplish with near total surveillance.
And of course, Big Tech became a tool of Big Government.
Shortly after Biden’s inauguration Reuters reported that “The White House has been reaching out to social media companies including Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet Inc’s Google about clamping down on COVID misinformation and getting their help to stop it from going viral, a senior administration official said.“
Of course, the recently released Twitter files tell more of the story.
Through social media censorship and compliant press, reality was ignored and dissenters were de-platformed.
Reality was Ignored..
In September 2020, the CDC’s own data showed that Covid was not much more of a threat than the seasonal flu.
And in late 2020, data and studies showed that lockdowns did not reduce transmission. (another source)
In January of 2021, it was admitted that some tests the State of Colorado were using were not entirely accurate.
Pfizer even admitted their vaccine did not prevent Covid.
And although every death is tragic, the reality was that “according to the state’s pandemic website, people over 80 account for 54 percent of the state’s COVID-19 deaths, while making up just 3 percent of the population; those between 70 and 79 represent 24 percent of the deaths, though they’re 6 percent of the population.” From the same CPR article about the excess deaths of 2020: “The only category that saw a double digit percentage decline was influenza and pneumonia, with 435 deaths in 2020 – down 19 percent.”
Only a small segment of Colorado’s population was at serious risk of death from Covid.
And the Associated Press picked up on the missing flu hospitalizations in early 2021 “The state Department of Public Health and Environment reported a total of 24 hospitalizations from the flu between Sept. 27 and Feb. 20.
“At around this time in last year’s flu season, over 2,400 people had been hospitalized. The state reported a total of 3,546 flu hospitalizations across its 2019-20 flu season.”
Of course, the missing flu of 2020 and 2021 was claimed to be from the mask mandates, and social distancing requirements.
Ultimately, the most important statistic is that Covid had a 99% Survival Rate.
The death, the destruction, and the horror of the Government’s Covid restrictions were all in response to a virus with a 99% survival rate.
The Good News..
The Covid years revealed many villains that advocated for restrictions on our liberty, but there were also many heroes who stood up.
Heroes Stood Up..
As early as July 2020, Colorado bar and restaurant owners sued the Polis Administration for his tyrannical restrictions, and others fought back any way they could.
Colorado Springs businesses also sued in December 2020.
Colorado churches stood up and in October 2020 won in court against the Governor’s restrictions.
And in November 2020, nearly 100 Loveland businesses refused to shut down.
Also in November 2020, Weld County Commissioners refused to support the Governor’s excessive restrictions, earning adulation from Free People across the state.
Citizens and workers protested across Colorado, including Summit County restaurant workers in November 2020, Castle Rock residents in December 2020, and Lyons residents also in December 2020.
In February 2021, Glenwood Springs residents made their voices heard.
Castle Rock even refused to enforce the Governor’s restrictions in November 2020.
And in January 2021, Monument passed a resolution admonishing the ‘unconstitutional limitations‘ placed upon the community by the Governor and asserted their rights to stand against his orders.
And in December 2020, Lawyers worked pro-bono to help businesses.
Citizens, local politicians, business owners and more refused to accept limitations on their lives and made their voices heard.
State Legislators..
Although most Colorado Legislators were more than happy to follow the Governor’s restrictions, some stood up for the people.
During the 2021 Legislative Session, liberty leaders Rep. Kim Ransom and Rep. Tonya Van Beber sponsored HB21-1191: Prohibit Discrimination COVID-19 Vaccine Status.
Kim Ransom sponsored the bill again in 2022, this time with State Rep. Shane Sandridge, HB22-1100: Prohibit Discrimination COVID-19 Vaccine Status.
Both of these bills were killed by the Democratic-controlled State Legislature.
State Representative Patrick Neville was also an outspoken critic of the Governor’s policies.
In August 2020, Neville sued the Governor over his mask mandate.
In December of 2020, he shared this screenshot of the inaccurate modeling the State was using to justify their shutdown policies:
...
One of the best legacies of the Covid-era is that homeschooling numbers jumped.
Many parents decided not to send their children back to government schools.
Another positive is that Farmer’s Markets grew. Not being able to go to a supermarket prompted many people to seek alternative sources for food and groceries.
And Gun Sales surged during the Covid years as individuals recognized the State does not have their best interests at heart, and ultimately each individual is responsible for their own safety.
These positive trends must be encouraged and more can be done to ensure the Covid restrictions never return.
Conclusion..
As more information is coming out, the Covid years are being called the “biggest scandal in American history,” and the truth is coming out that “America’s Covid response was based on lies.”
Whether it’s origins of Covid, the manipulation of data, big tech censorship, or politicians exploiting tragedy to push their personal agenda, millions of people have woken up to hard facts:
The media cannot be trusted.
Politicians cannot be trusted.
Your health is your own responsibility.
Your families safety is your own responsibility.
You can’t rely on corporate food sources like supermarkets, instead you can build relationships with local food producers.
Looking back at the Covid tyranny of the past three years is uncomfortable.
But if we don’t learn from the past, we will repeat these same mistakes again.
This must never be allowed to happen again.
The lessons of the Covid-era are many, but the primary one is this:
The State does not exist to protect you.
Politicians and Bureaucrats cannot be trusted to protect the health, well-being and safety of the community.
Your life is your own responsibility.
Colorado Ping ( Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the list.)
I lived through it and saw the blossoming of insanity in many people. I saw people wrapped up like mummies. Almost all women and vicious.
it was an experiment in mind control
there was NEVER a pandemic
the greatest scam in the history of the world and we lived through it
I see useful idiots wearing masks still
Driving in their car alone, windows up , masks ... living in fear. They believe Polis and the other tyrants who closed ski areas, mom & pop restaurants, killed small businesses ..
I lived through it too. The local paper in Glenwood published a letter saying anyone not vaccinated should be killed. We left, not coming back.
There are relatives with whom I am no longer on speaking terms.
"Don't ask, don't tell" was the safest policy for dealing with clients about the mRNA treatments. It is still the safest policy.
All of the people I know who once boasted of taking the treatments have since come down with COVID; some of them more than once. They don't like to be reminded of that and I avoid the topic. On the other hand, nobody associated with my clients or relatives has "Died Suddenly".
I did lose income when certain clients were temporarily shut down as "non-essential" businesses. They survived and are still clients. Turns out that organizations with the right political contacts could be abruptly reclassified as "essential businesses".
Why am I not surprised.
Not just family and former friends -
Dr. Robert Redfield, the former CDC Director, says Fauci and .. excluded him from meetings because he did not support their false narrative.
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4136586/posts
I was tossed from 2 grocery stores and a library for not masking up. I still went about my business without one when outside and a fake mask for indoors.
Paragraphs are your friend.
lengthy but accurate and complete exposition regarding the destruction of the colorado citizenry and businesses by the democrat fascist response to the fake covid crisis ...
“Driving in their car alone, windows up , masks ... living in fear. They believe Polis and the other tyrants who closed ski areas, mom & pop restaurants, killed small businesses ..”
yep ... saw that routinely in Boulder ... also saw Boulder idiots riding bikes and jogging with masks on as well ...
basically, amulets worn to ward off evil due to failure of education and knowledge ... this kind of behavior is a sure sign of a primitive society ...
“I still went about my business without one when outside and a fake mask for indoors.”
during the polis “emergency”, when private businesses were “ordered” to become enforcers for the fascist regime under penalty of fines, we wore masks only when we would have been tossed out, but always wore them BELOW our noses so we could breath ... except in medical facilities, no one had the balls to order us to “wear the mask properly”
when the “emergency” ceased, local health departments lost their enforcement ability, but many counties pretended that wasn’t the case and continued to issue emergency “mandates” ... ALL the media went along with that too, screaming about mandated mandates to the high heavens, but the private businesses knew better, and thereafter, we NEVER wore masks again, and no store employees ever bothered us ... only once were we accosted by a karen, a non-employee ...
Thank you.
Great posting!
I will not forget what happened.
Thank you.
Jared Schutz Polis destroyed many small businesses, childrens education, and ..
He was well assisted by many local pols and bureaucrats.
I won’t forget.
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