1) Are Democrats Preparing New Lock Downs? The Summer Wave In Perspective
It seems clear to us that investors got the jitters yesterday in part because of the threat of a new round of business and school reopening restrictions. These concerns of a blue state return to invasive lockdown and mask requirements (See the item below) are well founded. Democrats like to impose controls on the economy.
Here are the facts: COVID is rising again, as it did last summer, and the media establishment is trying to induce panic again, as it did last summer. (But they didn’t panic during the so-far larger spring 2021 wave, which was mostly in politically-favored northern states.)
Let’s keep things in perspective. Deaths are up, but only very slightly from our very low first seasonal low of the vaccine era:
And there is (mercifully) a total game-changer versus pre-vaccine waves: nursing home cases and deaths have stayed very low. This means sharply lower hospital/ICU loads, death counts, and attendant panic that could drive lockdowns.
2) What’s Behind the American Academy Of Pediatrics’ Call For Masks And Even More Federal School Spending?
The AAP grabbed a lot of headlines yesterday with their indefensible recommendation to mask all schoolchildren. We checked to see what they possibly cited to support that position and found exactly zero citations.
But there was this: “the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) strongly advocates for additional federal assistance to all schools throughout the United States, irrespective of whether the current local context allows for in-person instruction.”
Really? Even more federal funding? Even for schools that are closed? We’ve already provided more than $100 billion for schools – many of which have been closed for the past year.
Where did they get the idea? Literally from a teachers union lobbying document! This is their footnote:
Which reminds us of this chart, which we’ve shared before but bears repeating. Among the most leftist doctors in America are the pediatricians. Two of three are Democrats. (Infectious disease specialists – our new overlords – are even worse.)