Posted on by Sue Seboda

Government Gods

April 28, 2020

By Sue Seboda

Open Letter to Governor Hogan

The purpose of this letter is to outline questions and comments regarding the press conference Friday 4/24/20.  Assertions that small business has been a top priority are called into question by your actions.  If equal weight had been placed on the physical, mental and economic health of all of the citizens, a balanced approach would have been pursued.  Evidence of such an approach would have been the creation of a task force on day 1 that represented the viewpoints of not only epidemiologists and the medical community but also business, banking and mental health.  Instead a lopsided, reactionary strategy based on faulty “science” was implemented leaving immeasurable human and financial destruction in its wake.  

This single focused strategy also gave rise to government gods recklessly choosing who lives and dies, who gets a paycheck and who doesn’t. Home Depot is safe but hundreds of other businesses that could manage 6’ spacing are unsafe?  A hair salon can provide services to an essential person with papers but no one else?  Are essential people and businesses somehow immune from covid-19?  Why are all state employees still receiving paychecks when the state’s income has been decimated?  

Missing from the press conference was any discussion of real data. I presume the team is familiar with the studies emerging that suggest infection is far more widespread resulting in a death rate under 1%?  Or does the team focus more on the attacks leveled at these studies instead of the possibilities they suggest?  Has an attempt been made to estimate the actual death rate considering asymptomatic case rates may be 50% or greater?  Let’s assume the death rate is around 0.6% as some suggest.  Would you have supported a complete destruction of demand if we knew this on March 1?  Doubtful. 

But what is done is done.  How do we move forward and protect the vulnerable from the very infectious covid-19 and the rest of us from the government gods?  I am very happy to hear that business minds have now been added to the team because I fear that if it were left to the medical professionals, stay at home orders would be in place until a vaccine was available.  Can commonsense steps be taken to open many businesses now?  Yes. 

A simple approach would focus on the existing demographic data for deaths and ICU admissions.  As of today there are 929 total deaths in Maryland and 551 patients in ICU.  (For perspective please note that that 50,668 Marylanders died in 2018 from all causes.)  In the press conference we learned a high percentage of these numbers represent nursing home patients.  While these lives are as valuable as any other life, people in nursing homes are not the ones shopping and operating businesses.  What about the workforce?  How many of the deaths were people under 65 without underlying health conditions?  Using percentages from various studies this number is probably between 17 and 42 people out of a population of 6,043,000.  

This data suggests government should stop playing god and immediately allow any business to reopen that can adjust to physical distance guidelines.  Protect the vulnerable and allow everyone else to go back to work.  Each individual chooses.  Anyone uncomfortable leaving the house can remain there.  Open public spaces with physical distance guidelines. Phase in the remaining businesses and events as soon as possible based on real data.  Would infections spike?  Probably.  But once again, what is the hospitalization rate for those under 65 without underlying conditions?  Balance this threat against the devastating impact of staying closed another two weeks.   

Every day matters. Each minute we remain closed, the consequences will pile up exponentially.  All lives matter.  Waiting is disaster.  It is absurd to rely on continued federal bailouts.  It’s time to save ourselves both from the virus and the government’s reaction to it. If we start the process now, we will be one day closer to the oft discussed herd immunity and one day further from toxic herd fear.  

During the press conference, the lack of any attempt to dispel fear was disturbing.  Some would suggest that a healthy level of fear aids the government gods in their ability to control people.   How do I know fear levels are sky high and people’s brains paralyzed?   Simply observe how many people wear a mask when engaged in solitary activities.  The fear will subside, however, as the damage mounts.  There will be serious questions.  Even now folks wonder why you listen to federal guidelines when they don’t make sense.  And if commonsense is absent from Maryland’s strategy, it won’t be long before we wonder why we should listen to you.   

Sincerely,

Sue Seboda

Annapolis, MD 

Details

5 Replies to “Government Gods”

  2. Excellent analysis, Sue Seboda. Thank you for being a voice of reason. (Not to be confused with the original Voice of Reason, the great Ron Smith. RIP.)

    1. Thanks Jack. I look forward to the day our politicians show a bit of common sense! Definitely RIP Ron Smith.

  3. Well written piece. Gov. Hogan’s inability to lead is because he running a counter campaign for the presidency, albeit for 2024. His passive aggressive positions of saying, “I don’t want to place blame” then the quick pivot to blaming the federal government show he is sucking up on the media-he wants them to like him. He is basking in the national attention. So he tries to sound fair and reasonable but he has shown he is allowing his aspirations to cloud his decision making. The recent blunder with the purchase of 500,000 test kits from S. Korea that are missing parts is an epic fail. This move was motivated by hubris and oneupmanship. Here is where a total lack of understanding about the challenges to produce the test kits highlights Hogan’s ego over analysis. Test kits are not a commercially available of the shelf (COTS) item. The main components of the test kits all suffered massive shortages due to worldwide demand. Notice the national media with whom he is having a romance with has not been critical of this mess. He spent our tax dollars on a pig in a poke, all while the economy is melting down. Marylanders should be outraged.
    This epic fail in part, illuminates why Hogan has shown he has misstepped during this crisis. His focus on preening to appear to be the adult in the room has acted as a distraction. He has calculated his every move to be popular with the media-a media bent on one goal- to get President Trump.
    As your treatise points out the science has been wrong. It has evolved and taken many twists and turns only to show the more we keep learning the more apparent it is the less informed decisions have been. To be fair, one can only analyze current data sets to inform decisions; however, as you point out, data has evolved and yet, any serious analysis of the data has been ignored or pushed aside. Why? My observations lead me to conclude it’s because Hogan is triangulating to his progressive supporters, the media who are aligned with the progressives of Maryland and his 2024 aspirations- the driving force that keeps Hogan focuses on the political calculus rather than facts.
    Real leadership would push away the political calculus and make a case for the changing data and as you suggest retool the plan. It’s a strategy that requires throwing the current plan in the trash. It requires the myopic policy that is steeped in optics for the media and if not a 2024 audition, concern with legacy over the welfare of his constituents.
    Instead Hogan has taken the position that until there is either an effective therapeutic treatment or vaccine, no large gatherings can be held. This of course guarantees massive economic failure. Hogan’s legacy will be that he like so many politicians who are willful in using their new power to control with fear, will be a hoist of his own petard. He will be known as the Governor who destroyed the Maryland economy. That is a chilling thought as the progressive block controls the state. A GOP Governor is unlikely after Hogan’s term ends. Their answer will be to cease on the precedent of royal power and double down on violating our rights while raising taxes to fund their utopian dreams.
    Alas, don’t expect Hogan to step back and retool his plan. He has willfully attached the strings of the media puppet masters to himself, proving he is the wrong man to lead. He doesn’t know it yet, but his 2024 aspirations are dead on arrival.

    1. Thanks for your thoughtful comment Todd. Hogan’s uses the right words but the actions are wrong. If his top priority were reopening Maryland, he would have found a way to make it happen safely. He just said on TV that Maryland has not seen a flattening or decline in hospitalizations. What charts is he looking at? The one on the MD site clearly shows flattening. It’s as if he is looking for reasons not to open. I think he is worried about the loss of control when he does. Once we open, things will roll and no one will ever pay attention to him again. Working on my next post and letter to him. Have a good night. Thanks, Sue

Comments are closed.