I’m the ultimate positive thinker. I’m also very cynical. You can be both. My favorite saying is, “Expect the best, prepare for the worst.”
So, I’m going to give you both sides of the Coronavirus story.
Let’s start with the bad. This is the worst mess of our lifetimes. The economy is hanging by a thread. Stocks are savaged. Small business is wrecked. Millions of Americans are about to lose their jobs. My beloved Vegas is (for the moment) down for the count. And I haven’t even gotten to the health crisis yet.
All of this happened because of a virus that has barely even arrived. Here’s the problem. I have many great friends and guests on my national TV and radio shows who are medical experts. Half believe this is the “pandemic to end all pandemics.” They quote CDC models that report as many as 1.7 million Americans could die. So, people are rightfully scared out of their minds. American business is shutting down.
But the other half of my medical friends and expert guests say this is a great exaggeration and overreaction. They predict less Americans will die than the flu season of 2017-2018 that killed about 80,000. They don’t believe we needed to close down American business and lock ourselves in our homes.
The problem is we won’t know who’s right until it’s over.
So, I have preached on my TV and radio shows for President Trump to attack this with everything he’s got. Not just the looming healthcare crisis. But also, the financial crisis. When all is said and done, we will need a 21stcentury version of “The Marshall Plan” to save America’s economy. We’ll need to rescue small business, their employees, those sick with Coronavirus, tourism, airlines, Vegas and all the rest, with a trillion-dollar rescue plan. No choice.
Now I want to brighten your day just a bit. Because I believe you’re hearing only worst-case scenarios.
First, if you’re a Trump supporter, the left thinks Trump is finished. Not so fast. The latest Rasmussen poll has him at 49%. That’s up several points, smack dab in the middle of the stock crash and Coronovirus crisis. And in Iowa, Trump is beating both Biden and Sanders by double digits. So, I’m betting Trump will be just fine.
Now to Coronavirus. First, the CDC reports that this virus could kill up to 1.7 million Americans. Are you aware this same government agency projected Ebola could infect over 1 million in Africa? It wound up affecting under 30,000. Why are we letting government bureaucrats scare us to death? Could they be badly wrong?
Second, no one seems able to explain something to me. Italy is a country of 60 million with a terrible 3rdworld healthcare system. They have 1,000 dead. The pandemic is raging. Let’s say in the end 3,000 die. Now it hits America, a country of 330 million with the finest healthcare system in the world, and the finest doctors. Why would America’s results be worse than Italy?
And even if the results are similar, multiply 3,000 dead by five (because our population is five times bigger). That’s 15,000 dead in the USA from Coronavirus. That’s far lower than the 80,000 Americans who just died from the flu a year ago. Why is America going to have 1.7 million dead? Can anyone explain that projection to me? So far, no one can.
Lastly, some are reporting death rates much higher than the flu. Is it possible millions already have Coronavirus, but it’s mild and they‘ve chosen not to tell anyone they have it? So, the death rate only applies to those so deathly ill they went to the hospital? Perhaps the death rate is vastly overcounted.
I’m betting on America. I’m hoping for the best and prepared for the worst. You should be too.
Wayne Allyn Root is a CEO, entrepreneur, best-selling author, nationally-syndicated talk show host on USA Radio Network and the host of “The Wayne Allyn Root Show” on Newsmax TV nightly at 11 PM ET/8 PM Pacific. To find out more about Wayne Allyn Root and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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