Alfredo Ortiz of Job Creators Network writes in RealClear Politics, as we mark one million deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S., we must consider the pandemic in the context of the actions and reactions of blue states vs red states to it and the consequences on their various economies and the overall well- being of their populations:
This week, the United States officially hit the sad mark of one million Covid-19 deaths. The mainstream media coverage has detailed how this death toll has varied based on age, race, and vaccination status. However, it has conspicuously ignored how these Covid-19 deaths have occurred independently of differing state policies regarding economic and education restrictions.
Many Democrat-run states imposed severe restrictions in 2020 and 2021 that did nothing to stop the virus and much to harm small businesses and ordinary Americans. Job Creators Network called on policymakers to “flatten the fear” when it became clear the virus couldn’t be controlled by hiding at home or a big government response, yet we were ignored by blue-state officials. Any reckoning of the nation’s Covid response at one million deaths must incorporate these unforced errors that exacerbated the pandemic’s wrath.
. . .
The full consequences of blue states’ bad economic and education pandemic policies are only just emerging. These states endured more business closures, economic depression, and crime than their counterparts that quickly reopened. The big blue states of California, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Illinois are still far from recovering all their employees lost during the pandemic. (Many former employees have fled to red states for economic freedom.)
Read the rest of the article here.