The COVID-19 pandemic will be seen as one of the most catastrophic interludes in American history. Not only was the loss of life extraordinary (1.2 million Americans dead and counting), but the assault by the government on our basic rights and liberties was unprecedented.
Unless there is some kind of reckoning in public health, in the public response by the government, and the criminal negligence of bureaucrats in handling public funds, we are certain to repeat most of the mistakes that led us to this sorry state of affairs.
The ray of hope is that Donald Trump’s election brought not only a needed turnover in leadership of our public health system, but also that the new leaders realize how badly these public health agencies performed during the pandemic, and necessary changes are underway.
I’ve been calling for a reckoning of COVID-19 across several fronts since 2021. Where do scientists go to get their reputations back who were smeared for suggesting COVID might have originated in a Chinese lab? Where do writers go for an apology for having articles covering the controversy demonetized by Twitter and Facebook? Where do taxpayers go to reclaim the $500 billion in COVID relief funds that were stolen or fraudulently obtained?
Where do Americans go to get justice for the lies, the incompetence, the abject failures of politicians, bureaucrats, and the mainstream media that led to the economic catastrophe (made much worse by Joe Biden’s policies), the loss of freedom, and the utter loss of trust in the ability of the government to act within the law while protecting our basic liberties?
The government saw the pandemic as an opportunity to advance a political agenda.