This study provides strong statistical support for what so many have been observing for six months. The epidemic has a natural tendency to spread quickly at first and slow down, seemingly on its own, a point made not only here but as early as April 14 by Isaac Ben-Israel. Meanwhile governors imagine that very specific rules for opening bars and restaurants are the key to containment.
Governments have conducted an unprecedented social, economic, and political experiment in controlling whole populations’ behavior, with high economic and human cost. The authors ask the right question: has this experiment in government-managed virus control and suppression made a difference? The startling answer they found, after examining data from around the country and the world, is that the evidence simply is not there.
If we are concerned about the evidence on this global experiment, we must concede that most government authorities have likely acted in error. [from OP link]
Well, isn’t that just dandy.
We just instituted the single most destructive policy ever initiated in this country’s history for the sake of an *experiment* that shows no measurable effect on the outcome.
Remember: Trump wanted to open on April 12th but was shouted down for it. This study suggests we could have and should have—because nothing would have changed.
It was a natural phenomenon that would have declined on its own. It was all done for nothing.
Outraged yet?
