Dear Editor:
We are all affected by what we see and hear in our mainstream media and social media, even if we don’t buy into the less-than-factual narrative that often plays out in these forums.
Case in point: Last week, I took my son to Urgent Care for treatment on his hand. I was asked about his COVID vaccination status no less than three times while he was there. When we told the secretary sitting at the front desk that my 12-year-old was unvaccinated, she looked at him as if he was OJ Simpson. I thought to myself: Why is she looking at him with such contempt? My wife and I decided not to vaccinate our son since he’s in a near-zero risk category for any real complications from COVID. But at this point in the pandemic, when there is almost no distinction to be drawn on the infection rates for vaccinated vs. unvaccinated people, why would you treat him as if he’s some modern-day leper? (Yes, I am aware that there are sick unvaccinated, COVID-infected people in the hospital, but that’s largely irrelevant within the context of deciding whether to vaccinate a healthy 12-year-old.) Is it because your reality is shaped by all the brilliant wisdom you’ve read from all the self-appointed experts on that alternative reality universe we call Facebook? Why you feel morally superior when at some point you likely were or will be infected with Omicron, which you were “vaccinated” against, remains a mystery to me.
I don’t want to draw any conclusions from my own anecdotal story, but consider this: On Friday during oral arguments, Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor stated about the COVID hospitalization rate: “We have over 100,000 children, which we’ve never had before, in serious condition, many on ventilators.” This of course in no way comports with reality, as there are about 3,500 kids currently hospitalized with COVID. Reader Jason Stark correctly noted last week that, per Dr. Fauci, in many COVID hospitalization cases, the COVID infection is incidental, and not the reason for their hospitalization. But how does a Supreme Court Justice charged with ruling on a vaccine mandate get the statistics so wildly incorrect? Does she get her information from her Twitter bubble and MSNBC? That certainly would explain her ridiculously embarrassing misstatement.
Lastly, reader Arlene Ross blames the length of the pandemic on the unvaccinated. She too appears to have fully imbibed from The New York Times/Washington Post/CNN/Twitter/Facebook trough that blame the unvaccinated whenever anything goes wrong with the pandemic. How one reaches this erroneous conclusion in the midst of Israel conducting what is perhaps the greatest case study of vaccine ineffectiveness is astounding! Approximately 3/4 of the population in Israel has taken at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, yet Israel continues to set new infection records day after day. How is this possible? Hard to blame it on the unvaccinated as they make up a very small fraction of the population.
Bottom line: Too much social (and mainstream) media consumption is similar to too much alcohol consumption. It impairs one’s ability to think rationally and can be extremely hazardous to one’s long-term health.
T.R.
Dear Editor:
Recently, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ripped the hypocrisy of “lockdown politicians,” including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Eric Swalwell for leaving their lockdown states to enjoy their freedom while vacationing maskless in Florida. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi each broke lockdown rules to get their hair cut. California Governor Gavin Newsom was caught breaking his own rules, dining with a large group in a fancy restaurant. These are but a few of the many examples of our ruling class making “rules for thee but not for me.”
While the hypocrisy of our ruling class is apparent for all to see, a larger more important point is obscured: They aren’t scared! While they preach panic (in the form of masks and lockdowns) to their constituents, their actions make one thing crystal clear: They don’t actually believe what they’re preaching!
While on the topic of not believing what one is saying, President Biden stated last week that there is no federal solution to the COVID-19 pandemic. This from a man whose entire presidential campaign was built upon his promise of a federal solution to “shut down the virus.” Biden’s repeated gaffes, missteps, and overall confusion have led many to question his cognitive abilities. But promulgating one of the greatest constitutional overreaches in the form of his OSHA vaccine mandate while simultaneously declaring that there is no federal solution to the pandemic takes cognitive dissonance to another level.
Speaking of cognitive dissonance, letter writer Arlene Ross contends, “Anti-vaxxers are keeping COVID around far longer than need be.” While New York breaks COVID case records day after day with about 85 percent of New Yorkers having already received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, I suggest Ms. Ross look elsewhere for scapegoats. Perhaps what is in order is an acknowledgement of the obvious, that the COVID vaccines have failed to deliver as advertised.
Even more disturbing than looking for phony scapegoats is our government’s reaction to this massive failure. When the vaccines were rolled out, they were touted by our health experts as the solution that would bring about the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. They dangled the carrot: Take the jab – and the lockdowns, masking, school closures, and business regulations would all come to an end.
Once it became glaringly obvious that the vaccines weren’t going to ever bring an end to the pandemic, why haven’t the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) held the pharmaceutical companies accountable, instead of cramming down this exceedingly flawed “solution” on the American public? Was Operation Warp Speed a public-private sector fear initiative to drain the treasury? After 13 months and billions of dollars invested, we’re left with two vaccines that neither prevent infection nor transmission along with the potential for booster shots in perpetuity. Not exactly the return on investment we were all hoping for!
Jason Stark
Dear Editor:
President Biden, House Speaker Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Schumer remind me of The Three Stooges, Moe, Larry, and Curly. Except they made us all laugh. Biden, Pelosi, and Schumer make us want to cry. All three claim that the $1.85 trillion Build Back America Bill is fully paid for. Only fellow Democrat West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin has the courage to challenge this charade.
The result will end up increasing our national debt by hundreds of billions. There is no guarantee that many of the anticipated spending offsets and future revenue sources will actually come to fruition. Any spending provisions that sunset after several years versus the full authorization period seldom occur. Once recipients count on these new entitlements, Congress always seems to find funding to extend them. Have you even read of any elected official proudly announcing that his pet program will end?
The Congressional Budget Office conducted an honest review for the cost of this legislation. They added up the costs for such programs as expansion of Obama care, childcare subsidies, universal pre-kindergarten, and others that would only be funded for the first few years rather than becoming permanent. The real cost for this bill, assuming Congress extends funding several years down the road for the full ten years, would add an additional $3 trillion in long-term debt. So much for truth in advertising. If you or I managed our finances like Biden, Pelosi, and Schumer, we would have been audited by the IRS and sentenced to serve hard time in prison.
Sincerely,
Larry Penner
Dear Editor:
Fare evasion has long been an issue in New York City. This problem has slowly seeped into the Jewish community, as I have borne witness to youth believing that they are above the law. While those adolescents were not penalized for their blatant transgressions, a disturbing occurrence early last Saturday morning brings home the possible ramifications.
Christopher De La Cruz, a 28-year-old subway rider from East Elmhurst, and father of a four-year-old, decided to jump the turnstiles at 71st Avenue in Forest Hills with a devastating conclusion. De La Cruz’s balancing antics to evade the $2.75 fee was his last, as he eventually fell into the turnstile after several hoisting attempts. The man, who was on his way to work, cracked his head on the concrete mezzanine floor, never to awaken again. While his death is sad, it should not be viewed as a freak accident, rather the possibility of this being one of our friends or his child.
Safe travels,
Shabsie Saphirstein
