What has Covid-19 taught you?

Hard lessons and choices

I got the COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer. The double dose. I wouldn’t encourage or discourage anyone to take it because it’s a personal decision. Honestly, I never once felt ill since the pandemic had started, until I took the first dose of the vaccine. I felt horrible for 2 weeks straight, but after that I felt fine. I felt surprisingly and especially good after receiving the second dose.

The whole reason I took the vaccine is because I wanted to spend time with my mother, my kids and family members and did not want to worry about infecting them with the virus. I waited to get the vaccine until it was available at the Veterans Administration (VA). Unlike many celebrities and self-absorbed politicians, I waited to make sure that nurses, first responders and the elderly got their shots first. Unlike President Biden and members of Congress I didn’t cut line.

As all Americans, the year plus of lockdowns, business disruptions and the cost of not seeing loved ones has been heavy. Since COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted I have seen many friends and extended family again and life has seemed to get back to normal. Normal except for skyrocketing gas prices and inflation on just about everything that has pushed expenses through the roof.

It’s been interesting to see the good and bad our government can do when tested. Good was the implementation of Operation Warp Speed, which put the vaccine (which by the way has been in development for twenty years) on the fast track. Bad has been the forced mandates, infringement on our American rights and mandatory shutdowns of business and commerce. Good was the initial stimulus and PPE loans. Bad is the continuation of stimulus, which is discouraging many from seeking jobs, especially able-bodied people who are desperately needed in the work force. Bad was implementation of mail in ballots and swift changes made to election rules in many states (which caused delayed election night results and caused doubt in the legitimacy of the election outcome). Good is the push now for presenting identification to vote (over 70% of Americans want this).

So now as we see the latest Delta variant of Covid-19 spread across the world, we wonder what’s next. As most Americans who got vaccinated and some who are now contracting the virus, we are seeing positive results. What would have killed many last year, is now being seen to be having no worse effects as those contracting the common cold or the flu. Most people are not dying. Those who chose not to get the vaccine, most who contract the virus, studies are showing those folks are much worse off.

Again, I don’t suggest that people should take the vaccine. It’s a personal choice and you know your body. Many of the same people who have been preaching “My body, my choice” for decades (yes, the Pro-Choice folks), many are now supporting mandatory mandates for folks to take the vaccine. In this hypocritical world we live in… I say sorry folks, you can’t have it both ways. So, you choose. Life over death. Get vaccinated or not. We as Americans have a long history of having a choice to be intelligent or stupid, being skeptics or realists, being believers in God or atheists. Covid and all its challenges shouldn’t change who we are as Americans. It’s called freedom. It’s called being a free republic.

Yes, Covid-19 has shown America a lot. We have seen the differences between a strong Presidency and now a weak Presidency. We have seen what strong closed borders provide and what weak open borders do for the country. We have seen the rise in violent crime across American liberal led cities, more deaths associated with mental health because of Covid-19 and a concerted effort by the national media to not draw attention to it. We saw a President under attack by the media at the beginning of Covid-19 versus a President adored by the media no matter what horrible news befalls the country. We have seen the fear in the eyes of terrorists, versus terrorists now creating fear in our eyes again. We have seen what fair national trade looks like versus America now getting screwed by the global community again. We’ve seen the achievements of capitalism and entrepreneurs reaching outer space with private dollars, versus those who would rather see the government mandate how private citizens can spend their own money and the drive to squash American ingenuity, by spending our tax dollars without limit. We see the struggle between the freedom of capitalism versus the shackles of socialism and communism. We have seen love for the US versus a deep-seated hate for our country. Conservatism versus extreme radical progressivism. Commonsense versus painful bizarre-world left wing logic.

So, the question is… what has Covid-19 taught you?

Will you fight to maintain your American rights and freedom? Or will you willingly allow the government to control every aspect of your life, because of a virus called Covid-19?