Effective demagogues

Roy Davis of Roland asks why there have been more covid deaths in 2021 than in 2020. I would say that there was a markedly different attitude toward covid in 2020. Many businesses were closed. Schools were virtual. Mask-wearing and social distancing were generally accepted.

Compare that to

2021. Mask-wearing is discouraged, sometimes with hostility and violence. Social distancing is a thing of the past. Most schools and businesses have reopened. There is now a vaccine that can prevent most covid deaths but there is another new dynamic to contend with. We now have a pro-death cult that encourages people to not wear masks and not get vaccinated. In a logical world, this would be seen as total nuthouse nonsense. Who would pay any attention to anyone who encourages people to get sick and die? Two of the leaders of this cult, Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott, are not only providing this encouragement, they have been very successful in gaining followers.

In Florida and Texas, 2021 covid deaths were up 55% over 2020. Wow. That’s some pretty effective demagoguery. For some reason, though, that governor up there in New York took a different approach and had a different result. He encouraged mask-wearing and vaccinations. Covid deaths in New York were 50% lower in 2021 compared to 2020.

In contrast to Florida and Texas, Arkansas lacks the type of leader that makes a death cult truly effective. Instead, the state has had to rely on the state Legislature to encourage Arkansans to get sick and die. The difference is that Arkansas covid deaths were only up about 26% in 2021.

When it comes to getting people to drink the Kool-Aid, what kind of leader do you suppose the next governor of Arkansas will be?

MICHAEL FOX Conway