Gov. Newsom continues to whitewash COVID-19 policies
Gavin Newsom took to the nation's airways last week to claim that “we” were wrong about draconian COVID-19 lockdowns. Newsflash, governor: “We” were not wrong. You were wrong. Some of us pushed back on your erratic policies and were derided as wanting to kill Grandma. We were demonized, penalized, and victimized by you, Gov. Newsom.
But “we” were not wrong. We were right.
In a recent interview, Newsom admitted about his stringent COVID-19 lockdown measures, “I think we would've done everything differently. I think all of us, in terms of our collective wisdom, we've evolved. We didn't know what we didn't know. We're experts in hindsight. We're all geniuses now.”
As a county supervisor responsible for local health policy, I personally dealt with Gov. Genius's edicts and lockdowns. He may have evolved. But some of us all along were sufficiently “evolved” to actually follow the science while simultaneously supporting liberty.
Newsom, of course, wants to be president. Either way, he must feverishly try to scrub his dismal record and make himself more palatable to the American public. Newsom no doubt hopes that his “hindsight” defense causes Americans to excuse his disastrous dictates. But his behavior was inexcusable.
Newsom shut down places of worship, violating our First Amendment freedom, while he allowed Hollywood to continue doing business. Big box stores like Target and Walmart remained open, scoring record profits, while small businesses in the same community selling the same products faced the jackbooted heel of state power. Newsom declared small businesses, churches and schools “nonessential.” He committed a COVID-19-based crime against liberty and created a COVID19-based mental health crisis. But big corporate donors, highend restaurants like the French Laundry and professional sports were “essential.”
Gov. Newsom excluded the Legislature and the public from the decision-making process. We were prevented from making fundamental decisions about worship, health, schooling, and more for ourselves and our families. He even closed Orange County beaches while randomly allowing other coastal counties to keep their beaches open. The sun, sand and air in Orange County was somehow less healthy. So much for following the science.
Similarly, early in the pandemic, it became clear that our children were the least vulnerable to death or severe illness from the virus. Yet, Newsom still shut down schools and foisted “distance learning” on us. This abysmal failure, which seriously damaged our children's education and mental health, was done to appease Newsom's donors in the teachers' union.
Despite the fact that COVID-19 proved early to be a pandemic of the elderly and the infirm, California under Gavin Newsom refused to follow the science and protect those at risk. Instead, Newsom benefitted his supporters and himself and inflicted unimaginable pain on everyone else. His kids went to school. Most of ours did not. He partied maskless at the French Laundry, ironically with the equally maskless hypocritical lobbyists and leadership of the California Medical Association. We were told that doing the same would lead to more deaths. Meanwhile, in our hospitals, our loved ones died alone because, cruelly and illogically, even the terminally ill without COVID-19 were denied visitors.
This mean-spirited and selfish behavior of Gavin Newsom must forever hang as an albatross from his neck.
As Newsom hits the campaign trail, American voters should not be fooled by this slick demagogue's whitewash of his record on COVID-`9.
We, in Orange County and other parts of the state with wiser leadership than Newsom provides, were not wrong about terrible COVID-19 lockdowns and continue to fight against his destructive policies, mistakes and erratic rule.
We have much success to show for this fight. By virtually every metric, Orange County's COVID-19 numbers were better than surrounding counties. Orange County's public safety is robust, boasting six of the 10 safest cities in California. San Francisco and Los Angeles are not on that list. According to our last census numbers, Orange County's homeless population has decreased while it explodes elsewhere under Newsom's policies.
“We” do not have to apologize for our meaningful, measurable track record of success. So, while Newsom deflects, trying to spread COVID-19 blame all around and actually dodging his own personal responsibility, we still await an apology for the rest of his failed agenda.