The smart learn by making mistakes, the wise learn from the mistakes of others

Dear editor

In response to a Dec. 15 letter from Tom Simpson, titled “Reasonable questions are not personal attacks.”

Mr. Simpson called it accurately regarding the response to the pandemic by Mr. Kenney and cabinet. Their response has been too limited and too late in imposing public health restrictions on Alberta.

By August and September there was a lot of evidence from around the world that showed when leaders did not impose strict public health measures the result was disastrous. Look at the record of infections and of deaths in the U.K. and in the U.S., for two examples. Boris Johnson and Donald Trump did not take the pandemic seriously soon enough. The infection rates and deaths in those countries, proportionate to rates in Alberta, were hugely higher in spring and summer. In New York they literally had to stack corpses in rental trucks due to lack of mortuary space, while Mr. Trump foolishly derided the wearing of masks and told people to inject bleach.

On the other hand, look to South Korea as an example of early and very strict imposing of public health restrictions. It worked. South Korea’s economy suffered for a relatively short time, their infection rate stayed low and their health care system was not strained. My point is, since March, there have been clear, well-known examples for Mr. Kenney and company to learn from and to follow successfully. By October they had failed to accept what had been proven to work elsewhere. Confucius said “the smart person learns by making mistakes, but the wise person learns from the mistakes of others.” Mr. Kenney and company felt beholden to the anti-maskers who, in truth, were demanding the freedom to infect others, to sicken others and by extension to kill. A good leader would have ignored their baseless clamour and would have made the difficult but proper choices.

As reported in the Dec. 10 News, the Premier’s response to a reporter’s questions also showed another disturbing thing. The reporter’s questions were fair comment criticism of policy, particularly in light of readily available evidence, as exemplified above. Mr. Kenney, however, claimed the questions were “…Alberta bashing…” Mr. Kenney’s equating criticism of his government’s policy with insult to our province shows he has a massive sense of entitlement. I state the obvious when I say that Jason Kenney is not the province of Alberta, but in his mind, he seems to think he is the province. That is why he took fair criticism of policy as an attack on our province. His response to the reporter’s questions showed an inability to rightly take fair criticism, and was an attempt to deflect blame and to deny his and his government’s responsibility. Alberta is not under attack, except in the minds of Mr. Kenney and his party. Demagogues are never good leaders. He has shown it.

Yours truly, Gregory R. Côté Irvine