To the governor of Florida in regards to re-opening.

Hello,

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.  Wise words from not too long ago.

I am appalled at the blatant disregard for life through the label of "non-essential".  No elected body in the US has ever been granted the power to determine what is and what is not essential no matter how many lawyers may jump in to argue otherwise.

I am not surprised at the split-brain government reaction to protect "health" by destroying it.  People are not just laboratory specimens that are to be protected from every new strain of illness by separating them through the use of "social distancing" or "laws" to wear masks or take "medicine/vaccine" to thwart off annual mutations.  We are thinking, feeling,  loving, and emotional beings that need the freedom to interact without being constrained by the fears of others.  We can not have brave people if everyone is being told they have to live in the same fear as others.

I am horrified that people claim compassion while simply swinging negative results from one side of the human equation to the other side and verbally abusing their friends who disagree with the current non-scientific path that we are on.  This is the execution of an "experiment" regarding an untested singular hypothesis where any finding that goes against the narrative is being thrown out by the "scientists" and politicians regardless of the p-value.  Again, that is not science.  If science was being used then both the null and alternative hypothesis would have already been thrown out as incorrect.  But instead the original course of action is being stuck to as propaganda is greater than science.  What reason can their be to stick to this over-reaction other than to grow fear, division, and the power of government and "medicine"?

Consensus is not a part of the scientific method.  Observing and extrapolating is not science it is conjecture.  "Close enough" is not a scientific term.  Validation and rejection are parts of the process.  History has shown us repeatedly that "we have to do something" and "I was just following orders" are not acceptable excuses.

People who have been clinging to hope that Florida will re-open by the end of April are now experiencing sadness and anger at this government's inability to overcome fear, not succumb to lobbyists, and not cause more harm to the very people they think they are trying to keep safe.

Why are you allowing fear to paralyze us?  I'm not afraid and I'm tired of being told I need to be.  A virus with a demonstrated 0.12% - 0.20% infection to death rate (which is probably actually lower considering all those who have not been tested) is not something to shutdown over.  Control states and countries who did not shut-down are showing the world that we over-reacted.  Basing policy on the miserable way that Italy handled their medical rationing is not rational.  Protect our at-risk population?  Yes!  Give them quarantine options?  Yes!  Wreck our ability to sustain our population?  No!  Force people who are not at-risk to stop living?  No!

Why are we medical rationing here?  Why are people being denied life-saving "elective" procedures?

I do not condone nor submit to the decisions of a task force as they do not represent me.  End this state of emergency and let the people work out how we need to deal with this health issue without the force of government involved.  I know we would do well as we all want to survive and government is not essential for that.

Enough with the fear mongering and conjecture that there may never be a cure for this virus - we are here to live and no amount of money thrown into pharmaceutical or new hospitals is going to give us a 100% survival rate of life.  Government's proper role is not to keep us safe from disease which they cannot control but rather from our rights being trampled on.

Marc

The response?

No surprise there!  Government is the solution?  No, government is a bottle-neck that has outlived it's usefulness.  Quit using force as a way of life, people!

Occam's razor

Which is the simpler explanation?

That the world has produced a new super disease which threatens to kill many of us and we need to shut-down life as we know it and suspend our constitutional rights in order to save ourselves from it?
-or-
That people lie to achieve their political goals?

Never waste a good crisis; especially an invisible "possible" crisis that can create enough fear for folks to accept whatever change the powers that be want to make.  Keep in mind, it's only Pence and the irresponsible propaganda machine (mass media) telling us we are going to kill the disease or stop it.  Our other "leaders" are more honestly conveying these unreasonable efforts are only meant to slow the spread.

Who are you going to believe?

People on the government payroll who have nothing to lose by the stories they are telling to keep you afraid?
-or-
The people who work in these fields that are risking their careers to speak out against what the government is doing?

Why would anyone be more willing to believe politicians and bureaucrats over those actually working in the fields?

Fear

There is nothing to fear in the disease!  Take precautions?  Sure.  Isolate those most vulnerable to any disease right now?  Yes.  Lock down the country because of fear-mongering? No.

There is everything to fear in giving the government more power.  Give up our essential liberties in order to achieve a better tomorrow?  Can you not hear the paradox?

Force

Remember what you learned in Kindergarten?  Hitting and killing are bad.  Force is supposed to be the last resort for defense and should never be used to push an agenda nor an idea, no matter how correct people may think it is.

Science

Before I go for today I want to list the scientific method.  Please note that nowhere in the method are the terms "extrapolate" or "statistics".  Science is black and white; either it can be proven and it is fact or it can be substantiated (but not proven) and it becomes theory.  At no point is a hypothesis considered fact nor theory.

1. Make an observation.
2. Ask a question.
3. Form a hypothesis, or testable explanation.
4. Make a prediction based on the hypothesis.
5. Test the prediction.
6. Iterate: use the results to make new hypotheses or predictions.

Definition "Iterate" - perform repeatedly.

There is no science in prediction, but predictions can be tested to get science.

This is a good reference to understand that even in science you have to accept "factual" results as possibly being true because further testing might prove a fact to have been lacking or even false tomorrow.

Science uses specialized terms that have different meanings than everyday usage. These definitions correspond to the way scientists typically use these terms in the context of their work. Note, especially, that the meaning of “theory” in science is different than the meaning of “theory” in everyday conversation.

• Fact: In science, an observation that has been repeatedly confirmed and for all practical purposes is accepted as “true.” Truth in science, however, is never final and what is accepted as a fact today may be modified or even discarded tomorrow.
• Hypothesis: A tentative statement about the natural world leading to deductions that can be tested. If the deductions are verified, the hypothesis is provisionally corroborated. If the deductions are incorrect, the original hypothesis is proved false and must be abandoned or modified. Hypotheses can be used to build more complex inferences and explanations.
• Law: A descriptive generalization about how some aspect of the natural world behaves under stated circumstances.
• Theory: In science, a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences, and tested hypotheses.

Sources:
The scientific method, Khan Academy
Definitions of Fact, Theory, and Law in Scientific Work, National Center for Science Education.
The Role of Theory in Advancing 21st Century Biology, National Academy of Sciences