Leadership in Trying Times

By Bill Richbourg

Should I keep back my opinions at such a time through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason toward my country…. Patrick Henry

Over a month ago, The Washington Post savaged Georgia Governor Brian Kemp's decision to begin opening his state after locking down for weeks. "Georgia leads the race to become America's No. 1 Death Destination," sneered the headline.

The author, liberal pundit Dana Milbank, actually found the possibility of Georgians dying to be hilarious, suggesting that "as a promotion, Georgia could offer ventilators to the first 100 hotel guests to register."

Milbank, who was obviously still getting paid while millions were out of work, saw his job as pushing the mainstream narrative that we must remain in fear and never question what "experts" like Dr. Fauci tell us.

Fast forward to now: After more than a month since Milbank's attack on Georgia and its governor during which he found it humorous to predict widespread death, his prediction is viewed as a dismal flop. Not only did Georgia NOT see "coronavirus... burn through Georgia like nothing has since William Tecumseh Sherman," as Milbank thought would hilariously be the case, but COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths have seen a steep decline ever since the governor began opening the state. The same or similar results have occurred in other states.

Maybe getting out in the fresh air and sunshine shouldn’t have been prohibited in the first place!

Every day, it appears that there are more experts telling us that any continued lockdown of entire economies is not only worthless, but that it may actually do more significant harm than good. One of the most outspoken and highly respected voices is that of Dr. Scott Atlas.

Dr. Atlas, a well-known medical expert and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, is continuously trying to change the mindset among our nation’s leaders by pointing out “Five Facts” that clearly argued against the continued full shutdown of the economy: 

Fact 1: The overwhelming majority of people did not have any significant risk of dying from COVID-19

Fact 2: Protecting older, at-risk individuals eliminated hospital overcrowding

Fact 3: Vital population immunity was prevented by total isolation policies, prolonging the problem of continued infections

Fact 4: People were dying because other medical care was not getting done due to hypothetical projections and hospitals unable to address other illnesses and perform elective surgeries

Fact 5: We have a clearly defined at-risk population that could be protected with targeted measures

I have attached a couple of interviews with Dr Atlas for your review. Click to read from foxnews and thehill. 

Why is it that so many of our elected leaders refused to listen to what other experts were saying about keeping these “stay-at-home” orders in place? Why is it that only we lowly citizens understood that there was a better way out of this mess other than continuing to quarantine the citizens and businesses of Montgomery County?

Since many of our elected leaders refused to listen to unelected experts’ opinions about the dangers involved in “stay-at-home” orders, it appears that we have had to depend on our own judgments instead of relying on hypothetical projections models that politicians have inflicted on the public at large.

Bill Richbourg is a member of the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee.