David Stockman is still alive and kicking. Let’s see what he has to say about Covid-19.
Did you know Stockman is still alive? I didn’t until I ran across some “analysis” of his at The Brownstone Institute. Let’s look at his latest.
Stockman is troubled that Biden and his advisers wear masks when they meet (my emphasis):
Yet if the Vaxx is actually a spread stopper, why do they sit there in their masks? What’s the need to protect Biden from Fauci when the sainted doctor is armed to the teeth with vaxxed-in antibodies? And why is Biden festooned with the medical equivalent of Depends when he’s already got the accident-prevention protection of the Vaxx?
Or does he? That is to say, if it doesn’t work to stop the spread, the benefit is only private and not public and hence there is no earthly reason for mandating it against the will of millions of citizens who fear that the risks outweigh the benefits. And if it does stop the spread—despite the manifest evidence to the contrary—-why all the face mask virtue signalling on live TV?
Why is it so difficult for libertarians to understand that a vaccine can be somewhat effective at reducing infection and transmission? Maybe because this provides a reason (if perhaps not an overriding reason) for mandatory vaccination?
Stockman dismisses Biden’s proposal to distribute home testing kits as “crypto-socialists” “distributing a massive new round of free stuff”. Fair and balanced! He even criticizes Biden simply for urging people to get vaccinated:
Sorry, Joe. But it’s none of your business what people chose to do about a vaccine that does not stop transmission and infection from this latest mutation; and it is most certainly not the “patriotic duty” of Americans who think the risks are not worth the benefits to take the jab on your say so.
So on Stockman’s view, the government should apparently do nothing about Omicron – not distribute masks, or even urge people to get shots.
This seems a bit wackadoodle, but Stockman offers up two empirical claims that seem to justify his libertarian approach. First:
Of course, peek under the covers and what you have is the same old, same old. Not only is the Omicron variant far more transmissible and massively less lethal than earlier variants–for the inherent reasons that sensible virologists and epidemiologists have explained ad infinitum—but the propaganda contagion of the state’s Virus Patrol appears to be even more virulent.
It is possible that Omicron will be less massively lethal than earlier variants, but this is not at all certain. It is possible that hospitals will be overwhelmed, that schools will be closed, that concerts will be cancelled, and that many people will die. Given the stakes, it seems like short money to make home tests widely available and to urge people to get vaccinated. Here is an honest attempt to grapple with the data on Omicron, which makes a good contrast with the Stockman/Brownstone exaggeration-and-bluster approach. Acknowledging uncertainty doesn’t work for libertarians because it is inconsistent with whipping up moral outrage.
Stockman’s second empirical justification for his do-nothing approach is to raise doubts about the effectiveness of vaccines “for much of the population”:
The private benefit of the vaccination for the elderly holds up but rather than even acknowledge the rapidly fading risk/reward equation for much of the population—most especially the children—the powers that be trotted out a teleprompter reader in his dotage to stoke the public hysteria.
Seems like a perfect essay for publication at the Brownstone Institute.
Oh, honestly. Why should we care about what David Stockman says? On the economy, he was always a hack. On vaccines, he’s a quack. Tuck him back under the rock he crawled out from.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsinvolvingcovid19byvaccinationstatusengland/deathsoccurringbetween1januaryand31october2021
December 20, 2021
Deaths involving COVID-19 by vaccination status, England: deaths occurring between 1 January and 31 October 2021
Age-standardised and age-specific mortality rates for deaths involving COVID-19 by vaccination status; deaths occurring between 1 January and 31 October 2021 in England.
1. Main points
The monthly age-standardised mortality rates (ASMRs) for deaths involving COVID-19 have been consistently lower for people who had received a second dose at least 21 days ago, compared with unvaccinated people. This is the case for all age groups.
The age-adjusted risk of deaths involving COVID-19 for people who had received a second dose at least 21 days ago compared with unvaccinated individuals varied from 99% lower (in February) to 78% lower (in October); this could be caused by various factors, such as changes in the composition of the group, changes in background COVID-19 infection rates, changing levels of immunity from prior infection, changing dominant variants, seasonal changes in mortality rates and vaccine waning.
The ASMRs calculated for specific months highlight changes over time, however they can become less meaningful if the population in a particular vaccination status group becomes very small, and less representative of the general population. Therefore we present the overall figure, which is less affected by composition effects, and the monthly figures over time, to show the changes over the year.
Over the whole period (1 January to 31 October 2021), the age-adjusted risk of deaths involving COVID-19 was 96% lower in people who had received a second dose at least 21 days ago compared with unvaccinated people….
Deaths Involving Covid-19 by Vaccination Status
December 20, 2021
Deaths involving COVID-19 by vaccination status, England: deaths occurring between 1 January and 31 October 2021
Over the whole period (1 January to 31 October 2021), the age-adjusted risk of deaths involving COVID-19 was 96% lower in people who had received a second dose at least 21 days ago compared with unvaccinated people….
December 23, 2021
Coronavirus
United Kingdom
Cases ( 11,767,262)
Deaths ( 147,720)
Deaths per million ( 2,159)
China
Cases ( 100,644)
Deaths ( 4,636)
Deaths per million ( 3)
Eric:
The fact still remains. During the Spanish Flu epidemic, the government did impose requirements upon the population. The courts saw reasons for it. That the “Roberts” (he owns it) wishes to rewrite law, decisions, etc. and abolishing past decisions due solely to political beliefs is serious. Perhaps a death of two plus a Breyer retirement will allow us to realign the court.
I agree with Joel, time to put Stockton back into the past. No one called for a court and economic jester neither of which is he good at today or in the past.
I find it fascinating that people are going nuts over vaccinations and face masks for Covid-19 while remaining perfect;y calm about vaccinations for smallpox and polio. The brainz — they is not working!
Mike,
Vaccinations for smallpox and polio have been around long enough that a much larger part of the general population is comfortable that those have no deleterious side effects. Still we have a small group that believes the standard childhood vaccinations cause autism. In any case, ever since the Thalidomide tragedy (where pregnant women were prescribed a drug that caused birth defects as a remedy for their nausea) people have been quite wary about new drugs for children and pregnant women in particular but people in general as well.
Ron
and yet, we have people who remember Thalidomide, but don’t know fancy statistics, called stupid and criminal by those who worship “science” as if they knew what it is. I had a close call with Thalidomide, and I have had Doctors prescribe medicines without regard to side effects….of low probability, but of devastating effect…out of all proportion to the good they might do.
Those people who burned witches did so on the advice of the best wise men of their day. I for the life of me, literally, can see no difference between those people and the true believers in “science” today.
This does not mean I “reject” science, I’m just in no hurry to enforce it with a gun and a badge.
Especially if it is going to lose me elections.
oh, I guess I need to say, though it won’t do me any good, that I believe the
people sowing anti vax, anti mask, anti distancing, are criminals. I don’t like mobs, whatever color hoodie they wear over their eyes.
Biden is probably wearing underwear beneath his pants. Some people don’t even have to be wearing undies to get their undies all in a bunch.
“Why do we have laws against murder, yet some people still get murdered? Checkmate, libs!”
That’s the level of Resentful Stupid on display here.
“why do we care what Stockman says?”
well, because he has a platform and an audience.
we care what Dr Joel says because he has a (smaller) platform and a (smaller) audience.
both of them are making political statements disguised as “science.” Dr Joel’s science is better than Stockman’s. Stockman’s political statements are more effective than Dr Joel’s.
Gee Mike:
Let me stumble around here a bit.
Laws are not absolute and are open to interpretation.
In this case, the law defines a parameter of legal behavior. An individual decides whether they will remain within the parameter or not. A reasonable man will stay within those parameters.
If they do not, there may be consequences.
oh, and there is coberly’s utterly ineffective political argument.
stockman’s libertarian “argument” is the same-o same-o objection to “the government” giving out “free stuff” to the undeserving, paid for “us’ the deserving. this has been the complaint of the robber barons since they were real barons enforcing a policy of pay or die on the powerless, greatly agitated by the power of a king who enhanced his power by providing free stuff (protection) to the people at the expense of the barons..enhancing the king’s power over that of the barons.
of course the king turned out to be an unsustainable form of government, but democracy (limited) accomplishes the same thing…as long as the barons don’t fool the people into letting the barons protect the people from the government.
of course this (my) political screed has limited effectiveness because of the power of same-o same-o in shaping people’s thinking.
no viruses were harmed in the making of this product.
Hmmm:
Mel Brooks/Tom Petty . . . “Its good to be
theking!”run
theoretically in a democracy we are the king.
of course, the King of Siam had his doubts about how good it was.
And Lincoln said, after the battle of Fredricsburg, “if there is a worse place than hell, i am in it.”