As the media has attempted to spin up fears over the spread of COVID in recent weeks it is worth reminding New Mexicans that we (those skeptical of strict government controls) were correct while those like Gov. Lujan Grisham who pushed them have been proven wrong (or at the VERY least their chosen policies have NOT proven effective (heavy-handed policies. SHOULD be based on strong evidence).
Here are a few major issues:
- Keeping students out of school as MLG did was a massive fail. New Mexico was the 6th-longest. state in terms of kids being kept out of school. There is widespread agreement and data highlighting that this was a massive failure.
- Arbitrary and lengthy business closures were unfair and we knew it from the very beginning. The idea that Lowe’s and Home Depot could remain open as “essential” while smaller garden stores and other competitors had to close was silly. Same with restaurant closures and silly “outdoor dining” requirements.
- Masks were a flashpoint and while their effectiveness remains speculative (studies can be found on both sides), mandating their use as MLG did was not effective. Currently masks are worn willingly by a small number of people. Hopefully mask mandates don’t return.
- Vaccines may be wise for some to take, but their effectiveness at stopping the spread of COVID was over-sold. Regardless, there should never have been vaccine mandates.
- Rather than encouraging physical activity MLG closed off numerous opportunities for healthy activity and recreation (even golf courses were closed for a few months). This is one of many ways in which her misguided and anti-science policies hurt New Mexico.We at the Rio Grande Foundation opposed the Gov. every step of the way on these and other COVID policies. Did we miss any? Put yours in the comments.
Limited people in stores during cold months.
Don’t forget she only let 10 people at a time in any store. Really crazy when the capacity of the Walmart in Roswell was over 4,000. People were in line freezing and much closer than they would have been if allowed in the store.
This e mail sounds as if it came from Fox News! Why would such a limited attitude be sent out from the city stating that there is no problem with Covid & wearing masks. Get vaccine if you WANT to? Why wrote this information. There are statistics to support a surge in Covid cases & hospitalizations across the US. I am amazed at info from our city is sending out such mis information & scant knowledge of the true scientific data. Did D. Trump write this?
We’re not affiliated with any city government. Do you have an actual critique of the information?
Exactly. Next, they’ll have inject bleach!
Well said Vivian…Thank you
There were a lot of statistics, information, studies alluded to to with no actual facts. Someone with a political axe to grind perhaps. I am a extremely compromised individual who appreciates anyone who is knowledgeable and caring enough to do anything they can to prevent another surge of this evil thing which has cost us in excess of 1,000,000 lives, in this country alone. Some of us might be lucky enough to have escaped infection to date and some of us have been unlucky or stupid enough to unknowingly infect innocent people. It is what the writer of this article doesn’t know that is scary.
No, there were and are plenty of facts. Learning loss, shuttered businesses, suicides and other deaths of despair, not to mention other negative impacts of government policies relating to COVID. You can ignore the information, but there was plenty even at the time. We got it right, MLG got it wrong.
You saying things like the media spinning up fears ignores the fact that people are still getting Covid and still dying from it. Globally, in the last month, there were approximately 1.5 million new infections with approximately 2500 deaths. Surely you must know that we are dealing with a infectious disease that continues to mutate and evolve. I’m not saying that it will, but please accept this as a fact, Covid still has the potential to kill huge numbers of us. As for the rest, with a couple of exceptions, you presented numerous opinions (which you are certainly entitled to) as facts, with zero documentation. Most of your complaints are in fact derived from the results of the collective efforts made in combatting this terrible pandemic we’ve all had to deal with. Were mistakes made? Yes, no doubt in large numbers. Would your solutions have had better results? For you, perhaps, but you are not alone in this state nor in this world. Your writing is just another example of someone attempting to politicize something which should not be politicized.
Fox News also supported the mandates and profited greatly from the fear. Statistics ?!? “Liars figure and figures lie, Samuel Clemons”. MLG and staff downplayed helpful, life saving medicine. Experts new all of the measures didn’t work. Masks polluted lungs with micro-plastic, cancer causing materials and do not stop a virus of any name, as confirmed by Saint Faucci. Distancing was assured and ineffective. Trump was too trusting in advisers, he allowed the flames of hysteria to be fanned and spread like wildfire, he (and Pence) “warp speeded”and brought forward “vaccines” genetic therapy. CDC has confirmed many life changing and even lethal side affects to the injections.
Read RFK Jr’s book. “The Real Dr. Faucci”.
This is honest information but too subdued. Thank you RGF. I will continue to support.
Vaccines were never made to stop the spread of covid just protect the person who received them from getting hospitalized or worse. I knew people who didn’t get vaxxed & they are no longer here. As well as them needing to be hospitalized & still being affected. Being in a community means looking out for one another. Anybody with access to the internet is now an expert. Making mistakes is human, always being right or telling people I told you so does not solve anything other than
ones ego. Wearing seatbelts,condoms,looking both ways before crossing or wearing a helmet does not mean you will be protected & never get harmed? But there is data that suggests it’s helpful in protecting the wearer & others as well. I’m sure you can find articles that claim any of those protections did not save or do any good? We need to communicate with each other thats productive instead of picking sides and blame others. That’s when misinformation starts dividing us apart and prevents us to listening to other points of views and look at data without bias. We need solutions to problems not validation of the good side vs the bad side. Each person needs to talk with their doctor before taking advice from social media. I just want people to be safe and be useful to our families & neighbors.
A poster wrote, “Vaccines were never made to stop the spread of covid just protect the person who received them from getting hospitalized or worse.”
Patently false.
That position was the one which started being broadcast AFTER it became apparent that the “vaccine” did not stop the spread.
It’s incredible that anyone could have forgotten this who was obviously of age to have been there while all this was happening.
More pro-Trump claptrap. He’s got the blood of a million on his hands. You idiots are promoting the same BS. Go inject some bleach.
Trump kept Dr. Fauci in a position of great power and advocated numerous lockdown policies that were wrong as well. Not sure why you are trying to conflate my views which have been borne out by “the science” with the former President.
Explain your facts on your Trump statement please. Do you actually have facts or do you just hate Trump?
Excellent article, Paul.
I think that anyone who – at this late date – still clings to the narrative we were all fed …has most likely lived in a chronic state of fear for a very long time. The advent of Covid helped give voice and an object to that fear, and such people seem reluctant to lose it.
She criminalized the use of Ivermectin and Hydroxy chloroquine. The only approved medication was remdesivir and morphine. A deadly combination that killed many New Mexicans. The reason? Ivermectin and HCQ can be made cheaply by many companies, while remdesivir made alot of money for big pharma. Also, the emergency use authorization for the vaccine could not be implemented if there was already an approved medication on the market to treat the virus
I agree that it is more important to correct mistakes for the future instead of saying “I told you so”. Which mistakes?
– Closing schools. Remote learning harmed children’s education, especially since not everyone has/had internet access. Let us never force remote learning again.
– Restricting businesses. Many businesses closed forever. If people are concerned for their health they can make the personal decision not to go, wear a mask, request an outdoor table etc. Forcing everyone else to do so hurt business and didn’t stop the spread anyway. Don’t restrict businesses again.
– Forced masking. Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx have publicly stated that masking now should be a personal decision rather than mandated for all. Consult your doctor whether it is right for you.
Don’t force everyone to wear a mask again, especially children.
Copious information can be found via the Brownstone Institute for those interested in the data.
We knew by April of 2020 that it was all but impossible to be infected with Covid while outside yet in the spring of 2021 MLG had kids outside playing sports force to wear mask in 90-100 degree weather. What a farce! We had people wear mask in restaurants until they got to their tables and then they were suddenly safe while eating. Fauci wrote a former Obama cabinet secretary in a private email in early 2020 that there was no need to mask while flying. Mask mandates had no impact in reducing the spread of COVID. Vast majority of deaths were among the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions. The risk to healthy people under age 30 was tiny and yet the governor pushed a one size fits all policy that did more harm than good. Ronchetti failed greatly in not focusing on MLG’s tyrannical and disastrous handling of COVID-19.