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America will learn hard lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, but when the fear subsides most of them will be social and political, rather than medical. If while reading this column you find yourself getting dismissive, consider this: If three months ago some public figure had predicted that much of the U.S. economy would soon be shut down, and that most Americans would in effect be under house arrest, you would have laughed at them.

The first lesson is that virtually any crisis or tragedy, whether an act of God or man, will be weaponized by the Democrat Party against its partisan foes. And any such event will also always be used as leverage to enact Democrat agenda items that lack the popular support needed for normal passage through the law-making process. Thus we have false accusations regularly leveled against the current administration, such as the debunked charges that President Trump gutted the CDC budget and disbanded the federal pandemic task force. We also have the Democrat-led House refusing to pass worker aid packages unless large chunks of cash are also directed to their favored groups and causes, such as Planned Parenthood and elimination of student debt.

We have also learned that we cannot trust the science to be accurate or to provide acceptable solutions. It now appears that Covid-19 mortality may be not much worse than that of a moderate flu 60,000 in the U.S., rather than the 2.4 million recently predicted. Scientists, like news reporters, present themselves as objective but both have agendas and priorities. Even the best often cant see beyond their fields of expertise. A medical doctor who is highly trained to save lives may be totally ignorant about economics. Ironically, healthy economies save lives consider how chronic rural unemployment fueled the opioid epidemic and raised suicide rates.

The third lesson is that usually cynical Americans become pliant and unquestioning if they can be frightened enough. Enough of them will then readily trade liberty for security, leaving it easy for federal, state and local authorities to crush the few who dare question policies or refuse to follow orders. Thus in Kentucky drive-in church services were banned while drive-in restaurants were allowed to operate. That order was overturned by a judge, but worshippers collectively celebrating Easter inside their cars in a church parking lot in Mississippi were issued $500 fines, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Witmers draconian prohibition against buying many innocuous items, like seeds and gardening supplies, provoked a large protest in Lansing.

The fourth lesson is that the nation, both as an economic unit and as individual citizens, needs more self-reliance. Our necessities must not depend on Chinas good will. Its not hard to imagine a more deadly pandemic scenario that could completely break the supply chain. It may not be just toilet paper next time, but completely empty grocery shelves. We cannot count on Washington to feed us under those circumstances.

The fifth lesson is that the liberal dream of jamming the populace into urban centers to make the world a greener place will likely make the world a sicker place. New York Citys population density and heavy reliance on mass transit were likely major factors in the astonishing spread of the virus there.

Martin Fey is a member of the Quiet Corner Tea Party Patriots.

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America learning hard lessons from Covid-19 - Opinion - The Bulletin - Norwich Bulletin