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Recently, I've begun to question some Covid-related restrictions in Ontario. That's put me at odds with some people I usually agree with, and on-side with some folks I generally don't agree with. I'm starting to see a pattern and I'd like to explain my view. #onpoli 1/12
First, I am not an anti-masker or someone who wants to pursue herd immunity through mass fatalities. That's just nuts. I've supported restrictions all along and still do. I firmly believe we're all in this together - or should be. That's where I'm coming from. #onpoli 2/12
That said, there has always been a cost to lock-downs. There's an economic cost and a human cost. And even the economic cost is a human cost in some ways, because that's the same economy that pays for social program, benefits, etc. We can't kill it entirely. #onpoli 3/12
Despite the importance of the economy, it's only good to the degree that it helps people survive, stay strong and healthy, etc. A strong economy is a means to an end, not an end unto itself. That's where this Conservative Ford government, finally, is falling down. #onpoli 4/12
This has always been a Conservative problem - putting the economy above the people it's meant to support. The 1% win big while the average person suffers, but if the economy as a whole is roaring along Conservatives call it a win and promise it'll "trickle down." #onpoli 5/12
This philosophy has undercut the Ford government's response to Covid, and it explains their ongoing irrational rules, with bars still open while school was shut down, businesses selling recreation are open but free recreational activities are nixed, on and on. #onpoli 6/12
As this pandemic turns into a marathon rather than a sprint, the idea we should just stay home when we aren't spending money helping businesses survive looks less and less rational. We are ignoring the human cost trying to stave off the economic one. It's just wrong. #onpoli 7/12
There's a cost to telling grandparents they aren't allowed to see their grandkids for a year. There's a cost to shutting down all avenues of recreation and socialization. There's a cost in mental health, adjustment, and simply in human happiness. Those costs matter. #onpoli 8/12
One of the worst things about prioritizing economic activity over non-economic pro-social goods is that it runs against common sense. Nonsense rules in a pandemic are the worst kind. People tune out, give up, and stop trying. And that undercuts all efforts. #onpoli 9/12
I don't expect our Conservative Ford government to change course on any of this. They've stretched their humanity as far as it'll go already. Expecting any conservatives to prioritize basic human happiness over the economy is a fool's game. Will never happen. #onpoli 10/12
There is a logic to Ford's rules, if you accept the basic conservative premise - that things people spend money to do are far more important than things that are free. It's a terrible premise, but it helps make sense of what's allowed and what isn't. #onpoli 11/12
The reason you'll hear me questioning restrictions more isn't because I'm against keeping people safe. But we need to keep people healthy, happy, and sane as well. The economy exists to create human well-being, not to take priority over it. Let's remember that. #onpoli 12/12
