American hubris cause for us being No. 1 in COVID-19

ACHTUNG: This is not a “fair and balanced” article. It is an editorial by the editor.

By just about any standard I can think of, the United States’ ability to cope with the Coronavirus crisis has been nothing short of abysmal over the last four months.

The U.S. has just 5 percent of the world’s population, but has recorded 25% of the COVID-19 cases and deaths.

The biggest reason is the modern American propensity to convert virtually everything into a political issue, whether it is or not. Too many people in this country have succeeded in turning a serious health issue into a political one, and the results are astonishingly horrible.

It’s too easy to blame President Donald Trump for being asleep at the switch when the first signs of danger appeared, but since then he has had a lot of company. Democrats and Republicans alike have demonstrated an alarming willingness to try to make the other party the goat while failing to do anything constructive themselves. There’s that two-party system showing its ugly side again, not nurturing a unified response to a life-threatening challenge. And right-wingers have succeeded in shaming mask wearers as “wussies” and insisting their bare faces are taking a stand for “freedom.”

Perhaps the most disappointing development is the understanding that too many of our local elected officials do not take this health crisis seriously enough to “do the right thing” and set a positive tone for the rest of us unwashed masses.

I speak of the simple act of wearing a mask in public places with more than a few people nearby.

If 95% of Americans wore face masks in public, it could prevent 33,000 deaths by October 1, according to the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Even the capitalist giants at Goldman Sachs have estimated that the U.S. could save a ton of money needlessly spent on hospitalizations and ventilators by just wearing the mask.

And though U.S. Senator Rand Paul indicates we shouldn’t follow the guidelines set by medical experts such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, they have said masks could reduce cases and deaths by as much as 85%. But too many Americans are taking their cues instead from Rush Limbaugh, Fox News and a few quacks.

When the crisis first arrived, I took part in many virtual meetings held over the phone or the Internet. The only local government that did not have a virtual meeting that I know of was the Dorr Township Board.

Dorr has had all of its meetings in-person post-Coronavirus, and a majority of the board members, four, refuse to wear masks. Clerk Debbie Sewers has explained the annoyance a mask does to her. Trustee Josh Otto has said he sits far enough away from others not to need to use it. Trustee Terri Rios has insisted she doesn’t mask up for medical reasons, but refuses to explain further.

And Trustee John Tuinstra, when asked why he doesn’t mask up despite sitting closer than six feet away from Treasurer Jim Martin, said to me, “I don’t have to tell you.”

Dorr is not alone in this callous disregard for following advice of medical experts during a pandemic.

When Martin Township returned to an in-person meeting in May, none of the members wore masks. And though the Wayland Board of Education held a slew of virtual meetings, when they went live at the Fine Arts Center, none wore masks.

So the only logical conclusion I can come to is that we arrogant Americans don’t believe we must play by the rules like everybody else. We’re special and immune to the problems. Trouble is, some among us are susceptible and vulnerable.

Many trashed Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for being so strict in implementing stay-at-home orders, even bringing assault weapons into the State Capitol. Yet, as she predicted, Michigan was able to flatten the curve, at least for awhile until she dared to reopen businesses and social activities cautiously.

And now we are watching the crisis nationwide go from bad to worse. But we’re No. 1 on the planet, in deaths, cases, and for that matter people incarcerated.

Our hubris is showing. The consequences are awful