by George Melloan
The American Institute for Economic Research
In one of a growing number of Californian protests against the state’s three-month-old coronavirus lockdown, one woman hoisted a sign saying: “We’ve tried communism, now give us back our liberties.” She may have to wait awhile. Individual liberty doesn’t have a high priority these days in Sacramento and some other capitals of populous blue states.
To the contrary, California Governor Gavin Newsom takes pride in the fact that as of May 31, California had suffered only 4,213 COVID-19 deaths, statistically insignificant in a population of nearly 40 million. Following the national pattern, about half those deaths occurred in nursing homes heavily populated with elderly people with other life-threatening maladies. He thinks his “mitigation” measures worked.