Let it rip

Governments seem to be able to take very hard decision when it comes to people's lives, they cannot find the same determination when it comes to the money of the rich.

There have been many viral diseases that have moved across the globe. Just in the last 20 years, we have had SARS, MERS, Ebola, and Zika. The Covid pandemic was unique in how quickly it spread across the world and the number of lives it took. It was also unique in how quickly we responded to it and took measures against it. 

The lockdowns instituted in March/April 2020 across the world were unprecedented in the history of mankind. Perhaps about 4 to 5 Billion people were confined at home during the summer of 2020.

Despite all that, by the end of 2020, another wave was upon us and Covid was not going away. Tired of the onslaught governments across the world came up with a plan. 

Let it rip.

Source: Worldmeter

Between the winter of 2020 and the summer of 2021, millions would perish to covid. I am sure if you look at the circle of people that you know 90% of them would have been infected with Covid at some point of time or the other. 

The actual numbers are an order of magnitude greater than what is shown in this graph above. In countries like India, Russia and Brazil vast numbers went uncounted and the only thing that is known for a fact is that we just could not cremate or bury them fast enough. Either that or given that the figures from America are twice as much as India, one can only assume that Americans are incredible gravediggers. 

We can see from the Chinese experience that the only way to get to the other side of Covid was by passing through it. While we may have saved a few lives in April 2020 with the lockdowns, the only way to the other side was by letting Covid infect as many as possible and see who comes out on the other side. Covid was the “great filter” that we had to go through and those who were weak were taken by the filter.

It took lives, sure. It caused a lot of pain, true. But we are now getting to a place where a modicum of normalcy can again be restored. 

We are capable of taking such hard decisions when it comes to letting people die. But somehow governments are unable to take such decisions when it comes to letting rich people go broke.

For once, just let it rip with inflation.

Don’t manipulate interest rates, let us see where the economy settles. Let us see how many companies are claimed in the great filter inflation puts them through.

Why this should not be allowed is one of the greatest mysteries of economic policies.