Stand with small business. Fight Murphy and corrupt local pols (Opinion)

Another day, another unfair and disgraceful attack from elected officials against small business. This time the casualty was Portobello's restaurant in Oakland, NJ. The crime? An alleged "mob of people" gathering on Thanksgiving Eve. The punishment for the "super-spreader" gathering? They have to close at 4 p.m. for the next 30 days. Here's the pull quote from our reporter, Dan Alexander:

Restaurant Punished for “mob of people” on Thanksgiving Eve – Portobello’s in Oakland was punished by the Borough Council after a photo showing a large crowd on Wednesday night made the rounds on Facebook. An upset Mayor Linda Schwager described the photo as a “mob of people” and called the special meeting to take action. The council voted to close Portobello’s outdoor dining at 4 p.m. daily for 30 days and require the owners to appear at the meeting of either December 9 or 21 before the restriction will be lifted. The owner’s son, Vincent Amen, told NJ.com the crowd as “an anomaly” and they will abide by the council’s decision.
- Dan Alexander

I guess if they had put up a few anti-cop, anti-American BLM protest signs all would be forgiven. Give me a break. We have a virus that is so weak, 94% of all the deaths at the height of the pandemic had an average of 2.6 comorbidities like cancer and heart disease. A virus so weak that the survival rate for most age groups is north of 99%. Under the age of 50? 99.9% survival.

So what is going on here? First of all, total hypocrisy based on the allowance of cop-bashing protests/riots. Second, why 4 p.m.? If the virus were a real threat today, is it a threat at 4:01 p.m., but not at 3:59 p.m.? This is absurd. And policies like this have contributed to the disaster of nearly one in three of all NJ small businesses being out of business permanently.

Towns punitively closing restaurants at arbitrary times for “crowds” that show up, which is happening in other states and of course having ZERO impact on the so-called “spread of disease”. The idea that the gov is acting like he’s controlling the black plague is absurd. Most are simply not sick. If anything, this latest strain of COVID seems more mild than the expected flu. Remember it’s all about positive PCR tests which are being discredited by a growing number of medical professionals, docs and courts. Now with unnecessary Christmas restrictions being announced, we may lose another 30%.

Murphy’s claim that we’re not "about the shut down" again is a lie. We’re already in a quasi lockdown. No science. Questionable and changing metrics. And horrific consequences when it comes to excess deaths from every other health condition, suicide, domestic abuse and the psychological abuse that kids are being put through. Welcome to Day 261 of 15 days to stop the spread.

Sick, elderly people are vulnerable to any number of issues. But we now know that deaths among even the most vulnerable groups were about what was expected for the season.

So no dramatic increase in deaths beyond expected mortality. And where there was a spike, you can look at the 20% of all COVID reported deaths in the US coming from New York and New Jersey, the two places which had policies in place forcing sick patients into long term care facilities to spread the virus among the elderly.

Even ICU bed occupancy is on the decline. Positive tests are being reported every time someone tests positive, even if it's multiple tests on the same person. And we know that the tests are inaccurate because they are being used improperly. Add to that the 9 out of 10 deaths reported in NJ, based on stats from two hospitals, had a DNR in place, so NO LIFE SAVING ACTIONS WERE TAKEN to stop them from dying.

As of November reporting from the CDC, more people have died in 2020 from pneumonia than COVID.

We can also see how the rest of the nation is faring. Florida, Tennessee, Texas, South Dakota, all open and starting to thrive economically. No spike in sickness. No flooding of hospitals. Just normal cold, flu, COVID season sickness. It happens every year.

Of course this isn't to take away from anyone who has suffered and died. Like everything else that kills people every year, we need to fight to support those front line responders who work hard to save lives. We need to do our part to protect vulnerable people by making smart decisions when it comes to personal health and hygiene. But with the overwhelming evidence that universal masking and lockdowns do nothing to stop the spread of the virus and knowing that the lockdowns themselves are adding to deaths among people that may still be with us if gov't had protected civil liberties, there is only one acceptable course of action. Open. Everything. Now.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own. Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015.