What do you want to say to Governor Murphy? (Opinion)

We heard some choice words spoken on my New Jersey 101.5 morning show Tuesday morning as listeners express their frustration with the arbitrary and harmful policies of our governor. There is a stark reality that we are now seeing in New Jersey. Comply with the governor’s mandates, to keep you safe of course, or he’ll fine you, arrest you and board up your business.

I have been saying since February that the goal of "flattening the curve" for the novel coronavirus was laudable if we stay focused on the stated goal. The goal in February and March was simple. Make sure we have enough medical supplies and beds to treat people who are stricken with novel coronavirus. We did that. No overrun. No sharing of ventilators. And if you take out the padded numbers of COVID-19 deaths and the disaster caused by government action in our nursing homes, we had a bad flu season. It’s also questionable however whether our actions did anything constructive. Many docs talk about viruses just running their course. Especially one like this, which spreads faster than most. That said, we went from flattening the curve to zero tolerance. It’s illogical. It’s inconsistent at worst and criminal at worst.

The rules are applied differently to different groups. And the governor acts as if the only risk to humanity is coronavirus. It’s not. As a matter of fact, HIV, malaria and tuberculosis are surging around the world. TB kills 1.5 million every year. The projection now due to the shutdown? Nearly 3 million may die. And that’s just one risk factor. What about suicides, domestic abuse, drug abuse, poverty caused by unemployment and business closures?

We had an affordability crisis in Jersey before COVID-19. Now with debt topping $200 billion? It’s increasingly unstable for middle and working class families to remain here. This started when New Jersey residents allowed the governor to scare you into thinking that normal human activity is toxic. The good news is that we have many people pushing back and expressing their anger at the governor's irresponsible and dangerous actions. Will enough fight back before it’s too late to save your business and family? We’ll have to see.

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.

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