On March 16, 2020, Minnesota was pretty much closed for business. I went to a restaurant for lunch that day. My party and another party of two were the only ones dining at a normally busy local lunch destination. The staff was cleaning furiously and paying special attention to everything we touched. Restaurants in Minnesota were to be closed on the following day.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a man who usually has a soft-spoken and pleasant demeanor that conflicts with his heavy-handed governing style, addressed the state to let us know that he had not ordered a shelter-in-place order because Minnesotans were doing it on their own. It was a relief to see that the governor was recognizing that people were making smart decisions on their own, but it was unlike our governor. On March 25th, he unilaterally issued an executive order that Minnesotans were to shelter-in-place until Good Friday, an order which would later be extended until May 1st.
By the time the initial order would have ended, it was obvious that many Minnesotans were fed up. Many proceeded with Easter family gatherings as if everything were normal. By the end of the following week, it was clear that Minnesota was becoming an emotional powder keg, ready to blow at any time. Many were scared for their health and the health of their loved ones. Others dealt with the challenges of being out of work and having their kids out of school. I was most concerned about what a world with a devastated economy, a massive amount of fear, and an overreaching government would look like for my daughter. I didn't know how I was going to stand up for my family in the wake of this frightening new world that was unfolding.
Those feelings prompted a liberty-loving friend and me to embark on a complaining session. I should have known better. Complaining to this particular friend (shout out to Matt Kowalski) oftentimes results in him brainstorming a course of action to pursue. We were sick of seeing a growing number of friends struggling financially, and we were more than happy to play revolutionaries. Soon we were rallying a team of people with similar ideals and skills to join us and the five of us became the founding members of ReOpen MN. That’s when things started actually happening. Our Facebook page grew quickly. We made relationships with similar groups and it was awesome.
That all changed for me the day that I asked the members of our page about their personal stories. It was like the balloon of optimism I had been riding had been violently poked with a needle, and the needles just kept coming. One of the first stories I received was about a drug overdose. Then, a story about a man dying of heart failure, yet the surgery was deemed "elective". Heart-breaking story after story followed:
A married couple I knew personally whose daughter survived brain cancer was unable to get the myriad of follow up appointments she needed.
A laid-off nurse who could no longer get the spinal injections she needs to relieve her crippling pain.
A woman who was blocked from accessing treatments she needs to manage her Lymes disease.
Several single parents who couldn't possibly care for their families on the money the government would give them.
The endless stories put the whole thing in perspective. I had been worried about people's long term financial insecurity and the effects it may have on things like suicide rates, but people were telling me personal stories about death and suffering that were actually happening in real-time. While governors spew rhetoric about saving "even one life", they've chosen to pick who lives and who dies.
It gets harder and harder for me to tolerate the "people's lives are more important than the economy" narrative when people are dying due to economic circumstances. In an attempt to save those with compromised health, we've chosen to let many others die. I understand we've been trying to keep the healthcare industry from being overwhelmed, but in doing so we've also told that industry who to save and who to let go.
As a Christian, I have to believe all life is sacred and made in the image of God. I'm not willing to choose who will live and who will die. The saddest part is most hospitals aren't even having the problems with capacity that were predicted(The University of Washington model tracks ICU bed capacity. On April 2nd it was reported that New York governor Andrew Cuomo was warning that New York would run out of ventilators in 6 days. On April 15th, New York was giving ventilators to other states.) As we can see now, the decision to prioritize some lives over others did not have to be made.
