I remember being at my desk when it was announced that we would not be returning on Monday to “flatten the curve.” Our leadership was acting with warranted trepidation to the new virus that had immigrated from China. It was Friday March 13th, 2020. (Beware Friday the 13th and the pending Ides of March.)
My office encouraged all of us to take computer monitors, headsets, and other necessary gear to operate from home. Naturally, there was some contagious panic floating about. I felt like I was a supporting cast member in the beginning of an apocalyptic movie. As I hauled my laptop and computer monitor out of the office, I overheard others state they were going to buy shotguns or pistols on the way home, “just in case”. Fear seemed to be growing. The “unknown” was clouding people’s thoughts.
My wife and I were part of a local running group. We were training together for the Flying Pig Marathon. At a training run, the leader of the group was also filled with consternation. He announced that we would suspend our training “until cooler heads prevailed in our government.”
Jamie Ruehl grew up in Erlanger. He graduated from St. Henry District High School, earned a degree in business administration from Xavier University, served the US Army on an ROTC Commission in 2001, attaining the rank of Captain and serving overseas. Back home, he graduated from Northern Kentucky University’s Executive Leadership and Organizational Change Master’s Program in 2018. He served as a Law Enforcement Officer for 8.5 years and was inducted into the American Police Hall of Fame. He has been a staff insurance adjuster since 2019 with a large carrier headquartered in Cincinnati. He is attempting to be the best possible husband to his wife of 15 years and best possible father to their 3 children. They live in Edgewood with their two dogs. He is a life-long distance runner.
What we runners didn’t know at the time, was that our state government was the force behind the closures and that those decisions were based on bad information. Our federal government was giving advice, our state government was giving orders. Specifically the Beshear administration. At first it was “two weeks to slow the spread,” then it became “for the foreseeable future” which then turned into over two years. Andy kept moving the finish line with his DNC scripted response to COVID.
The beginning of that was February 19, 2020, when Governor Beshear via executive order, closed our Commonwealth. I think all of us were reacting to the virus with fear and no one can blame our governor for initially taking what seemed like (at the time) a prudent response to this new sickness from China. However, some of our greatest scientific minds (from Stanford, Harvard, Oxford) and literally thousands of other medical doctors and epidemiologists soon told our governor that lockdowns were a huge mistake and that there was no scientific consensus on using that strategy.
In April 2020, the largest (to that date) and most precise study of who was infected with COVID-19 was conducted. Instead of nasal/oral swipes, blood was drawn from thousands of volunteers who did and did not exhibit symptoms of flu or COVID-19. It is called a “seroprevalence study” and the results detailed a much higher infection rate than what was being reported by the less invasive nose-swab studies. Because the seroprevalence study accurately noted multitudes of already infected and recovered patients, it proved COVID-19 was LESS symptomatic and less fatal than flu to the general population. In fact in April of 2020, Medical Doctors and Researchers knew that children were less inclined to become ill with COVID19 than with Influenza and the seroprevalence study proved that. The nasal-swab results falsely showed less infection which greatly exaggerated fatality numbers.
Despite the overwhelming evidence provided by the science community in April of 2020, Governor Beshear ordered on April 20th, that all education facilities would remain locked down for the remainder of that school year. He again shut down schools in November 2020 well into 2021.
Of course there was pushback by our more informed citizens by asking how and why such drastic lockdowns were needed. Instead of engaging in logical/rational dialogue, Andy followed the DNC script yet again. That pushback was met by Andy’s bold authoritarian measures: In July 2020, Andy decided that we needed a “snitch line”. Our state government spent taxpayer dollars to encourage “people who witness dangerous non-compliance with coronavirus mandates . . . to call the COVID-19 reporting hotline.” Andy also spent money to have a webpage dedicated to filing those “complaints.” Our governor thought it a good idea to pit citizens against each other. If a medical doctor read the seroprevalence study and decided they didn’t need to isolate their own family or wear masks, Andy Beshear was overriding their individual rights to make those well-informed decisions. And he was using fellow citizens to “rat” on those scientifically backed decisions. We were not allowed to even have medical or philosophical debates about the COVID Response, because we would be surveilled by our state government.
While many states realized the inadequacies of the Democrat response to COVID-19, Beshear doubled down. We the people (and ol’ Andy as our elected leader) were armed with the smartest and most up to date science community’s knowledge that COVID-19 really only affected the infirmed and aged parts of our population. Rather than focusing our precious resources to help those in any danger, Andy chose to follow the mandate prescription given by the DNC. Executive order after order was given to shut it all down. Schools, jobs, medical screenings, all shuttered. Andy was the sole decider on who got to learn and who didn’t. Andy decided who got to work and who didn’t. Andy decided that strip clubs could operate, but churches could not. He got to choose whose job was important and whose job wasn’t.
Beshear believed (and still does) that the government should be thinking for the people and that the government is responsible for the citizen’s health. Andy decided that following his party script would be the best way for his administration to think for the people. As seen in August 2020, when he conducted a joint press release with then Governor Cuomo of NY. Both men were congratulating each other for the “good job” the other was doing.
Eventually Cuomo would be fired for intentionally placing COVID19 patients into senior care facilities. Andy dodged that bullet because we had an AG who was doing everything he could to hold Andy accountable (fittingly an AG who is currently running to replace him).
In October of 2020 the Great Barrington Declaration was published online by three leading epidemiologists stating that herd immunity and targeted response were the best way to respond to COVID19. Thousands and thousands of doctors and epidemiologists signed onto the declaration giving notice to the world that lockdowns were ineffective.
Fast forward to today and there is a narrative being pushed by Andy’s party that is attempting to cover up their and his mistakes: “Kentucky Democratic Party Chairman Colmon Elridge said of the criticism of the governor’s COVID-19 response, “bless them if that’s the road they want to go down.
“Gov. Beshear has a clear record of showing up when Kentuckians needed him the most,” Elridge said. “So, insofar as COVID is concerned, the governor across the board, regardless of party affiliation, continues to get high marks because he set a standard for care, for compassion and for making decisive decisions that kept people alive.” NKyTribune May 22nd – Not true according to studies now (IEA study June 2023) nor according to the greatest minds in epidemiology in October 2020.
According to a comprehensive study by the IEA (London) titled, “Did Lockdowns Work? The verdict on COVID restrictions,” the entirety of lives saved by the lockdowns in the United States was only 4,000. Now, any life saved is good, but at what cost?! When we put that into context of other diseases, that should raise quite the alarm. The initial estimates (in March of 2020) by the Neile Ferguson Department (Professor at the Imperial College of London), said the U.S. would save “2 million lives” with lockdowns. Those estimates were based on one study conducted in the UK from an extremely small sample size and modeling data and was debunked by the seroprevalence studies and the Great Barrington Declaration. Why did the DNC put so much stock in one small study and not actually improve and revise their guidance as we got better information?
Why did Andy Beshear continue to mandate lockdowns and thereby destroy tens of thousands of jobs, create a glut of undiagnosed cancer and cardio disease, and cause our children to stop learning?! Did you know that people between the ages of 16-39 experienced a huge increase of mental health issues after the Lockdowns? Prior to the pandemic response, 3.5% of that age group experienced mental health issues. That number skyrockets to 23% experiencing mental health issues after the lockdowns.
According to Dr. Jay Bhattacharya (a well decorated medical doctor, epidemiologist and professor whose specialties include pandemic responses), “The Lockdowns had no chance of actually working. The people that conceived the Lockdowns had an extent of naivete about how societies work, it just boggles the mind”. We didn’t elect Andy Beshear to be naive, but that’s what he proved to be.
There were governors in the U.S. that chose not to follow the DNC’s incredible advice of lockdowns and heavy mandates. Those states saw less death by COVID, less detrimental education environments, less job loss, and better long term terminal disease recoveries.
Let us use the words of Benjamin Franklin as a reminder of how we should be wary of governors like Andy Beshear: “Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.” Andy Beshear wanted to be a master but his executive orders and policies show that he is actually a follower.
Beshear was elected to lead. He failed to lead. He followed. He followed a DNC script that hurt our great Commonwealth at all levels and that will be his Legacy: Andy Beshear Failed To Lead.
United We Stand, Divided We Fall.
Very surprising statement you made. Overwhelming evidence?
How many life was save?
You are a complete imbecile! If it hadn’t been for Gov Beshear thousands of more lives would have been lost. He truly cares about the people of Ky unlike irresponsible idiots like you and Cameron!
We have a record number of jobs created through a record number of new businesses coming to the Bluegrass State under this Governor. We have record low unemployment. He navigated us through two of the worst natural disasters in Commonwealth history. He has distributed funding to a record number of infrastructure projects. He is bringing broadband to our broadband desserts. And, we were one of the least affected states during the Pandemic until the State Legslature overstepped its constitutional duties by lifting the emergency and costing the state more funds. We lost a lower percentage than those states due to his leadership. Why do many Conservatives have no issue with their fellow citizens dying needlessly? Why is it so important to appear defiant at the cost of common sense and basic intelligence? Why do they opine in a way that uses zero logic and embraces lies and conspiracy theories? As usual, one of them makes a statement that’s not true just to get clicks or air grievances.
Hello Lacy,
I encourage you to look back at our Governor’s COVID response and see what truly happened:
He committed to a locked down of our society where only the “Laptop Class” could actually shelter and the rest of our population served them.
Talk about inequalities being amplified!
The poor, young and uneducated were made to serve the upper class who were the only ones able to truly “lock down”.
My observations are not conspiracy, they are factual data that all of us can see.
I pray all of us can see the truth so that when the next severe illness comes (because that is inevitable), we are better prepared to respond without the citizen versus citizen nature of Andy Beshear’s administration.
I totally disagree with your assessment of Gov. Beshear’s handling of the Covid crisis. I believe he did the best for the citizens of Kentucky he knew how at the time. I loss two friends who died from Covid during that time. If I remember correctly I don’t’ remember anyone in the government knowing exactly what to do to keep people from dying from Covid. He kept us informed and may have saved numerous lives .
Good morning Ms. Elrod.
I appreciate your respectful response to my observations. I’m sorry to hear of your losses. I too have experienced the pain that death brings over the last few years. I pray you can find some peace with your loved-ones’ passing.
I too remember the chaos that initially ensued with the proliferation of COVID-19. I remember feeling frustrated that no one in our government knew what to do. I believe that is why I wrote this column. Now (in hind sight) more than ever we need to assess what happened and be better prepared for the eventual next epidemic or God forbid pandemic. I think we owe that to those who didn’t make it through (That’s the old soldier in me speaking, but it is genuine sentiment).
We have the scientific information now. We know better than to lockdown. The reason I feel compelled to discuss Beshear’s response is that we had a lion’s share of the information then. But because of partisan politics, the best scientific advice was either ignored or suppressed (in some cases both). That ignorance led to more pain and suffering, that if left unchecked will be repeated,
Again, thank you for your polite dialogue. I feel that we need more polite disagreement today than ever before.
If he hadn’t kept KY locked down you would be complaining about how many more people died. Get over it, there is no rule book on what to do when a pandemic hits the US.
I look at all the comments here and on other sites where this BS is posted. You are a loser. 99% disagree. When you say more informed, you mean arrogant, greedy, a******s, because no one was more informed than our Governor. He worked tirelessly and everyday updated us on the newest information. I take it you didn’t watch. People like you are the worse. To come in after the fact and tell us coulda, shoulda, woulda. Sitting back not doing a thing while Andy made tough choices to save lives. Thank goodness you were not Governor.