PCG Moans About Government Spending During World Pandemic

Recently PCG published an article which tries to make people afraid of government spending to address the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It seems odd to worry about that while the coronavirus runs rampant in the United States and in much of the world. (Christopher Eames, The Cost of Coronavirus Is Beyond Imagination, December 15, 2020.) 

It seems odd to complain that something is somehow "beyond imagination" when one could consult with someone who has a much better grasp of the topic.

Four trillion dollars—that’s how much the United States has spent on its coronavirus response this year, up through the end of October. Four trillion is one of those numbers that is hard to wrap your head around. Most people, including our leaders, simply cannot grasp how gigantic that sum is.

The author should talk to one who can grasp this matter. Unfortunately he continues with this train of thought for the rest of the article instead of consulting with anyone more knowledgeable about the topic. He throws large numbers and absurd similes at the reader focusing his attention on government spending instead of the ongoing coronavirus catastrophe.

America’s expenditure on COVID-19 equals the combined GDP of 135 nations. ... Or you could consider the price in terms of gross domestic product. U.S. coronavirus spending is greater than the GDP of any nation on Earth with the exception of the top three: America, China and Japan (barely). It’s greater than the GDP of the entire continent of South America. It’s greater than the combined continent of Africa and region of Oceania; than the GDP of the Middle East and North Africa combined. It’s equivalent to the combined GDP of the lowest 135 countries in the world. $4 trillion—aimed at alleviating the effects of less than one year of coronavirus, in just one country.

America is a wealthy and populous nation so of course it spends more money then many other nations.

If we spread it out from the first confirmed U.S. coronavirus case (January 20) to the start of October (when we hit $4 trillion), that averages to roughly $15.7 billion per day. That’s two Panama Canals, every single day. That’s an American Revolution every four hours. The Louisiana Purchase every half hour. Buying Alaska every 10 minutes—for over nine months. That is sickening.

There are many problems with such comparisons. The two former events were endeavors that required many people over years to complete and they only needed to be done once. To imagine these things happening many times is absurd. 

The latter two events cited were transfers of territories. After World War II it became the international consensus that a nation's border should not change in order to reduce the likelihood of war over border disputes. Consequently it is now very rare for a nation to change its border for money. It is a largely outdated practice.

But, alas, many of this article's readers will not be able to think critically about these matters and will not see the flaws in the logic of this article.

He then talks about the influenza pandemic of 1918.

Even during the 1918 Spanish flu, which killed some 50 million people worldwide, the healthy were allowed to work. No work meant no food. The choice for heads of households was the possibility of catching the flu and possibily dying—or starvation for themselves and their families.

But was it right that society operated that way? It is strange to see the author not contemplate that question. Furthermore much of the world was negatively affected by World War I hindering the response to it.

The havoc created by the coronavirus is undeniable.  It is now the leading cause of death in the United States. But astoundingly the author tries to minimize the severity of the global pandemic.

But coronavirus is no Spanish flu. Coronavirus is a disease in which 99.9 percent of people who get it survive. 

Don't get this disease. While it is true most people will survive the coronavirus it is so contagious it still kills a lot of people and can overwhelm the healthcare system. That is why lockdowns have been used all over the world to prevent gridlock in the hospitals.

What, then, is all this spending for? 

Many of us have had friends and family die of coronavirus. But we’ve also had friends and family die of the flu and pneumonia. Half of the entire population of the UK is projected to get cancer in their lifetimes. We don’t bankroll for these things. They are hardly mentioned. Do these deaths not matter?

The coronavirus can overwhelm the healthcare system whereas these other diseases can be managed by the healthcare system. There are vaccines for the flu. Cancer is not contagious. His objections wither under fair minded scrutiny.

It is unfortunate that some people happen to minimize the severity of the current world pandemic. Anyone looking to this article for advice will be poorly seeved. We need to take it seriously. Wear your face mask. Avoid crowds. Wash your hands. Practice social distancing. When you can get vaccinated. And don't listen to people who minimize the seriousness of this world pandemic.