Top Three Takeaways – January 26th, 2021
- The trend is our friend. Lord knows we’ve had enough negative news in recent months that we should get a reprieve for at least a few years. But could the tide be turning? Whether we’re talking about the pandemic, our local economy or even the weather – the outlook is improving. Starting with the economy. Florida’s economy continues to defy expert predictions and the national trends. Not only was Florida’s economy not one of the hardest hit during the pandemic as was predicted, in large part due to Governor DeSantis’s pragmatic approach to lockdowns and reopening's, we've had a better than average economy throughout. That was especially on display to end the year as we learned Florida added 18,000 jobs while jobs were lost nationally. Long gone are the days when Florida’s economy was only as good as travel and tourism which has been especially important during the pandemic. Another important and positive trend. The virus itself. Florida has a two-week winning streak intact as we’ve now seen a decreasing trend in COVID-19 cases for fourteen consecutive days. This is especially important given the traditional peak in flu season isn’t until mid-February. Rather than having a steady increase in cases straight into the usual peak of flu season, we’re seeing a meaningful decrease as we’re now inside what are usually the three worst weeks of flu season during the year. This while the CDC’s flu map shows the spread of the flu is minimal and steady in our state.
- Policy matters. The reason why Florida consistently is doing better than most states in most categories is because policy matters. No state income tax. Low regulations. A government which errors on the side of personal responsibility and liberty over the heavy hand of government. It’s why Florida continues to lead the country in relocations, it’s a big part of our economic success and it’s even why we’re able to outperform other states in vaccine rollout and distribution. Speaking of policy matters though...
- Facts should matter. I know, how old school of me to suggest such a thing right? It was unclear exactly how most news media would treat the Biden administration, other than more favorably than the Trump Administration. It’s starting to come into focus. They think you’re ignorant, or perhaps stupid and facts don’t matter. How do I know this? Yesterday I highlighted the fact that the new Biden policy on vaccine distribution is to not consider one’s legal status. Thus, it’s possible, if Biden has it his way, for illegal immigrants to receive COVID-19 vaccinations ahead of legal residents who paid for the vaccines. If facts mattered, I wouldn’t be the only one highlighting that policy change. It’s at least newsworthy, no? And then take the Biden “America-First” manufacturing order. Know what changed over the Trump administration? Nothing. Well not nothing, Biden canceled Trump’s EO and wrote a new one with his name on it. Probably not how you’ve heard it reported. And then there’s the kicker. Just as President Trump never had a “Muslim” ban in place during his administration, but rather, travel restrictions of those from terror sponsoring countries which were in place during the Obama administration (upheld by the United States Supreme Court specifically because it wasn’t a Muslim ban)… We now have similar reporting of the transgender ban in the military. The reporting of this is every bit as reprehensible as that of a “Muslim ban”. There never was a transgender military ban. To be clear, under the Trump policy, transgender military personal remained on duty. Also, transgender individuals were also accepted into the military. What changed? The ability to change one’s gender while in service to the country. The conversion process is very expensive but medical care is paid for by taxpayers in the military. It was discovered there was a growing trend of new recruits who’d enlisted for military service and quickly begun the conversion process, seemingly to game the system. Aside from taxpayers footing the bill for the conversation process, which averages $30,000 - $120,000 based upon how far one wants to go with the conversation, often those undergoing the conversion were unable to perform their service. The only change that’s now in effect is that once again those who want to undergo conversation while in the military at taxpayer expense are now able to do so. There remain two sides to stories and one side to facts and they do matter. The problem is how few people report them.
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