The insanity of lifting pandemic restrictions at this particular moment

There was a particularly asinine op-ed in the Denver Post this morning demanding that Gov. Polis lift all restrictions on public gatherings because we love Our Freedoms:

Interestingly, there is science and data that supports ending the emergency-driven power grab. President Joe Biden has promised to have enough vaccines for every American by May. We do not need to wait for that. Nearly 38,000 Coloradans per week are vaccinated and that number will only grow. We have already vaccinated more than 1.3 million Coloradans, nearly 30% of the adult population, and over 70% of the population north of 70 — who comprise more than 77% of all COVID deaths. More than 525,000 Coloradans have received both doses. Our state’s seven-day positivity rate is a low 3.3% and only 4% of available hospital beds are occupied by suspected COVID 19 patients.

Coloradans are a free people whose natural inclination is to thrive in liberty and the protections of self-government. We have long felt — and strained against– the unintended disastrous impact of this unprecedented and arbitrary use of the governor’s emergency powers: businesses crushed, jobs and livelihoods wiped out, more than a year of in-school learning lost for our children with yet unquantified educational setbacks and a spike in mental health issues for them, an undeniable surge in violence and property crimes, and the overwhelming sense that we simply cannot be trusted with our own lives.

Right on cue, Larry Hogan, the Last Reasonable Republican(tm) has decided that Maryland — where 81% of the population remains completely unvaccinated so far — can just let the good times roll:

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Tuesday eased several coronavirus restrictions in the state, including lifting all capacity limits at restaurants and opening up large indoor and outdoor venues at 50% capacity, while keeping in effect the state’s mask mandate.

Previously allowed under statewide guidance to operate at 50% capacity indoors and outdoors, bars and restaurants will be allowed to welcome more customers so long as their patrons are seated and distanced. People are not permitted to crowd around the bar.

The removal of capacity restrictions designed to curb the spread of COVID-19 also applies to retail businesses, religious facilities, gyms, casinos, personal services and indoor recreational establishments. Theaters as well as venues for live music, conventions and weddings and outdoor sporting venues will be allowed to operate at half-capacity.

I can’t look it up right now because I’m on a deadline and shouldn’t even be blogging, but what’s the psychology experiment where they test whether five year olds can wait ten minutes to get two cookies instead of eating one RIGHT NOW? ETA: It’s the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment, which apparently cuttlefish can pass but American pseudo-democracy can’t. Thanks to Scott and others.

Because we’re failing that one. Because we Love Freedom(tm) so much apparently.

We’re vaccinating more than two million people per day. If we hold on for all of two more months — after almost exactly a year of all this — we’re going to be in a massively better place than we are now, assuming we don’t do something incredibly stupid every other day between now and then.

Given that the Republican party still exists I’m not counting any unhatched chickens.