Was the Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020 an Act of Terrorism?

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 has been devastating to both the United States and the world as a whole. Not that the tragic loss of precious life which has exceeded 1 million deaths in the United States and nearly an additional 6 million deaths worldwide isn’t enough, the effects which have affected our culture representing the beliefs and practices of America and the American society which represents the people who share those beliefs and practices have been perpetually devastating.

It’s only a guess, but my hunch is, once the “dust has settled” and all the data and facts are gathered, we’ll all agree that what occurred in 2020 was an act of terrorism with the major culprit being China strongly supported by Russia and Iran!

So, how have the effects affected America, its economy, and the psyche of American society? No doubt, we weren’t prepared to handle the pandemic and we warped into panic mode. It certainly frightened us, and we’ve remained scared looking everywhere we could for information we might be able to trust but were never certain we could. Hell, we thought it was going to last only a couple of weeks and move on, but it’s still here in some other mutated form–it’s not going to just go away!

Covid-19 has forever changed the way we work. Due to our advanced technologies, most people were able to work remotely and still to this day, working remotely, at least two days a week, has become a way of life. Employees applaud this while employers have become much more skeptical and for good reason.

The pandemic sent our economy into a tailspin. Many industries began reeling due to these effects namely any business associated with travel and hospitality. The transportation industry was completely devastated including ground transportation, livery and taxi services like Uber and Lyft, local and national bus services like Greyhound, Amtrak, the airlines, and it crippled all of the cruise lines. The trucking industry could not keep up with the demand to move all the goods and supplies as hundreds of ships were stuck at sea loaded with thousands of containers.

Any business associated with hospitality suffered immensely. Hotels, restaurants, resorts, and theme parks were virtually empty. No matter the number of or the amount of the incentives offered, no one was biting as everyone was scared they’d be infected.

Employees in these industries were being laid off or furloughed and the percentage of those being unemployed began to rise to record levels. The Federal government began weighing in and adding unemployment income to that being offered by the states. Businesses were being offered Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and other help via the SBA which if certain guidelines were followed the loans would be completely forgiven. No one, though, wanted to return to work as many were receiving more in unemployment than they would if they went back to work.

The economy was headed into a recession and medical misinformation was running rampant until the beginning of 2021 when the first vaccinations to combat Covid-19 were introduced. But the public didn’t embrace the vaccinations as folks were still uncertain as to whether they were safe or would actually protect them. The stock market tumbled and anxiety began to set in as folks were becoming more mentally depressed affecting our society in an extremely negative way–everyone was still masking and just staying away from one another.

The lack of availability of goods and services negatively impacted the economy as well. Store shelves remained inadequately stocked or just stayed empty. Parts not being available impacted all of our manufacturing industries and products like appliances weren’t available for delivery nor could existing ones be repaired. One of the industries hit the hardest was the automotive industry where the demand far exceeded the supply sending prices through the roof as we’re just now in 2023 seeing the supply begin meeting most of the demand.

The real estate market had never seen lower interest rates yet due to the lack of available resale homes, as new homes weren’t being built for the obvious reasons, prices soared with ensuing bidding wars driving sale prices higher and higher. Yes, you could sell your existing home for a bundle, but then you were left with nothing to buy unless you wanted to get into another bidding war and pay “through the nose”.

Schools were closed and remained closed only sporadically opening due to the fear of infection and contamination. Education in America virtually came to a screeching halt which has and will continue to stymie the education system, which was already suffering, for years to come.

Now, we’re seeing the opposite end of the spectrum where our economy is concerned as the stock market continues to struggle, inflation hasn’t been this high for forty years, mortgage interest rates are now approaching 8%, the percentage of unemployment is down to pre-pandemic levels, the Federal Reserve has raised the prime rate each quarter for two years substantially raising interest rates on consumer loans in an attempt to suppress the chances of our economy going into a recession.

With people still working remotely, at least part of the work week, available commercial real estate space continues to rise beyond acceptable levels causing financial hardship for that part of the economy and businesses which served those occupants are suffering and closing in our urban centers at an alarming rate. Additionally, the coronavirus pandemic has completely altered our worker’s state of mind and their work ethic as the American “get up and go has gotten up and left”!

Our culture is almost unrecognizable as our society is in deep turmoil and chaos. Violent crime numbers continue to rise, law enforcement is under siege, racism has once again “reared its ugly head”, people are ugly to one another, special interest groups and extremists are vying for added attention, depression and mental illness are on the rise, no one seems to know who they are as gender identification is a huge issue, and the institution of the American family is in flux as dysfunction continues to dominate. Upon reflection, I can never ever remember a time when there has been less civility and this much anger and hatred in our society.

So, in closing, the effects from the coronavirus pandemic have led us into a “perfect storm”. Yes, it’s, in my humble opinion, a “perfect storm” which was calculated, planned, and put into action as a terrorist act aimed at destroying the United States of America. I think it’s, unfortunately, been extremely successful in achieving its goal as I’ve reiterated many times, I’m proud to be an American, but I’m not very proud of America today.

Finally, I encourage you to view a movie classic filmed in 1962 starring Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, and Angela Lansbury called “The Manchurian Candidate”. You’ll be surprised at the parallels expressed in the movie and what’s going on in today’s American society.