By: Mark Glennon*
It’s time for public officials like Gov. JB Pritzker to check the political winds on their COVID policies. They may cling to their version of science, but the politics have shifted against them, even within their own party. They are rapidly being left behind, putting Illinois and a few other states in outlier status on COVID policy, particularly for children.
That’s not a conservative assessment. It’s from a rapidly growing number of voices on the left now recognizing that their own ranks have had it wrong on both the science and the politics of harsh mandates, particularly those imposed on children, especially masking requirements.
“The warning signs for Democrats are manifest,” wrote the left’s New York Times last week, pushing the party to “search for a new message on the virus.” The Times went on:
The shift reflects a potential change in the nature of the threat now that millions of Americans are vaccinated and Omicron appears to be causing less serious disease. But it is also a political pivot. Democrats are keenly aware that Americans — including even some of the party’s loyal liberal voters — have changed their attitudes about the virus….
As examples they cited Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, who has no plans for mask mandates because Pennsylvanians, the governor said, crave a return to normalcy. “I think everybody’s angry,” Wolf said.
The Times also cited Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis who has been unusually blunt in saying that it is time to treat the coronavirus as a manageable disruption, more like the flu. Last month he told Coloradans that if they were unvaccinated and wound up in the hospital, it was their ‘own darn fault.’ Regarding masks, he said that state health authorities had no business telling people ‘what to wear.’”
The Atlantic, also on the left, firmly made “The Case Against Masks at School,” as their headline last week read. They reviewed “a variety of studies…to try to find evidence that would justify the CDC’s no-end-in-sight mask guidance for the very-low-risk pediatric population, particularly post-vaccination.”
Their conclusion: “We came up empty-handed.” The Atlantic even labeled establishment masking policies as “mythology”:
Over the past 21 months, slowly and with much resistance, the layers of mythology around COVID-19 mitigation in schools have been peeled away, each time without producing the much-ballyhooed increases in COVID-19. Schools did not become hot spots when they reopened, nor when they reduced physical distancing, nor when they eliminated deep-cleaning protocols. These layers were peeled away because the evidence supporting them was weak, and they all had substantial downsides for children’s education and health.
Even far left National Public Radio joined the chorus last week. NPR suppresses criticism of government orthodoxy as egregiously as any media, but their headline admitted the mistake on masks — “After 2 years, growing calls to take masks off children in school.”
They ticked off the list of reasons why those calls are rising – calls long expressed by experts NPR has ignored: Masks that actually work are hard to find; it’s hard for children to wear masks properly; masks can interfere with young children’s brain development; masks can make it harder to hear and understand speech; and masks can inhibit social interactions.
For those reasons, Illinois and a few other states and cities that stick with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control are already outliers, nationally and internationally. Just 16 states now maintain mask requirement for school children regardless of vaccination status. Internationally, as The Atlantic wrote,
The U.K., Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and others—have not taken the U.S.’.s approach, and instead follow World Health Organization guidelines, which recommend against masking children ages 5 and younger, because this age group is at low risk of illness, because masks are not “in the overall interest of the child,” and because many children are unable to wear masks properly. Even for children ages 6 to 11, the WHO does not routinely recommend masks, because of the “potential impact of wearing a mask on learning and psychosocial development.” The WHO also explicitly counsels against masking children during physical activities, including running and jumping at the playground, so as not to compromise breathing.
But most Illinois schools have been coerced into following the state’s guidance, which in turn follows the CDC, requiring masking on all kids from pre-school through high school.
That’s part of why a recent grading of governors’ COVID policies by the Brownstone Institute ranked Pritzker a “complete fail” – worse than an ‘F.’ The state’s detachment from the norm, even the blue state norm, will only grow.
The better reason for dropping school masking requirement isn’t politics, of course. It’s that masks on kids are harmful and have little or no effect protecting kids or reducing transmission, which the articles cited above document. More than 150 studies show mask ineffectiveness and harm.
We have long known that the risk to children from COVID is miniscule, comparable to ordinary flu. But they have been masked in schools to protect adults, based on the claim that masking at school reduces transmission. That claim, too, is now discredited.
That means masks for school children have been nothing more than a cowardly and misdirected effort by adults to use children as their shields. The story is much the same on COVID vaccines for kids. If that’s not enough for Pritzker and other politicians, let’s hope they see the political consequences.
*Mark Glennon is founder of Wirepoints.
More on COVID from Wirepoints:
- Nearly 40 percent of all Illinois COVID deaths in the last month are breakthroughs. What gives?
- Americans in 39 states aren’t subjected to a mask mandate. Why are Illinoisans?
- Still Calling For Employer Vaccine Mandates, American Medical Association Ignores Its Own Code Of Ethics
- Omicron crushes rationale for Chicago, Cook County vaccine passports
- Give in to the most militant teachers union in the country and this is what you get: Another walkout
- Governor Pritzker’s condescending defense of failing ‘same ‘ol same ‘ol’ COVID policy
- Indefensible: Vilification And Hectoring To Vaccinate Children Expands
- Hey, Pritzker, leave them kids alone
A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.
Audio and summary 
If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
If you are one of the sheep swallowing the daily slop that spews out of the mouths of the politicians no amount of reason or logic will change their mind. Alone in a car, alone walking down the street, aline riding a bike, alone anywhere and you see these masked up dopes. Another joke, walk into a restaurant masked up and then sit down. Off with the mask as if some magic shield has just descended over them for protection. I saw many people this summer at the golf course, a single walking or riding a cart, masked up like… Read more »
Amazingly, Pritzker has doubled down on his claim that masks are working for Illinois. Watch this short clip from just today. https://twitter.com/MarkMaxwellTV/status/1488653962458849283
Like the existence of ET or Santa Claus, forced mask wearer only need to believe that they work.
They can believe whatever they want but it’s immoral to force the rest of us to adopt their fake religion.
Yeah, since Pritzker is “the science”, he has to keep on with his rationalizations, etc… Heaven forbid that he would move on. :/
These tyrants think assholery will go unanswered. When your elections plans crumble you can pay your bills with a shovel job.
We are in desperate need of a *Virginia* type election here…
I hope, I hope. The general ballot is Republican +7 but JB won the race 55 to 39, it may not be enough. In VA the Republican won 50.6%(R) to 48.6%(D) in 2021, but the 2017 race was 53.9%(D) to 45.0%(R), so it was a close one.
IL can pull off an R win again with a decent R candidate but we need massive R turnout, low D turnout, and a general Republican +7 or better ballot.
Just my uninformed two cents!
CTU and CPS have been endangering my child’s health by reducing the fresh air he/she breaths. Wearing a mask all day long produces almost daily migraines. Drowsy and foggy headed after school. Who can do homework like that? Emails from the school are always “strongly encouraging” the vaccine because it is the best way and all that. Absolute mental cases.
Of course that is happening! We’re not made to wear masks —- and for all those hours?? I pray that you would be able to make other “arrangements” for your child’s education. By every metric, those in charge of her/his education have failed.
Hearing. More and more in radio, on the net and in person. The Left is losing followers in masss numbers.
They have gone too far
They are losing it. This short clip captures it: https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1487861425787789317
You mean locking people and kids up in cages doesn’t work? Metaphorical cages, your house, your face, your kids classroom, your health club, your breakfast Cafe, your speech, your thoughts, your Internet that was supposed to be free and unencumbered when it was first invented, etc. Now they have crossed the line that nobody crosses, they are starting to go after your kids, yeah that’ll go over good at election time (sarcasm).
In 2022 there is no word I am more sick of hearing than the word “safety”. It has proven to be a precursor word, where the very next sentence will be some form of propaganda or confiscation of liberty, or mandate. Its a word used on us and our kids. To quote…
Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
i agree,another phrase that makes me vomit is” out of an abundance of caution”-cant count the number of times ive heard politicians and the medical profesion say that in the last two years
Or, “if it saves just one life…”
There is little information on the efficacy of covid-19 vaccines for children. Show me clinical trial results. Show me a list of the long-term effects. Tell me why the vaccine is approved for use but not approved by the CDC. Until all of that information is available I am not interested in what the Governor, the President, teachers, school boards, as a matter of fact I’m not interested in what anybody else has to say. Show me the proof that these vaccines work and won’t harm our children then we can talk. You’ll notice I said “our children” and not… Read more »
Marie, we have dealt terribly with our children in every respect. And to your point, my thought is, why with such a high survivability rate for children, teens, and young adults, is this (the jab) even part of the conversation, not to mention MANDATING them?? In my opinion, we are in the middle of one large clinical trial RIGHT NOW, so what can they say or show us? A portion of the numbers is coming to light at VAERS, though I have read that even those injuries and deaths are 1 to 10 per cent of the totals, as 1)… Read more »
Wife & I went shopping yesterday in Orland Park…
Very discouraged to see 90% of people are still afraid & masked up, even out doors…!
Similar in DuPage County! In cars by themselves, outside in the parking lot on the way to the supermarket ….. I could see if it was March 2020, but come on! Is it fear? virtual signaling? A few people have written theories/ books making the case that this is psychological (mass psychosis). I think it is some combination of the three above and I’m beginning to think that it’s hopeless…. ;(
I shared a picture of my 8th grade son paying basketball on social media – the first comment I got was “Your governor is a piece of garbage”. While I generally agree, it took me a second to figure out why that comment was made – then I realized all the players were on the court in masks…something foreign to most of the rest of the country. I tried running in a “sports mask” when it was cold two weeks ago – I was gasping for air within a quarter mile. If there’s justice in the afterlife, these guys and… Read more »
On the local news high school bb coverage shows that the players have their chins and throat well protected since none of them have their nose or mouth covered. Shockingly, as the camera pans over the fans very few of them have masks on. Masks are just a waste of time.
Ending the mask-mandate would put Pritzker and his administration in the position of having to fully return state employees to in-office work, and in-person public contact. What we saw occurring recently with the Chicago Teacher’s Union is a harbinger of what will occur when the other public employee unions have to respond to members who would rather continue “working” from home, or in an office closed to the public. Not to mention, of course, the mountain of undone and incomplete work that accumulated over the last two + years – excused temporarily due to policy and procedure accommodations justified by… Read more »
Exactly. Now as the pandemic ends. As more and more of what was once “misinformation” is now proving to be the truth. Illinois government must now find a way to keep the fear going, to basically “misinform” a public that is beginning to figure out for themselves. It will happen through manipulation of statistics, mandates, and simply the act of calling anything not in alignment with the fear goal “misinformation”. Labeling something as misinformation is the easy route, it makes all dissenters into evil lie tellers and sociopaths with little effort, we are not sociopaths. Until the people discover that… Read more »
And this ties in perfectly with their irrational belief that masks are effective. Just take a 3 minute read of craptastic fax and you’ll realize just how much faith the administration has put into the effectiveness of masks, despite all the evidence they do not work. The refrain “cover your nose” or “wear a GD mask” is repeated often and frequently, and the 39 other states that disagree with JB’s masking decision is nothing short of complicit with mass murder. This is not hyperbole, this is what they believe. The mask has magical properties that protects the wearer, and when… Read more »
There is an election coming up. If the Republicans can run a sane candidate, who goes easy on the culture war craziness, Pritzker can be taken out, despite his vast fortune. He is so unpopular, even the unions won’t be able to save him. Public safety, They can activate the MP’s from the National Guard to help with traffic and patrolling the CTA and maintaining a safe downtown business area. The CPD should concentrate on violent crime and harassing and bringing down the gangs with help form the State and the feds. Teachers should be under the same rules as… Read more »
I love all of your ideas and I would love to see them enacted, but I don’t know of many conservative or independent voters will get fired up enough about pensions, workers comp reforms or teacher strikes. Democrats are showing up to vote because they hate republicans with a passion, they’d put us in camps if they could. For Republicans, they need that passion and the culture war strategy – done correctly – seems to be that passion that drives them. It’s been a winning model for over a year now. I believe the focus needs to be on masks,… Read more »
If AMENDMENT 1 doesn’t make a Democrat or an Independent vote for Republican candidates in Nov 22 then nothing ever will. If AMENDMENT 1 passes those people are going down and what really pisses me off is they’re going to take me down with them. Please read it, don’t just listen to what some Democrat tells you about it, READ IT.
Thanks to the Brownstone Institute for analyzing and summarizing what many Illinoians have been through (and continue to do so). Sadly, many of those who are in charge here, and primarily the guy at at the top, have not acted for the benefit and welfare of their citizens during this period. The fact is that they didn’t before, nor do I think they will after. How often since this all started have I wondered what a “good leader” would do, and then I began to observe it in the form of Gov. Noem and Gov. De Santis, among a few… Read more »
I felt it in my bones when all this started that it would mostly be about the masks. Because a government telling you to wear a mask is more a powerful indicator of submission than it is a practical ask. But it turned into more than an ask, it became a command, thats where they crossed a line. As we go about town now my wife and I have not worn masks since last spring. We observe people who wear masks and those that don’t. Blacks have a history of enslavement, but they are now the most loyal mask-wearers we… Read more »
I think the black community has a very low vaccination rate. Maybe they do not trust the vaccines so they are masking instead? I moved out of Illinois to a red state and I see the same thing here and not a lot of people as a whole wear masks here.
Think again.