Featured (internal)

It’s safe to say quarantine has changed everyone’s life, in some way or another. Whether that means students have travelled home from college campus to their parent’s home, or young adults quarantining together so they’re not alone, there’s something novel about the last 70 or so days. Even though there’s a discussion around “a new normal”, it seems like that status is still a ways off. With new cases of COVID-19 springing up what seems like by the second, there’s talk about an additional shelter-in-place order or another lockdown. It’s important to note that we’re not currently in the “second wave” … we haven’t left the first wave of the coronavirus, yet. 

Unfortunately, many states are still in different stages of their reopening plans, meaning that in some cases, people don’t quite know when they’ll be able to operate as normal once again. In an effort to look on the brighter side, many become hopeful about when they’ll be able to see their favorite nail technician or visit their hair stylist for a quarantine-spruce up. A recent survey highlights exactly what Americans are looking forward to once they’re able to go about their business freely once more. 

Once we’re “freed” from the confines of where we’re quarantining, most people will be looking forward to seeing their families. Almost 1 in 4 Americans responded saying that they’d like to visit family and friends first. Many older Americans who live in nursing homes or assisted living facilities haven’t been able to have visitors for a few months, but in half of the U.S. states, visits to nursing homes can resume. As of July 6th, 26 states repealed policies that made it impossible for family members to visit loved ones in nursing homes. 

Other businesses who were affected during the coronavirus shutdown, such as airlines and travel agencies, are looking to begin making money off of travelers who want to see their friends and family. 

An interesting insight from the study is that more so than going shopping, traveling, or going out to eat, Americans would like to go back into work. 10.9% of respondents said they were looking forward to going back to work in the office or their place of business.  

Another part of the study looked at where people would like to go first, after they’re able. Overwhelmingly, the responses show people would like to be able to go out to dinner! 31.5% of respondents said they’d be visiting a restaurant as soon as they could. The top 10 foods Americans have missed, according to the Daily Meal, include sushi, steak, burgers, and burritos. 

We’re looking forward to the light at the end of the quarantine tunnel, too. 

Fun Fact from the 2008 Democratic Primary. Hillary Clinton finished with more votes than Barack Obama but he had more delegates than her. Neither had a majority of the popular vote nor the delegates. It was the superdelegates who broke 2-1 for Obama that gave him a 51-49 win in delegates. What is a superdelegate?

A superdelegate, simply, is a high-ranking member of the Democratic party that can pledge his or her allegiance to any candidate of his or her choosing, based on nothing more than personal preference. These superdelegates can be current or former lawmakers or party members. So what is a superdelegate? Or maybe the better question is who are the superdelegates in 2016? They will include Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Howard Dean, Jimmy Carter and about 700 others.

The superdelegates swept Obama into the nomination over Clinton in 2008

It is important to realize that in a Republic we are governed by a majority of representatives (whether elected legislators, delegates, presidential electors, etc) and not a plurality of voters. Some of you may not like that idea; but when is it right that a plurality of people (less than 50 percent) should overrule a majority of the people, however split into factions such majority may be? The founding fathers understood there would be factions and some would have greater numbers than others (see both the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers). Therefore, they wisely designed a system of government that required coalitions that constituted a majority be formed in order to enact laws rather than have the most numerous faction(s) dictate those laws.

Those that threaten riots and revenge against a combined majority of various factions who oppose them understand neither liberty nor the concept of being governed by the consent of the governed. Such a view is the very foundation of tyranny and endangers the freedom of all mankind.

Therefore we cannot, and we must not, be bullied into submission. We should never sacrifice our principles and our morals for that which is popular or convenient. Rather, it is our civic duty to fight for and advocate those principles which are just and true and support the good men and women who will uphold them. For we stand accountable before God, the giver of those rights, and to no one person, organization, or political party. For to Him must our loyalties be affixed if we are to preserve such rights and liberties for ourselves and for our posterity.