By Sigrid Weidenweber
I could say I told you so, yet modesty forbids. Therefore, I will just remind us that at the beginning of the Covid 19 affair, I wrote an article about the outrageous amount of power accorded the governors and mayors to deal with the “viral threat”. That article was published in the Citizen’s Journal on March 30, 2020, and was entitled The Virus Creates its Very Own Potentates. I discussed in this article all the extraordinary measures undertaken by two governors, best known to me, Gavin Newsom of California and Steven Sissolak of Nevada.
I began the editorial as follows: “It seems that the circumstances of our lives make some governors believe that they now are invested with all kinds of powers and privileges—that the capabilities of the virus empower them to act with the force of dictators.”
All the orders given by both governors read like ukases prepared by a Tsar. None of the new powers stemmed from underpinning of the constitution, and the question I raised then, nearly a year ago, was, “how can we ever claw back the power so blithely bestowed on politicians.” For I know, men of the political persuasion never give up an inch of power without a fight.
Well, the fight is on. In California Gavin Newsom, Nancy Pelosi’s nephew, is embroiled in a recall-battle. So is Sissolak in Nevada, albeit not so energetically driven because he was less Draconian in his measures than Gavin.
However, it is in New York where governor Andrew Cuomo used his special Covid 19 powers to lessen the drain of old folks on his state by mixing virulent Covid cases with healthy populations in nursing homes, that the awful, extraordinary power is now becoming fully exposed. Cuomo’s administration has been accused, and now admits, of undercounting deaths among nursing home residents during the height of the epidemic. A top aid for the governor apologized to Democratic lawmakers, saying the administration “froze,” when asked about this issue. How ridiculous a statement from a bureaucrat—they are brazen and never “freeze.”
Is it not remarkable that the administration apologizes to Democratic politicians but not to the thousands of bereaved citizens who lost their loved ones? Attorney General Letitia James reports that the Cuomo administration undercounted senior’s deaths in institutions by 50%.
The great Covid numbers coming out New York, made Cuomo look good at the time. He was fated and congratulated by Democratic illuminati as master administrator, furthermore it kept the Trump administration from investigating the morass in Cuomo’s state, while he, blithely wrote a self-aggrandizing book.
Even the Democrats in New York have had enough of the way he wields power, untrammeled by oversight. A number of lawmakers are desperately trying to deprive him of “Pandemic Emergency Powers.”
Even New York Mayor Bloomberg condemned Cuomo, who is now being investigated by the state, and faces impeachment.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal
Sigrid Weidenweber grew up in communist East Berlin, escaping it using a French passport. Ms. Weidenweber holds a degree in medical technology as well as psychology and has course work in Anthropology. She is co-founder of Aid for Afghans. Weidenweber has traveled the world and lived with Pakistani Muslims, learning about the culture and religion. She is a published author and lecturer. You can find her books on Amazon.com
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