450+ Days Old Already, Cooper Extends State of Emergency, Restrictions Until July 30

RALEIGH – ‘What’s it gonna take?’ That was the question posed by state lawmakers earlier this week regarding just how good things have to get before Governor Roy Cooper will lift the COVID-19 state of emergency and associated restrictions.

Friday, Cooper signaled in clear terms that he isn’t interested in relenting just yet, as he far too enjoys the power to affect policy, and extended his emergency order until July 30.

That includes making our kids (understood by all to be the least vulnerable to the virus and an inconsequential vector of transmission) continue to wear face masks (documented time and again as, at best, a placebo in terms of mitigation of viral transmission) all day at school.

And all of you, on public transportation and child care facilities, among others.

The order also extends his power to prohibit evictions, a measure sold as compassion, but replete with disregard for the property rights of individuals that actually OWN THE PROPERTY and the effect that has economically. Under this order, tenants that haven’t paid rent in 450 days have long since turned into squatters, with no legal way for landlords to collect or evict in favor of paying tenants.

The order also extends Cooper’s ability to give more ‘flexibility’ to unemployment insurance benefits. This means, of course, keeping requirements extraordinarily low and payments extraordinarily high.

Cooper did not mention in the press conference exactly what it would take to end the emergency, using the same vague platitudes he has through out the Pandemic Panic, but it’s reasonable to assume the answer is ‘Until we can’t possibly get away with it any longer.’

Despite the extension, that time may be nearing, mainly because, as the lawmakers pointed out in their letter, THERE IS NO EMERGENCY.

To see how little emergency justification there is, let’s turn to The COVID Tracking Project (by the Atlantic, a pro-panic publication):

…but that data seems to over a few months old, let’s see if we can refresh…

Oh. It seems that, months ago, the precipitously falling numbers for cases, hospitalizations, and virtually vanishing deaths in North Carolina and around the country became so uninteresting to The Atlantic that they stopped bothering to collect any new data.

Indeed, in the interim, hospitalizations have fallen off a cliff, cut in half over the last 30 days alone.

Similarly, cases and deaths continue to plummet, both forming classic viral trajectories with current levels at or below levels from before it all took off in the first place.

There is absolutely no public health emergency related to COVID-19 in North Carolina, unless, of course, one considers the quite pressing need to rein in the unilateral emergency powers of the governor.

The Cooper administration essentially admits it lacks any medical of public health justification for the emergency orders, the numbers being unavoidable, but that the political perks of unilaterally dictating policies they like are too enticing to simply give away.