While no one discounts the effects of the virus going on across the country, the “hype” being pushed by the media, and Gov. Kate Brown, is causing people to think this is either an earth-ending crisis, or is simply another “fake news item” being pushed to control the people. This might shock some people, but it is not an earth-ending crisis but is more of a government/media-created panic. Between dear Kate Brown and her allies in the media, they have done a great job in showing how easy it is to control the thoughts, and actions, of the masses.

With the latest round of overreach by Brown and the media, the public is still being fed gloom and doom about how many cases and related deaths are being reported each and every day. Where are the headlines attempting to calm the masses by showing that 98%-plus of cases recover? One hardly ever reads those numbers.

Millions of private sector employees are losing their jobs and are being told it is because of the virus. This is true, especially in the hospitality and restaurant businesses. While these people are forced to live on unemployment, public employees are told to stay home, some working from home, some not, all continuing to receive full paychecks. Don’t get me wrong, but why are public employees still being fully compensated while not working? Remember the old saying, “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”

In the Saturday East Oregonian there is an article by Eder Campuzano, of The Oregonian newspaper, titled “Online schools also subject to closure order.” In the article, obtained from the alternative weekly, state officials worried with brick- and-mortar schools shuttered, families would flock to the free online academies if online schools were allowed to continue to operate. And among the reasons why state officials fear is that families will drop out of neighborhood schools in favor of online courses, which would decrease funding for brick-and-mortar schools across the state. This is the one and only reason Kate Brown closed online schools! Money, money and more money is all Brown thinks about.

As the mayor of Chicago once said, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” Well folks, Kate Brown, with the help of the media, is following the left’s playbook to a point of great overreaching into the daily lives of the residents.

John Harvey

Stanfield