My Common Sense on The Atlantic's article entitled: Georgia's Experiment in Human Sacrifice

Prior to reading this post, you will want to read the article from The Atlantic.  Here is the link:

Georgia’s Experiment in Human Sacrifice

The state is about to find out how many people need to lose their lives to shore up the economy.

For anyone not from North Georgia, Copper Coin Coffee Shop, located in Downtown Woodstock (Georgia), was, is and will still be (after Coronavirus) one of my favorite local hangouts.  Many people from our area see Copper Coin as one of the keystone businesses.  Several years ago, when the future of Copper Coin was in jeopardy, someone (Randy Altmann) from the community stepped up, took over, and has continued the business for the benefit of the community.  I fear how the attitude of the downtown community would have been adversely affected if Copper Coin had gone away.  The only thing that would make Copper Coin better would be if somehow, we could convince Randy that Alma (a local roaster) has a better bean; however, part of his stubbornness is also what brings additional character to his business.

The Atlantic's article, authored by Amanda Mull, showcased many photos, businesses and people from the Metro ATL area including Copper Coin, The Strand Theater (Marietta, GA), etc.

‍The ARTICLE

When I read this article at 5:30am this past Friday just prior to my morning workout, I had to stop and breathe for a few minutes.  I then looked up Dr. Heiman's contact info at GSU and almost left him a message. I refrained from doing so, mainly because I was only on my first cup of coffee.

Articles like this one is why I strongly dislike most media outlets.  I would classify this entire article from The Atlantic's as useless from a factual perspective, but a particular paragraph especially caused My Common Sense B.S. radar to flip out.  Listed below is that excerpt, copied and pasted from the Atlantic's article:

Harry Heiman, a public-health professor at Georgia State University, in Atlanta, told me the decision to reopen demonstrates how the state’s government has treated its citizens for years, well before Kemp’s 2018 election: “They’ve long prioritized policies that they believe support businesses, even though those same policies might not be good for workers or for the communities that those workers come from.” These policies have largely accomplished their desired goals: In the span of a generation, the population in the Atlanta metro area has doubled. Corporations including Mercedes-Benz USA, Newell Brands, and Norfolk Southern Railway have moved their headquarters to the state. But many of the programs to attract those employers, Heiman said, have weakened the state’s social safety net and labor protections.

Dr. Harry Heiman "The Professor" (Clinical Associate Professor, Director of the DrPH Program at Georgia State Univ) earned his Masters in Public Heath from Emory and his MD from Univ of Cincinnati, he is a well-educated man.

First, the author of this article listed Harry Heiman as a professor, TRUE; however, it failed to list him as an MD which is important.  As an MD, I can fully understand his attitude to "first do no harm."  It is also immediately evident that Dr. Heiman does not understand basic economics or was not portrayed accurately by the author of this article.  If The Professor was provided with some basic economics education, he would likely diagnose that more harm is done (from a public health perspective) by discouraging companies to move to your state vs encouraging them to do so with public policies focused on business growth and entrepreneurship.  Citizens that can provide for themselves and their family have a longer life expectancy and a better overall quality of life than those that depend on government programs for assistance (social safety net).

When a local economy has plenty of competitively paying jobs for its citizenry, social safety net programs are not in high demand... DDUUHHHH!!!  Additionally, the more people with jobs equals more Unemployment Insurance (UI) paid to the State of GA every month for most every employee.  This helps to strengthen the Social Safety Net for the State and not affect it adversely.

Second... In his quote, Dr. Heiman completely fails to specifically list any of the "policies" that he is referencing.  What were these ".... prioritized policies..." and what were their "... desired goals... ?"

‍Over the past few years, Georgia has consistently been one of the top States "to do business."  Based on this fact, I can only assume that neither Amanda nor The Professor is aware that these phantom "... prioritized policies..." encouraged enough major companies (like the ones listed above) to move to ATL, hire 100's if not 1000's more Georgians, and reduce the need for the social safety net demand for the state.... at least until COVID19 came to town....

Lastly, as a Type 1 diabetic of 32yrs and an unfortunately frequent surgical patient, I have seen many doctors.  Whenever a doctor makes any type of statement that resembles,  this "...might not be good..." it is always followed by something like, "let's run some tests and figure out what it is."  There is no attempt by Amanda Mull via The Professor to communicate what "...might not be good..." so it is probably best to just move on and consider this article nothing to worry about, just get some rest and maybe eat an apple to keep The Professor away.

‍My Common Sense

‍Over the last few weeks, I have concluded that Medical Doctors should stick to making medical diagnoses.  MD's broadcasting opinionated proclamations that attempt to convey whether COVID19 or a 30% Unemployment Rate will kill more people is not their specialty,  Gathering relevant and factual data, analyzing it, and producing solutions along with their potential results is the job of Statisticians, Economists, and the like.  In the end, COVID10 and/or an Economy in the toilet are going to both have an output of death.  Regardless of your political leanings or attempted solution(s) for the current predicament, please do not forget that the doctor gets paid whether you are a potential patient with COVID19 or as a patient to be evaluated for which Antidepressant cocktail of the day will cure the pains that ail you from a broken economy.

If you want to have a constructive conversation about this or anything else, message me, and let's grab coffee or a beer.

Have a good one,

Dan‍