DAN SCHINHOFEN: Former commissioner responds to governor, AG

Gentlemen,

I read, with some concern, your response to the rural counties that have pushed back against your dictatorial rule. I must admit that I did not see one fact to support your claim that those counties are putting their citizens at risk or that they are sending confusing signals because they do not agree with the draconian and arbitrary “directives” you have put forward.

In a response from the two White Pine commissioners to your statement they pointed out that NRS 414 does not give you complete and total authority but rather it lays out what “additional authority” you do have. Among those there is no reference to “directives” like you have established and setting up of fines and criminal punishments for ignoring your directives. Before we get too far along that path, let us first look at the “directives” you have put out and your claim that “medical experts” have agreed with those “directives”.

First off, which “medical experts” are you referring too? The doctor you have set up to be your expert does not even have a license to practice in this state. Your handpicked committee, that has given you cover for these “safety measures” are not medical experts as far as we know.

The CDC, when this all kicked off nearly a year ago, stated that social distancing should be practiced and if you could not and were face-to-face with someone for 10 to 30 minutes, THEN you should wear a mask. The National Institute of Health has a study about cloth face coverings from 2015 that shows cloth face coverings allow 97% of particulate matter though. Doesn’t seem like much protection to me.

What peer-reviewed studies have you consulted that show closing businesses and limiting church services save lives? What “experts” and science informed you to allow elementary school students to only be three feet apart while six feet is what the CDC states? What science informed you that COVID-19 could be transmitted by a person that was asymptomatic? (A study of nearly 10 million people showed this is not true.)

When hydroxychloroquine was first brought up as a therapeutic, you, governor, bought a large supply, but then went with the hysteria that this was not good to use and forbade doctors to prescribe it. Now it is accepted again as one of many treatments for this virus. Standing on your high horse telling these commissioners that they do not care about the health and safety of their constituents is laughable. How many people may have suffered less if you had actually followed the science instead of your party’s leadership?

Clark County states 18 children committed suicide and we know that abuse and deaths of despair are double and triple from average years. These arbitrary and capricious rules of yours are directly responsible for those deaths.

Just because some rural counties have pushed back, you and the AG felt a need to make a political point. Talk about sending mixed signals? In your first set of directives, you stated there was no mandatory mask mandate and yet in those we see that marijuana dispensaries were required to make customers wear masks. (Equal protection under the law?) Homeless people were exempt also. Early on you stated people with medical issues do not have to wear a mask and now your enforcers are closing businesses because a customer didn’t wear a mask. Businesses think that the Federal HEPA laws now do not apply because you put out a directive. Where in NRS 414 does it state you can negate federal law?

For years public restrooms have been made mandatory for businesses that serve food and yet now, under your guidance, many of those restrooms are closed. (And many of those businesses are closed for good.) They were made to have them for public health and safety. Don’t even get me started on fire safety regulations and laws as many businesses are now only allowed one entrance and exit so that they do not go past your 50% or 25% capacity directives. I guess public health and safety are just words you use to try and shame people into obeying your ridiculous and harmful “directives”.

I could list each directive that seems arbitrary, but I just do not have the room here.

The commissioners that have stood up and called you out for the harm these “directives” have and are doing should be lauded not talked down to as they are actually listening to their constituents who believe all of this is nonsense.

With fatality rates from this virus lower than the annual flu for school-aged children, why are they not in school? Is the teachers’ union more important than following the facts? Fatality rates among most all age groups do not warrant a complete destruction of our state’s economy. Granted the fatality rate among those in their 80’s is high, but still lower than SARs and MERs.

Maybe all of your energy and lust for power should have been used to protect them.

Going forward, I do hope that you and AG Ford will think twice before excoriating county commissioners for following their conscience and listening to their constituents instead of following the party leaders.

Please consider ALL of the facts as we move forward, like the Great Barrington Declaration that has signatures from tens of thousands of doctors and scientists. Or even the WHO that now states lockdowns should only be used for a short period of time to get hospitals ready.

Is it any surprise that people rush to the hospital for treatment when they get a flu-like symptom as you and the media have made it sound like a death sentence if you get this virus? Ninety-five percent of people that get this virus have mild symptoms, as you know, and the fatality rate is exceptionally low unless you are very old with existing health issues. Ask your experts to show you the data on that and then please listen to those county commissioners, who are much closer to the general public than you are.

Instead of wasting your time writing letters, that also have no force of law, maybe you should get outside your circle of friends and give back the authority you have taken from the Legislature so they can hold public meetings and hear ALL the data.

With deep concern for the republic and the rule of law,

Dan Schinhofen