To the editor,

Why someone would want to change from capitalism to socialism is incomprehensible to me.

I hope and pray the citizens of our nation are paying attention to what is transpiring around them, whether the Wuhan coronavirus was an accident or a plan is irrelevant. Our lives have been changed here and throughout the planet, not to mention the deleterious and life-shattering impact on economics.

To say this situation is a pandemic is only half true. Webster defines a pandemic as “occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population.” Thus, this virus is a pandemic geographically speaking but not proportionately speaking.

Some simple mathematics confirms this. As of April 24, 2020, with the virus beginning in late fall of 2019, worldwide deaths totaled 187,330 and U.S. deaths read 47,272. Division of Earth’s population, 7.8 billion, into the world deaths of 187,330, gives you the percentage of death worldwide, and that is 2.4/100,000 of 1%.

The U.S. population is about 330 million. Division of the U.S. population into deaths of 47,272 equals a percentage of 1.4/10,000 of 1%.

For those who have difficulty with decimals and lots of zeros, consider the death toll in the U.S. in 2017. It was 2,813,503 million. Consider the number of flu-related deaths in the 2017-19 influenza season — 60,099, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Percentage of flu deaths total 2/100 of 1%.

Enough math! What I am trying to point out is the fact we/our government and the doctors, and the states — most of them — have wounded our economy needlessly. I believe this coronavirus/flu would have run its natural course while building up “herd immunity” to protect others.

In closing, I encourage ALL Americans to ask themselves these questions: 1. Do you enjoy living like this under the orders of your of you elected leaders? 2. Do you believe in the Bill of Rights in our Constitution? 3. Do you want your children and grandchildren to have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? 4. Do you want to earn a living or have the government give it to you as they see fit?

Please remember this, we elect our representatives, senators, and presidents/vice presidents to serve us. Perhaps we need to demand term limits for those in Congress. After all, isn’t it supposed to be a government OF the people, by the people and FOR the people?

Randy Tyner,

Swansboro