“I can’t tell you how great it is to look out there and see your faces. This looks like a group of people that get that this is a phony pandemic,” Republican Congressman-elect Bob Good said to a crowd of people at a pro-Trump march in Washington, D.C. 

   I can’t imagine what went through Good’s head before saying this. What is “phony’ about record-high numbers of people dying? 

   As the COVID-19 Pandemic remains at large, there are new record-breaking numbers nearly every day. The top five deadliest days in US history (as of January 11) are as followed:

1. Jan. 7, 2021 – 4,033
2. Dec. 30, 2020 – 3,884
3. Jan. 6, 2021 – 3,793
4. Jan. 8, 2021 – 3,777
5. Jan. 9, 2021 – 3,544

   The most infamous, deadly days in US history are simply average days during the pandemic. On 9/11, Americans mourn those who were lost on that day in 2001 where 2,977 people died. On December 30, 2020, 3,884 people died, almost one thousand more people. During the events in Pearl Harbor, 2,043 died. Nearly double the number of people died on January 7, 2021.

   What will happen in the years to come? Will we create memorials to remember those who passed? Turn hospitals into museums for future generations? 

   COVID-19 is not a joke. The people who view it as “not their problem,” such as Bob Good,  are the reason America is currently split in two- those who believe in the pandemic and those who don’t. Look at the statistics; all of the data says to stay inside, stay safe, and wear a mask.

   Some claim that we live in the “Land of the Free,” so why would they bother to be restricted by COVID-19? But ask yourself- Why do you follow speed limit signs? Why do you drive on the right side of the road? The answer: To protect others.

I fear growing up in a country that lacks common sense. People are proud to live in the “Land of the Free,” but I am embarrassed.