There was a big hoo-hah this week when the top health official in Virginia seemed to say that Virginia would not reopen until a vaccine was developed and in use, which might take up to two years. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, has done and said so many outrageous things that the comment was believable.

But, as in the economic decline that is taking place so rapidly, all things come back to the dynamic duo of economic destruction: Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx. While I am sure they are lovely people who may be enjoyable to visit with on any number of nonhealth-related subjects, it is simply time for them to be thanked and for them to leave the stage.

They have relentlessly relied on admittedly spurious models to scare the nation into accepting unlawful, draconian government measures that may not make anyone safer while certainly taking a jackhammer to the foundation of our once-prosperous national economy.

Why could people believe that some government officials would consider keeping our society closed for a couple more years as the inarticulate announcement in Virginia implied? Because it is the logical conclusion to the Fauci-Birx doctrine.

Story continues below

They advocate for shelter-in-place policies regardless of the physical, mental, or economic problems that arise because of the Fauci-Birx doctrine. Calls to suicide hotlines grow exponentially as people see jobs and life savings evaporate.

It is the duo of doom that has used their bully pulpit to bring public criticism on governors who are seeking to open up their states. The Fauci-Birx team have replaced faith with fear and hope with despair.

Acceptance of the inconsistencies in the models that Fauci has described as “unreliable” has also produced a congeries of inconsistent policies and guidelines.

We trust you and grocery store workers to stay open but not the furniture store or hobby shop. You can go to Walmart for food and prescriptions but not to buy furniture or games. It’s not OK to go to a barbershop or salon unless you’re the governor and need to look good on TV.

I actually heard a television commentator imply that activists protesting the continued closure of their state showed they couldn’t handle being in the public because some were not 6 feet apart or wearing personal protective equipment. Joseph Stalin would have been content with the ramification that people who exercise their God-given rights must first agree to give up those rights in order to be free.

This is a remarkable truth: Many people would rather be safe and secure than be free.

While we can and should identify and protect the most vulnerable among us, we must respect the rights of every citizen. Forcing people to hunker in their homes for a period of time abrogates the essence of America because it restricts our rights.

The Fauci-Birx doctrine is content with a myriad of anti-freedom measures: mandatory vaccinations, national identification cards that state your antibody status, limiting the right to gather for worship or in large family groups, and centralization of healthcare and political power in Washington, D.C. Their policies logically result in widespread surveillance.

We also see the division of the nation. For Fauci and Birx, there are some jobs more important than others. Instead of the essential nature of one’s work being determined in the marketplace, Washington bureaucrats, the most nonessential employees in the nation, are making the determination about who gets to work and who has to take unemployment.

Governors are fostering the discord by putting up snitch forms on the internet to ferret out those who might be taking a walk, sitting on their front porch, or opening their business to avoid bankruptcy. This kind of martial law was common in authoritarian nations, but, until the logical conclusions of the Fauci-Birx doctrine were implemented, it was unheard of in our free country.

It must also be added that the spending in Washington, D.C., now exceeds its revenue for 2020 by more than $4 trillion. That assumes we don’t spend any more money and that our economy doesn’t contract further.

The solution isn’t to watch government officials from around the nation implement policies consistent with the Fauci-Birx doctrine of destruction. The remedy is to open up our society and our economy. Help the most vulnerable be safe. If you don’t feel safe coming out, by all means, stay in. I will respect your right to stay in. Please respect everyone else’s right to take the risk of freedom and venture into our great nation.

Rep. Andy Biggs, a Republican, represents Arizona's 5th Congressional District and is chairman of the House Freedom Caucus. Ken Buck, a Republican, represents Colorado's 4th Congressional District.