Molson Hart

Saying today that we shouldn't be worried about the coronavirus outbreak because the flu kills many more people every year is like saying on 9/11/2001 after one plane hit that we shouldn't be worried about terrorism because more people die from airplane mechanical failure.

Extending the simile to the Patriot Act and (at a minimum) Iraq War also shows that a big problem doesn’t mean every solution is the right one

Clever counterpoint! However, the Patriot Act and Iraq War equivalent for the coronavirus would be permanent government access to all US citizens' medical records and bombing Mongolia because it's next door to China.

Also, of course, being worried or concerned about a pandemic is a far cry from actions the United States foolishly took in the wake up 9/11.

Yes, absolutely. There are definitely positive actions the government can take, and public health crises are one of the most important areas for them to act, but we do often let our guard down on government intrusion when panicking