Governor Newsom assured citizens that the state was leading the nation in its innovative Covid response. However, a study reviewing decisions and outcomes in 2020-21 now reports that the opposite was true. California ranked 47th (of 50 states) in how it managed the economy, education and mortality during the pandemic.
The study was released by Committee to Unleash Prosperity, a group led by Steve Forbes and comprised of economists concerned about the national growth slump.
Utah was number one with a perfect score. Other high ranking states included Nebraska, Vermont, Montana, South Dakota, Florida, New Hampshire, Maine and Arkansas. The “Golden State” joined 4 other “bottom - performers” – Illinois, New Mexico, New York and New Jersey. Washington D.C. got an ‘F-‘as last.
The study showed that states that severely stopped economic activity did not achieve better health outcomes. It also revealed that school closures may ultimately be the most costly policy decision of the pandemic era in terms of the economy and deaths. Just 7 states kept schools 85% open. Only 19% of California students could attend school.
Unlike some of the other impacts associated with the pandemic, closing government schools was entirely up to policymakers. Nearly all private schools remained open. North America was the most stringent in requiring school closures compared worldwide.
Wyoming ranked first in education by keeping all schools open. Arkansas, South Dakota and Utah were next. California ranked second to last. Others at the bottom for in-person instruction were New Mexico, Hawaii, Washington (state), Maryland and Oregon. The study revealed a strong relationship between a poor economic performance and closed schools probably due to the state’s egregious shut-down policies overall. Another report found that 2020 school closures caused 13.8 million years of life lost.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, an international think tank, estimated that learning losses from school closures caused a 3% decline in lifetime earnings. Disadvantaged students suffered a greater set-back. The overall loss caused by just 1/3 of a year of learning missed amounted to $14 trillion.
The most negatively affected states were those economies relying on tourism and energy production. So, as expected Hawaii and Nevada scored last in this category.
During the pandemic, more people fled four of the bottom ranking states – California, Washington, New York and Illinois according to the U.S. Census data. In 2021, California lost 367,229 people, the largest exit number nationally.
The flight from government schools in California has been so large that legislators may change how schools are funded. Rather than pay schools according to daily attendance, they may fund schools regardless of the usage by students. Of course, the student exodus has many causes including poor quality and a curriculum more akin to socialist propaganda.
The state overall earned an ‘F” from the national study on Covid management and outcomes. However, Yuba-Sutter Counties’ supervisors gave themselves an ‘A.’ Nine of the 10 applauded their Health Officer’s work as well. The local representatives acted like middle managers taking orders from Sacramento. The ‘A’ in this case is for following orders, not for representing their constituents.
(Lou Binninger can be heard on No Hostages Radio podcast, live on KMYC 1410AM 10-1 Saturdays, read at Live with Lou on Facebook and at Nohostagesradio.com)
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