Opinion

Before we get too far into my column, let me first say that any flippancy, intended or perceived, should not be interpreted as me being insensitive toward the realities and dangers of the novel coronavirus COVID-19. I do get it. It’s real. But when everything you see on the news is virus this, quarantine that, mask up and calm down; and everything you see on social media is how all this suffering needs to be blamed on someone, anyone, depending on your politics — I need a break, so (spoiler alert) I’m going to be a little flippant and callous, and I’m going to make a few attempts at my own brand of sick humor and of course, I’m going to rant, because what would this space be without a good rant?

My home town was a mining town. My dad worked in the mines. Most of my friend’s dads worked in the mines — drilling and blasting, digging priceless uranium ore from open stopes, mucking it down chutes into underground railcars, loading it onto skips and lifting it to the surface.

Myra and I are at our “other” home in Mt. Ida, AR. We’ve been here for about a month but will be coming home soon because we have to get our hair cut, teeth cleaned and poor old bodies checked out to make sure we keep ticking for as long as possible.

When David Reid first suggested sometime last summer that I buy the Cushing Citizen, I believe he already had a couple other fish circling the hook and one of them possibly nibbling at the bait.

This was a big week in state government, with many events and announcements coming out of the Capitol, though many were virtual. One of those was the State Board of Equalization, which met virtually on Monday to declare a revenue failure in the current budget of nearly $417 million. The downturn was the result of the combined effect of already low energy prices and the dramatic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our economy.

So this weekend, MaryLee and I received confirmation… we’ve put it off long enough.

Last week, Governor Kevin Stitt announced his plan to re-open the Oklahoma economy with three-phase approach that began on Friday, April 24, and will stretch until at least June 1.

We are beginning to see the effects of social distancing in Oklahoma. Our projected peak for number of people hospitalized with the COVID-19 virus has been pushed back to April 30. The number of projected cases during peak time has also decreased. This means that we are succeeding in flattening the curve. The Governor is working on a plan to reopen non-essential businesses and get people back to work.

Today marks the 38th day since the Cushing City Commission and the Governor of Oklahoma asked everyone in Oklahoma to shelter at home and close their businesses unless they were on the essential business list.

If the Covid19 Virus has taught me one thing is that people CAN be convinced to alter their lives. Just a month or so ago it would be hard for you to convince me to wear a face mask under any circumstance. Mowing the lawn - “Wear a mask!” Spray painting my lawn chairs - “Wear a mask!” With a bit of encouragement, like the threat of extreme sickness, all of a sudden I’m out hunting down elastic so that my wife’s home factory of mass producing masks keeps plugging along. Human conditioning takes just a bit of encouragement to instill its importance especially when it affects a multitude of people.