The term “Full faith and credit” is part of a clause to the United States Constitution that obligates all states to recognize and support the decisions and licenses of all other states.

In a way, it’s also the only thing holding up the willingness of the American people to recognize and support the actions of those we choose to lead our nation.

Any time someone from the government says that something must be done, they must be prepared to show their work in a way that everyone can understand. “Trust me” is never good enough when we are asked to, voluntarily or not, give up rights and change our lives.

Government officials must also be prepared for transparency when questioned about motives, reasoning, and benefits. “Cui bono?” must always be answered fully and truthfully.

Over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, government disrupted the way the people of our nation lived:

• Closing of schools and businesses
  • How many years will it take for our children to recover from the loss of two years worth of meaningful eduction? Emailed worksheets and virtual learning are no substitute for time spent with a teacher.
  • How many small businesses shut down in early 2020 and never returned.? How many families lost investments, income, and their dreams when the government forced them to close their doors?
• Imposition of isolation, both in public and in homes
  • Children, denied the interaction with their peers crucial to their development, were kept at home with only caregivers, siblings, and screens for company. Even the joy of a day at the park, the zoo, the beach, or even short walks through their neighborhoods were denied on pain of arrest for their parents.
  • People in the last moments of their life, whether they suffered from Covid-19 or from the myriad other things that bring us to the end of our mortal coil, died in isolation. These unfortunate souls were denied even the last touch of their family or anointing of their body by clergy.

At the core of all this was the direction provided by the public health apparatus of the state, principally the ex-cathedra dictates of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control. With little to no explanation as to why such measures were necessary in so broad a stroke, government officials turned our nation and our way of life on its head and demanded obedience.

Now, due to testimony to Congress, we learn that even the so-called experts had no evidence to support such things such as mandatory masking, social distancing, and other measures taken during the epidemic. You were directed to mask your children and isolate them so that they would not spread the disease to elderly teachers and grandchildren. You were forced to mask yourself and keep six feet away because of some idea that a cough or sneeze could force virus upon those around you.

Common sense measures such as “If you don’t feel well, stay home.” or “The elderly or those with other health problems should take extra measures to protect themselves, but everyone else should continue with their lives.” were replaced with “14 days to flatten the curve. I mean, make that 3 months. Well, maybe until Christmas, but don’t you have anyone over for Thanksgiving. And stay out off the beach, because fresh air and sunshine might kill your children!”

Our nation and the world in general were turned upside down by a group of people who didn’t want to admit that they were making it all up as they went along.

The most frustrating part of this, to me, is that there is no way to right the ship. We cannot turn back the clock. We cannot give two years of education back to our children. The millions of people who had their livelihoods stolen from them can never be made whole. Most of all, there is no way this side of the grave for us to comfort the souls of our loved ones who perished, alone and unattended.

Government only works when the governed trust the government. Every time that trust is abused, it diminishes on a scale equal to or greater than the impact of the abuse. Once lost, that trust will not easily be restored, and only at a great cost of time and treasure.

The actions of elements of both the Trump and Biden administrations over the Covid-19 pandemic eroded public trust to a huge extent. We will be dealing with the ramifications of those actions for decades, but the most impactful will be the loss of trust between our people and our servants in the government.