CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – We were told that a Marathon County resolution against new COVID-19 mandates was a waste of time. COVID mandates come from the state and federal government, not the county.
But going on the record against mask mandates, shot requirements and economic shutdowns is necessary.
Here’s the next thing the county should do: pull funding for wastewater monitoring.
You may not be aware that a company called Wastewater Scan is busily testing samples from the Wausau Wastewater Treatment Plant. COVID leaves trace evidence when you use the toilet.
Yet, basic common sense tells us that this type of testing is counterproductive.
Think for a moment about toilet habits.
Imagine there is one person who is 300 pounds, eats lots of fast food, and has a colon that’s like a rocket launcher. They use the potty three times a day, and their, um, output, is substantial. Now imagine another person, a petite woman who eats a lot of salad and uses the toilet much less frequently. Now suppose one of these people has COVID. The levels tested if it’s the portly man who has it would be much, much higher than if the smaller woman has it. We might be told “COVID levels are rising,” if the man is positive. “COVID levels are down” if the woman has it. This type of testing is skewed by individuals’ potty habits, not by the actual numbers of people who have COVID. In short, this type of information is next to useless.
Yet there are many people who are ready to use sewage water tests to set public policy. They still dream of ways to make vaccine-refusers to get the jab, or, the holy grail, new ways to expand the use of absentee ballots for next fall’s elections. The fact that the measuring mechanism is unreliable is irrelevant to them.
Remember where we are now: research tells us that masks don’t work. The shots have risks for some that have never been fully explored. Two weeks to flatten the curve devastated our economy. And the current versions of COVID are so mild that most people don’t even know they have it.
If I could, I’d refuse to flush. The stench of bad public policy lingers in the air.
Chris Conley
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