Monday was quite a day in Washington. President Trump simultaneously managed two hugely important meetings at the White House. One meeting convened the best medical minds in America. Its purpose was to address the next phase of the novel coronavirus emergency. Just down the hall, a group of our top economic officials met to develop proposals to help Americans suffering from the economic effects of the outbreak.  

I can’t think of anybody I would rather have as president at this time than Donald Trump. He understands what it takes to grow an economy and knows that leadership means relying on experts when it comes to a global health emergency.

President Trump has already shut down travel from China, appointed a coronavirus task force led by Vice President Mike Pence, and lifted restrictions on who can get tested for the virus.

But now we’re entering a new phase in the battle against the coronavirus. And I want to alert you to what’s likely to happen next.

The millions of new tests being administered will inevitably mean thousands more diagnoses. So, it’s likely that over the next few weeks we’re going to see headlines suggesting that the virus is exploding. Don’t panic. But do be prudent and follow the guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

There’s a silver lining to what will be a tense time. Thousands of people have likely already been infected with the virus but don’t know it because they recovered without ever experiencing any symptoms beyond those associated with the seasonal flu. More than 80% of victims recover without even needing to visit the hospital.

In the weeks ahead, we’ll see more deaths and more self-quarantining. But we’ll get through this, just like we have so many other challenges in our history.

Children at Risk

As many of our long-time readers know, I co-authored a book years ago with my good friend, Dr. James Dobson. It was called Children at Risk, and as the name implies it focused on how left-wing cultural trends at the time were harming our children. Suffice it to say, there are still many left-wing trends that are doing serious harm to young boys and girls.

For example, I read a study the other day that I found deeply depressing. According to new research in England, a growing number of children are suffering from something that didn’t exist until recently — “eco-anxiety." Yes, you read that right.

The American Psychological Association defined it in 2017 as "a chronic fear of environmental doom." 

According to the British study, 73% of children between the ages of eight and 16 said they were worried about the environment. Nearly 20% said they had nightmares about the climate crisis, and 17% said that "eco-anxiety” has disrupted their eating habits. 

Congratulations, Al Gore. You’ve stolen not just Greta Thunberg's dreams and childhood but those of thousands of children as well.

In all seriousness, I want clean air and clean water too. I have grandchildren, and I want them to grow up in a world with a healthy environment. But we are failing as parents if we are allowing our children to become indoctrinated and obsessed with left-wing propaganda. 

Big-government, socialist solutions like the Green New Deal are not the answer. Moreover, the purveyors of climatic gloom and doom have been wrong so many times. I don’t know why we keep listening to these people. 

Sixteen years ago, news reports broke about a “secret report” from the Pentagon warning then-President George W. Bush that climate change was a greater threat than terrorism. 

The report warned of “a global catastrophe costing millions of lives.” It declared that “major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas as Britain is plunged into a ‘Siberian’ climate by 2020.” Thankfully, Bush ignored the report.

Last time I checked no European cities were sunk, and Britain looks nothing like Siberia. But it is beyond sad, in fact it borders on child abuse, that so many British children seem to think their future is dreary as Siberia!

I’ll say this much for “eco-anxiety.” It is a sign of their privilege and a testament to the success of free-market capitalism that our children are free to fret about the environment rather than worrying about not having enough to eat or dying from exposure to the elements. 

Something tells me that few children in Siberia or Venezuela are suffering from “eco-anxiety.”