Rely on the facts instead of opinions

To the editor:

I have been mulling over the idea of writing a letter to the editor ever since the COVID-19 cases, not surprisingly, began to rise not only in the nation as a whole, but in Indiana, and more specifically, Jay County.

As Ray Cooney so eloquently and with an air of authority pointed out: the practice of both medicine and epidemiology is best left, by statutory authority, to specific institutions deemed appropriate by those statutes.

Social media, to spite its popularity, is far from being accurate, much less so, truthful, source of information.

As Ray pointed out in his editorial, we are entitled to a different opinion. I was reminded of a well-known truism of the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan: “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts.”

Personally, I think superintendent Jeremy Gulley’s inclination to trust the guidelines of the health department was the right call.

The country is quickly approaching 700,000 deaths from coronavirus. Many of those deaths were preventable had we relied more on the facts, rather than our opinions.

Thanks, Ray. Well said.

Michael Kinser

Portland