Missouri Gov. Mike Parson wastes COVID-19 funds on luring tourists to pandemic hotspots

Last week on the reality show known as More Missouri Madness, Gov. Mike Parson announced that the state will be spending $15 million of its federal COVID-19 relief money to promote tourism.

With coronavirus hospitalizations at a two-month high, and as Parson himself continues to behave like an anti-role model, come on over and share in the pandemic fun, he says.

“With all the other things going on, it’s still important people need to get out and enjoy life a little bit,” Parson said.

What could be more restorative than a visit to Branson, where they can’t even agree to mandate masks to limit the spread of the coronavirus?

Or how about a nice leisurely shoulder-to-shoulder hangout at one of those now internationally known beach bars on the Lake of the Ozarks?

Or for that matter, what better time for a trip to Kansas City, where we keep setting records for new infections?

But then, inviting people to take the kind of needless risks that only damage the economy has become a habit for Parson.

In a Friday radio interview, Parson suggested that he still does not know the ABCs of COVID-19.

He actually said that most kids will get sick when they go back to school, and that this prospect doesn’t trouble him: “These kids have got to get back to school. They’re at the lowest risk possible. And if they do get COVID-19, which they will — and they will when they go to school — they’re not going to the hospitals. They’re not going to have to sit in doctors’ offices. They’re going to go home and they’re going to get over it,” Parson told St. Louis radio host Marc Cox.

.The only problem with this is that it isn’t true. Younger people and even babies have died of COVID-19. The average age of COVID-19 patients keeps trending younger. And even infected children who are asymptomatic can still spread the virus to teachers, staff and family members.

Parson also continues to be lukewarm on any measures that would minimize risk. “If you want to wear a dang mask, wear a mask,” he said recently. But only if you want to, because our dang governor can’t seem to see that if we don’t do everything we can to stop the spread of the virus, businesses will continue to struggle. It’s almost like some of these public health libertarians are going through their “if it feels good, do it” hippie phase 50 years late.

“You can’t go to every event as the governor of the state of Missouri and people stay 6 foot away. You just can’t,” Parson said. That’s the old can-do spirit, Governor.

Naturally, his health director is right there with him. “I think there are benefits to getting outdoors, to travel,” Missouri Health Director Randall Williams said. “And are there some risks? There probably are, but there are also some benefits. Let’s not lose sight of that.” Solid advice as always, Doc.

There is a lot of competition for those COVID-19 relief funds, which could be used to help get us ready to vote more safely, especially since Parson’s party has refused to allow most mail-in voting except with a notary’s signature. Which during this pandemic defeats the whole purpose.

But apparently, Parson has bigger worries than the health and safety of Missourians. Last week, he signed a bill that cracked down on the pressing problem of fake service animals.

He also announced a special session on violent crime but emphasized that it will not deal with anything that might actually curb violent crime, instead just doing more of what we’ve done many times before, increasing penalties for offenders. Missouri already has the seventh-highest incarceration rate in the country.

“We have to give our law enforcement officials the tools they need to fight violent crime,” he told reporters. “And right now, more important than anything, we’ve got to stand up for those law enforcement officers.”

Last year, of course, the governor called a special session to address the special-interest scourge of how a sales tax on used cars was being collected.

Now, if Parson himself needs a break from his trivial pursuits, his indifference to public health and safety — well, other than for police officers — and his counterproductive efforts to help the economy, maybe a vacation is a good idea.

But spending desperately needed federal relief funds to boost tourism in the middle of a plague makes no sense at all.

This story was originally published July 20, 2020 at 5:00 AM.