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Ovgard’s selfish calculations

Luke Ovgard’s column yesterday (“Musky vs. Muskie in heat of New Jersey,” July 20) glaringly displays the unfortunate twisting of American individualism into pure selfishness that is at the root of our major failure in combating the current pandemic. I’m in a similar demographic with Mr. Ovgard. The odds of me dying are negligible. The worst I can expect is some severe unpleasantness. That’s not what worries me (I’m living in a state of concern, not fear). What worries me is acting as an asymptomatic vector and causing harm to community members at greater risk.

Luke may have calculated HIS risks, but his math leaves out basic human variables such as compassion, empathy, and care. He ought to be ashamed of himself for his road trip. There are plenty of ways to “just live” until we get through this without potentially spreading a destructive virus across 37 states.

Michael Stanger

Spokane

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