By Former Nebraska State Treasurer/Attorney General with Harvard MBA

Joining us today is Don Stenberg, former Nebraska State Treasurer. Don says that it is vital that most businesses be allowed to reopen by early to mid-May at the latest. Stenberg holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and is the author of a new book, Eavesdropping on Lucifer.

Q1. Why do you say that it is urgent that America get back to work in the next few weeks despite the coronavirus?

A1. The shutdown of businesses across the nation is having devastating effects on businesses and individuals. In the last 3 weeks nearly 17 million people have become unemployed in the United States.  Already, there are many small businesses that are essentially bankrupt and will never be able to reopen. For many of them, this is the loss of a small business that has taken a lifetime to build. We cannot allow this to continue or millions more will become unemployed and tens of thousands of additional businesses will be destroyed.

Q2.  So, what are you proposing exactly?

A2.  In most places in the country, by early to mid-May, we need to allow virtually every business and organization that has been shut down to reopen. That would include restaurants, bars, retail stores, hairdressers, parks and places of worship. People would be strongly encouraged to maintain six-foot social distancing whenever possible and to wear masks. Anyone who is sick would be asked to remain at home. Older persons and persons with weak immune systems would be encouraged to remain isolated to the extent possible. Restrictions on international travel would continue.

Q3.  Medical experts say that opening businesses too soon will be too dangerous. What is your answer to that?

A3.  First of all, let's remember that the medical experts told us that 2.2 million people in the United States would die of coronavirus. Those same experts now tell us that perhaps just 60,000 people in the United States will die of the coronavirus. So, we already know that the experts can be very wrong.

Second, the medical experts don't take into account the economic devastation that may turn into a Great Depression if current restrictions remain in place much longer. Our political leaders do need to take that into account.

Third, while we all regret any loss of life, the fact is that as a society we accept a certain loss of life caused by disease without taking the drastic measures that are now in place. For example, the CDC estimated that in 2017 – 2018 there were 61,000 deaths caused by influenza in the United States. No doubt, if the extreme measures being imposed now for coronavirus been imposed in 2017 – 2018 to reduce flu deaths, many thousands of lives could have been saved. No one suggested that we do that.

Q4.  Are people who say the lockdown needs to continue moving the goal posts?

A4.  Yes. We have been told over and over again that the purpose of the extreme restrictions is to bend the curve. In other words, while the same number of people will eventually become infected with the coronavirus, we need to spread those infections out over a longer time, so that our hospitals and medical staff will not be overwhelmed.

That objective will largely have been achieved in most places in the country by early May, but still they want to keep most of the same restrictions in place.

Q5.  Some medical experts say that the country cannot get back to normal until we have a coronavirus vaccine. Doesn't that make sense?

A5.   No. First of all, there is no assurance that there will ever be a vaccine. There is no vaccine for HIV or for the common cold, despite many years of effort to develop one. Many years, flu vaccines are only 40% to 60% effective. I hope that there will be a coronavirus vaccine that is 100% effective, but we cannot afford to have the economy shut down to wait for something that may never happen. Meanwhile, hydroxychloroquine and other drugs show promise of being effective treatments.

Q6.  Won't the President and Governors be accused of having blood on their hands if they open most businesses in a few weeks?

A6.  In today's political climate, sadly yes. I don't think that the critics will keep the President from moving forward, but I'm not so sure about some of the Governors. But if they don't have the courage to act, they will responsible for economic devastation that we haven't seen since the Great Depression – tens of millions of people unemployed, life savings wiped out, tens of thousands of businesses that will not be able to ever reopen, and increases in suicides and domestic violence.

Q7.  Tell us a little bit about your new book, Eavesdropping on Lucifer.

A7.  It is similar to the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. In the book, Lucifer explains to his apprentice how the drastic changes in our culture came about – from abortion on demand to Ten Commandment monuments being removed and religious freedom being restricted. The story follows the apprentice as he tries to silence a fire-and-brimstone preacher, encourages abortion, tries to convince some college students that there is no devil, and encourages divorce. In the end, Lucifer admits and complains that his evil work can be defeated by belief in God's Son. 

Q8.  Where can we get a copy of your new book, Eavesdropping on Lucifer?

A8.  You can pre-order the book on Amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com. Or, if you can't wait, the e-book is currently available on both Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com. For more information about the book go to EavesdroppingOnLucifer.com.

Here's an endorsement by former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft: 

"Eavesdropping on Lucifer is common sense, digestible wisdom that can be easily understood by every generation. C.S. Lewis would have given it his stamp of approval." –Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft

ABOUT DON STENBERG…

Don Stenberg (born September 30, 1948) served as legal counsel to Nebraska's Governor from 1979 to 1983, Attorney General of the state of Nebraska from 1991 to 2003 and later served as the Nebraska State Treasurer from 2011 to 2019. 

As Nebraska's Attorney General, Stenberg argued several constitutional law cases in the Supreme Court of the United States, including the case of Stenberg v. Carhart, in which he defended Nebraska's ban on partial-birth abortion.

Today Don Stenberg is on a media and book tour aimed at exposing evil in realms that go far deeper than our mere five senses. In the book, Lucifer explains to his apprentice how the drastic changes in our culture came about – from abortion on demand to Ten Commandment monuments being removed and religious freedom being restricted. In the end, Lucifer admits and complains that his evil work can be defeated by belief in God's Son. 

Don's new book is scheduled to be released May 5, 2020 and it's titled, "Eavesdropping on Lucifer." The book has received critical acclaim from dignitaries and leaders including The Honorable John Ashcroft, Former U.S. Attorney General.