Aren't you already "controlled" by government? Don't you have to have your car inspected once a year, pay to register it, pay to renew your driver's license, obey speed limits and traffic lights or get fined or arrested? Don't you have to submit to a personal search by TSA if you want to fly? Don't you have to fasten your seat belt in the airplane or be kicked off the flight? Don't you have to fill out an income tax form each year or be liable to penalties and possible arrest? Don't you have to surrender your firearm if you want to enter a courthouse?

I have posted the data about masks and state deaths per capita at least four times since the pandemic began, but give me some time and I will do it again.

I understand what you are saying, but I don't think the mask is really giving you any level of protection unless you don't touch your mask or face when you are wearing it, which most people do. I find myself constantly adjusting mine. That means that anything I touched now is contaminating my mask, making it actually more likely that I will catch something. I don't think I am unique in that. All most people are doing is putting something that may be contaminated with covid or the flu or a common cold right in front of your face so that you are sure to get it. Something to think about.

It will take a while, but I will get the data again.

The following states plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia require masks. Kansas is an aberration because they have a mask mandate, but do not enforce it and individual counties can completely opt out. So, I will leave Kansas out of the data. 17 states have no mask mandates. I realize that this won't be 100 percent accurate because I'm going to average the deaths per capita of the states with mandates versus the states without. That isn't totally accurate because it does not account for the population differences between the states, but that actually makes the data look better for mask mandates as New York Texas and California are the most populated states so it actually helps the mask mandate data when you don't account for total population. Anyway, here is the data according to Statista as of today. Hope that answers your question about where I got the information. Just google covid deaths per capita by state and the statista website will be the first choice that actually has data.

States with mask mandates
New Jersey, 184 deaths per 100,000
New York, 172
Massachusetts, 144
Connecticut, 129
Louisiana, 127
Rhode Island, 113
District of Columbia, 91
Illinois, 78
Michigan, 77
Delaware, 71
Pennsylvania, 68
Maryland, 68
Texas, 63
Arkansas, 63
Indiana, 63
Alabama, 59
Nevada, 57
New Mexico, 47
Ohio, 45
Minnesota, 44
California, 44
Virginia, 43
North Carolina, 41
Colorado, 39
Kentucky, 33
Wisconsin, 33
Montana, 32
Washington, 31
Puerto Rico, 25
West Virginian, 25
Oregon, 16
Hawaii, 15
Maine, 11
Vermont, 9

Average 62.5588

States without mask mandates
Mississippi, 111
Arizona, 81
Florida, 78
South Carolina, 76
Georgia, 75
North Dakota, 65
Iowa, 54
Tennessee, 48
Missouri, 47
South Dakota, 46
New Hampshire, 35
Idaho, 34
Nebraska, 33
Oklahoma, 33
Utah, 19
Wyoming, 15
Alaska, 11

Average 50.647

Kansas has a rate of 35 per 100,000, but once again can not be included in the data because it is not consistent throughout the state.

And just to further illustrate the point if you remove New York and New Jersey from the data since they had a lot of deaths early then the average deaths per 100,000 in the mask mandate states drops to 55.34, still higher than the states without mask mandates. Making the data even more conclusive is that Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and Arizona are all high tourist states and South Dakota had Sturgis, so logic says that those states should be higher than non tourist states.

I repeat, I don't know why the data is the way it is. I just know that mask mandates are not working and the data clearly shows that.

Aren't you already "controlled" by government? Don't you have to have your car inspected once a year, pay to register it, pay to renew your driver's license, obey speed limits and traffic lights or get fined or arrested? Don't you have to submit to a personal search by TSA if you want to fly? Don't you have to fasten your seat belt in the airplane or be kicked off the flight? Don't you have to fill out an income tax form each year or be liable to penalties and possible arrest? Don't you have to surrender your firearm if you want to enter a courthouse?

You raise some valid concerns, but I can't agree with your conclusions. I usually wear a cup-style mask and don't find it's necessary to adjust it all the time. When I do, or when I put it on or take it off, I handle it by the edges and the straps. With cloth masks that may not be as easy but still doable. People just need to be willing and pay attention. I will say that public health officials have been seriously remiss in not issuing better guidance re mask styles and handling procedures. When you see so many people with masks covering their mouths but not their noses you know something is wrong.

I don't believe the contamination transfer hazard (surface to hands to face) is as serious as you imply it is. Proper hygiene and decontamination of surfaces, coupled with situational awareness and common sense, can do much to reduce that hazard. For it to work, though, people have to take protective measures seriously and they should have easy access to advice and guidelines.

I should admit that wearing a mask and following safe procedures does not impose a terrible hardship on me. I'm in the high risk group, so it's easier for me to be concerned. I'm retired, kids long out of the house, so it's easier to hunker down than someone who has kids to take care of and go to work every day. Add to that that I'm a homebody by nature, so the covid restrictions are easier for me to handle.