It was the Fourth of July, and Joe Biden promised that the pandemic is over. Or is it?

If you are more than a couple months old, you will remember that Biden set July 4th as his target date for the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Well, here we are, and while Forbes is whining that only 18 states met Biden’s vaccination goals, Joe Biden still threw a party and gave a speech at the White House on Sunday evening, before a fireworks show.

“Today, all across this nation we can say with confidence America is coming back together,” the President said in remarks outside the White House. “245 years ago, we declared our independence from a distant king. Today, we are closer than ever to declaring our independence from a deadly virus.”

The US, Biden said, is seeing “the results of the unity of purpose.”

“Together, we’re beating the virus. Together, we’re breathing life into our economy. Together, we will rescue our people from division and despair. But together, we must do it. Over the past year, we’ve lived through some of our darkest days,” he said. “Now I truly believe — I give my word as a Biden — I truly believe we are about to see our brightest future. Folks, this is a special nation.”

I don’t think I want Joe’s “word as a Biden.” Considering his issues with plagarism, and his brother and son both trading in on that same name, I have doubts that this particular last name has a cachet of honesty behind it.

That aside, the party looked good on camera as Biden continued to push vaccination.

“Today we have the power of science. Thanks to our heroic vaccine effort, we’ve gained the upper hand against this virus. We can live our lives. Our kids can go back to school. Our economy is roaring back,” Biden said Sunday.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Covid-19 has not been vanquished. We all know powerful variants have emerged like the Delta variant. But the best defense against these variants is to get vaccinated. My fellow Americans, it’s the most patriotic thing you can do,” he added.”

“So please, if you haven’t gotten vaccinated. Do it. Do it now. For yourself, for your loved ones, for your community, and for your country.”

Wow, that sounds hopeful and optimistic. Could someone please tell the teachers’ unions that they are good to go back to the classrooms now?

And even as positive as Biden sounds right now, those who have benefited most from the power they gained in the lockdowns are loath to give it up. Why, hello there, Dr. Anthony Fauci. What a surprise to find you here, being your usual cheerful self about COVID-19.

Appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday morning, the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases director told host Chuck Todd that vaccinated U.S. citizens should “go the extra mile” and don their face coverings once again in such areas.”

“If you put yourself in an environment in which you have a high level of viral dynamics and a very low level of vaccine, you might want to go the extra step and say, ‘When I’m in that area, where there’s a considerable degree of viral circulation, I might want to go the extra mile to be cautious enough to make sure that I get the extra added level of protection,’ even though the vaccines themselves are highly effective,” Fauci said.”

"Vaccines are not, even as good as they are and highly effective, nothing is 100%."

Dr. Fauci says vaccinated Americans "might want to go the extra mile" and wear masks in places with low vaccination rates. pic.twitter.com/0eoMFgiuGQ

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) July 4, 2021

Dr. Fauci, I have two words for you, and they aren’t “Merry Christmas.” We can all see the current CDC numbers for ourselves. COVID, even with the “variants” that are out there, is simply no longer a threat even if vaccinations came to a dead stop today. Masks might make people feel good, but their actual effectiveness is highly questionable unless you are wearing an actual N95 mask. But the collective public health officials would love to keep this gravy train moving, so here comes Fauci again. Regardless of motive, he is attempting to grab back control and undercut the message that the Biden administration is putting out there.

The numbers don’t lie. As far as the United States is concerned, the pandemic is over. The Delta variant might be more contagious, but it isn’t leading to an increase in deaths (according to the CDC’s own numbers). We now live in a post-COVID world, and a White House celebration feels appropriate. However, if we have learned anything in this process, it is that the words of Ronald Reagan ring even more true today than when he originally said them. Government is not here to help. Government is here to control. The Biden administration might have put on the party for the cameras, but the federal bureaucracy is looking to keep the control that it gained during this pandemic.

Featured image: Joe Biden, official White House photo by Adam Schultz, cropped, government work in the public domain