Barstool Sports founder David Portnoy let loose on politicians closing small businesses in yet another fiery rant on Friday as he lamented what has become of the nation.
“New York City just closed indoor dining,” Portnoy said in a video posted to Twitter. “What do they think is going to happen? What do they think is going to happen to the thousands of restaurants, the bars? They’re done! The bar and restaurant industry, small businesses, have been squeezed and squeezed and squeezed.”
Portnoy noted that these many small businesses did everything within their creative power to play ball with the government by erecting spaces and creating a safe environment for their customers to come and enjoy themselves.
“They’ve been as creative as possible. They’ve got the outdoor dining, The structures they’ve had to build on their own dime. You have the glass in between the mask,” he said. “You have the 6 feet of separation, the fewer tables. They’ve been as creative as you can be to save their livelihoods, to save what they spent decades of blood, sweat, and tears building. They’ve done whatever, they scratched and clawed. And now, a few politicians in New York City is like, ‘You’re done! We’re shutting it down!’ No indoor dining.'”
“How do you expect these people to survive? Are people going to go out to dinner in ice-cold temperatures? It’s insanity!” he declared, stressing that he is not questioning that the virus poses a real danger, particularly to at-risk individuals.
Portnoy then implored people who are most vulnerable to COVID-19 to stay home until the vaccine comes so that businesses can stay afloat.
“Listen, the vaccine is right around the corner, if your health is impaired, you’re afraid of it, you’re old, don’t go out. Stay inside for three months. The vaccine is coming, but let people decide,” he said.
“I can’t believe, in this country, what I consider the most basic right of them all, the right to earn a living, the right to earn a livelihood is now being stolen, it is being stolen by a few politicians who believe they are smarter than me and you,” he added. “They believe they have the right to tell me and you how to live our lives. Something you could never imagine. Basic freedoms they are stealing it. And I’m not over saying it, they are stealing it, and they’re saying they’re protecting us. Let us protect ourselves.”
Getting more pointed, Portnoy said that if he struggled for over a decade to create a successful business only to have politicians strip it from him so suddenly would be worse than death.
“You’re not protecting a family that you just destroyed. These people aren’t getting their livelihoods back. As I’ve said 1 million times, if I started barstool, worked my d*** to the bone for a decade and I got right to the point of making it and you pull the plug without me having the chance, I would rather die,” he said.
Politicians Are Stealing the Basic Right To Earn A Living pic.twitter.com/9Yx9Vf1iP1
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) December 11, 2020