COVID-19 Has a Message for the Politicians in the Current Administration

STAY OUT of the realm of Science.  Why?  Because you don't know a damned thing about it...and you don't pay any heed to experts in the health field who know quite a bit about Science.

March 7, 2020 in the USA---
Confirmed cases:  401... and 19 deaths.

April 2, 2020 in the USA---
Confirmed cases:  over 239,000... and over 5,800 deaths.

April 13, 2020 in the USA---
Confirmed cases:  over 500,000... and over 21,000 deaths.

Meanwhile and presently, Trump is ramping up his psychological gaslighting.  He blames the Democrats and the Media for not taking the virus seriously.  This is what gaslighters do:  they accuse others of the very thing for which they, themselves, are to blame.  Then they repeat it over and over.  He's now saying he took bold action by banning China travel.  He ignores:  his shipment in March of tons of PPE to Asia; prior to that, his utterly dismissive statements re covid-19; his failure to take Executive action early on re the manufacture of ventilators; his complete--- & ongoing--- failure to facilitate testing for the virus; his total disregard for the wearing of masks; his complete lack of understanding as to how this virus spreads; etc.  He also ignores the fact that evidence suggests the virus entered the U.S. from Europe, not China.

Pence is just as (or perhaps, almost as) bad as Trump re covid-19.  The last recent statement I saw on the News from him was:  "No one [on Main Street] needs to wear a mask.".  Mr. V.P., here's what the scientists say:  everyone needs to wear a mask.  That includes you.  Do us a favor and put a gag inside yours, and Trump's, too.  Keeping the two of you from talking would be far better than anything either of you have done so far in office.  😊

Given the exponential progression of the numbers above, it should be painfully obvious that Trump, Pence, Larry Kudlow, Mike Pompeo, etc. are light years behind on the covid-19 learning curve.  They don't have a clue, and none of them appear to have any respect for Science or scientists.  That's probably because they all (except for Trump) seem to be fundamentalist, religious nutcakes... but most importantly, they all (including Trump) appear to worship the idols of Business, Money, and Power.  From all appearances, nothing is more important to them... especially the health of those who (in their eyes) are below their station in life.

To make matters worse, Trump & Crew now are working on a plan that in all likelihood will spread covid-19 even more.  Luckily, re-opening the economy is not within their power; however, they can promote the idea with great vigor.  Of course we need to get people back to work; that's a given.  But if we do it too soon, it will be disastrous.  What's needed now is much more of a direct infusion of cash to the American public.  Better yet, a Guaranteed Basic Income.  We can't afford that, you say?  It will make people lazy, you say?  The work (for 20 years) of the economist, Guy Standing, says otherwise on both counts.  People work harder when they have some minimal, basic economic security.  It really is time to think out-of-the-box.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well
p.s.  Again, for any new visitors here (& a reminder to everyone else), I'm not a Democrat or a Republican.  Plus, I have a Science background... both in the field and academically.

Disturbing Responses to COVID-19

1.  Trump has put Pence in charge of the battle against the virus in the U.S.  Other than Trump, himself, Pence probably is the most anti-science person in the entire current Administration.  There are so many competing for the anti-science King title, though, that naming Pence as the winner is a tough call.  :)

2.  All statements about covid-19 now have to be approved by Pence before being released to the public.  That includes all informational statements from the CDC, medical researchers, and all medical professionals in the Gov't.  Does anyone besides me see a problem here?  This approval requirement basically is a modified Gag Order, and approval for release will be doled out by a guy who essentially knows jack-squat about Science.

I'm guessing the probability is high that sooner or later crucial info may be kept from us because its release would have a damaging effect on the economy.  The false perception of a "great" economy is crucial to Trump's re-election.

3.  The pundit, Rush Limbaugh, has stated that covid-19 is nothing but a "common cold".  This is often what happens when people with little to no science background delve into a scientific topic.  I imagine he read somewhere that one type of common cold is caused by a corona virus (which is true).  I further imagine he concluded that means covid-19 is a common cold.  Apparently, it never entered his mind that several different types of corona viruses exist, with different degrees of virulence.  SARS is caused by a corona virus, too, but it's far from being a common cold.  Arguably, covid-19 is worse than SARS, especially in regard to how fast it spreads.

Hey, Mr. Limbaugh (& all his fans), covid-19 causes illness MAGNITUDES worse than a common cold.  In your dogmatic pontifications, perhaps you should stick with what you know.  I'm not sure what that is, but am fairly certain it involves nothing scientific.

Finally, the 1918 Spanish flu infected about 500 million people and killed an estimated 50 million...including 675,000 in the USA.  Pandemics never should be taken lightly.
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Not only my opinion.  Be Well