Personal anecdote to indicate just how badly Trump & his administration botched the response to Covid 19. I’m a news junkie, I read the Post, the Times, Guardian, I watch the news, probably too much. I was aware of the outbreak of a new virus in China, but erroneously thought it was a flu. I know not to listen to a damn thing Trump says, but I (wrongly) assumed that the CDC or NIH would give us accurate information. What I missed was that Trump had throttled them. So I went about my life thinking all would be well. Making plans to shoot my TV pilot, riding my horses, writing my books. When the full magnitude of this catastrophe became apparent I was somewhat blindsided. So how much worse for the many Americans who don’t have the time or the interest to be news junkies. Or worse the members of the Trump cult who no longer trust news sources. Who still listen to that dreadful man.
No, the virus is not Trump’s fault, but the bungled response is his fault. If the administration had accepted the offer of WHO test kits, if the Defense Production Act had been triggered in late January, early February, if critical supplies — masks, gowns, ventilators — had been collected and distributed to the states in preparation for the coming deluge. If a national stay at home order had been invoked in February our trajectory might resemble South Korea’s where schools are about to reopen.
Instead we are staring into the abyss of between 100,000 and 240,000 dead Americans. And that only if We do everything right beginning right now. But we’re not. A number of states run by Republican governors have not initiated lockdowns. States that did not expand medicaid. Who have allowed rural hospitals to close because they wouldn’t not accept ACA money. And be warned. This isn’t the last pandemic that is going to sweep the planet. Our failure to take action on climate change has the permafrost melting, the ice caps melting, and they may well contain viruses and bacteria that haven’t been active on Earth for forty or fifty thousand years. Add to that the spread of diseases into colder climes as mosquitoes range into new parts of the globe. Increased temperatures will affect agriculture. Food shortages and rising waters will send millions of people searching for safe havens. Suffering will have left these desperate refugees with compromised immune systems which will allow these new diseases to take hold. More people will die.
All because we seem to be incapable of thinking past the next fiscal quarter, and in the case of this vile and despicable man who is currently squatting in the White House the next two minutes.
I was fortunate enough to be born in a first world country and got to spend the majority of my life in a virtual utopia. I fear those days are over. It’s time to get serious if we’re going to survive as a species.
You need to shut up and get your books to market! I may like your books but your politics are full of leftest s**t!
No.
You need to wake up and accept the fact that Trump is purê evil and the he created is much like the facists. He has harmed, marginalized and is responsible for the death of so many since he took office. One day he will have to answer to God, now he has to work for the people which he is unwilling to do.
It wasn’t clear from my post that I despise Trump with the power of a thousand suns? The man is an incompetent, narcissistic sociopath, and his inability to see beyond himself is going to result in the death of many thousands of Americans who should not be dying. Trust me, I will crawl over broken glass to vote this monster out of office in November.
Unfortunately, the persons who read this already know that this pandemic could have been ameliorated with a little foresight and fewer ego trips from the leader.
True, but it was a bit cathartic for me to realize that as well informed as I try to stay I was still living in a form of denial that wasn’t my fault because I was being denied accurate information. It is the duty of a government to be honest with their citizens, particularly when it affects the lives and well being of those citizens.
I’m also a news junkies, and married to a retired investigative journalist. I’ve worked for many years for a man who is an avowed germaphobe; because of his concerns, I watch for news articles about emerging health issues. I’ve been watching it since December. I knew it was going to be horrible, and still in denial and not prepared—for all the same reasons.
I just feel really stupid for not realizing sooner what we were facing. The entire situation is a profound reminder to me that “nature bats last”, and we better set aside this anti-intellectual attitude that has taken control of the Republican party and is now literally killing people.
Thank you Ms. Snodgrass. I’ve always enjoyed your writing and now I also know to respect your intellectual acumen! I grew up with scientists and have always respected their work, and understood both their passion and strengths and their limits. Those same scientists also taught me to respect artists, both high art and popular art and how it informs our souls, goals, and hopes. Epidemiology is the study of human decisions encountering nature and nature showing us what we did wrong. Art is the study of how we move past our egos and selves and learn to understand reality, and move forward. Thank you.
My first year in college I fell in love with my geology class, and considered majoring in geology. Had an advisor (male) dismiss that idea. He was convinced I was only at college to earn an MRS degree. I ended up on that humanities track music and history, but my love of science fiction and just general sense of wonder about the universe has kept me reading about science. I was terrible at math so I probably couldn’t have cut it in any scientific discipline, but god I’m an enthusiastic amateur, and I’m so grateful to the work of biologists, physicists, chemists, astronomers, geneticists, geologists, etc. for opening up the wonders of our world and the universe to me though their work.
P.S. the disrespect of science, knowledge and learning is what drove me to write my Edge books about the war between science and rationality and superstition, religion and magic. Needless to say I’m on the side of science and rationality.
I was really glad to see your post, to know that you are well. I’m sorry the first response you got was a hateful one – just another symptom of the current state of things. Interesting that the governors who have been slow to act in their states are conservative supporters of the current president. I’ve been quite proud of our governor and Albuquerque’s mayor for getting ahead of things so well. Stay safe and healthy.
Thank you, that’s very kind. And as for drive by insults…. eh, I don’t really care, and it’s sort of fun to blow them off with a single word. I am fine apart from the damn juniper making me sneeze, nose run, and eyes water. It’s good to be home in my beautiful New Mexico and I agree that our politicians have done a great job. Thank god we are no longer governed by Republicans in our state.