Today is the first of May and the Coronavirus death count just went north of 62,000, more than the number of US troops who died in Vietnam. The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the nation is nearing 1.1 million. It is also the date that many states plan to begin relaxing their COVID-19 restrictions while not meeting the most minimal of federal guidelines.
As the states begin turning to business as usual, nobody knows what will happen. Almost the entire scientific and medical community tells us it is too soon and we can expect to see the number of confirmed virus cases and deaths explode. Approximately 85% of the population thinks it’s too soon to open the gates. At the same time, Orange of the White House and his tribe of anti-science Mad Maxers argue that making money and checking out asses at the beach is more important than grandparents dying.
I was watching some news earlier and one of the subjects was the anti stay at home policy of the Michigan governor. Seems the right-wing doesn’t give a shit about science or viral death if it gets in the way of them scratching their asses in someone else’s space. Their motto seems to be, One for None, or some other selfish nonsense.
Of the many photos I saw, two caught my attention. One was of a sixty-something man dressed in a red MAGA cap and armed with a video camera. He had his face into about every group shooting
The first American Coronavirus patient was confirmed on January 20th. What happened afterward, regarding the response of Trump and his government, is the subject of a major job of investigative reporting by a team of the best the New York Times has to offer. This morning’s Morning Joe program on MSNBC spent the entirety of its 90-minutes covering the Trump reactions and the approximately 70-days before Trump decided the pandemic was real and demand something from him other than simply calling it a Democratic hoax.
I watched Rachel Maddow last night (April 10, 202) and nearly screamed out loud. She did several segments in which she just permitted exhausted medical personal to speak uninterrupted about their day, worries, fears, frustrations, etc. Most all mentioned the frustration and fearfulness of working without the proper equipment and protective clothing.
Here’s what angers me so much. Since 1950 every American president has had at their call the Defense Production Act that gives them the power to order companies to manufacture goods or provide services necessary for the national defense and protection of the American people.
Donald Trump didn’t bring the first Coronavirus patient to America’s shores, he didn’t start this pandemic. But what he did was make light of it, called it a hoax, declared it would be over in no time, blamed it on others, and so much more. He ignored his intelligence services and his closest advisors about the seriousness of it and took zero actions to begin preparing for what the experts told him was coming.
The following was sent to me by a friend with a background in science and was presented by an Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins University. It explains the nature of the Coronavirus and how to help prevent the chances of acquiring it. It also explains the need to frequently wash one’s hands and other important pieces of the puzzle.
Think back to September of 2005 when thousands of New Orleans were trapped in football stadiums or atop their flooded homes without food, safe water, or the slightest creature comforts. President Bush flew over in Air Force One and then disappeared over the horizon leaving the desperate in the hands of Brownie and FEMA.
Finally, a ruff and rugged old US Army general named Russell E. Honorè rolled into town and took charge. Where Brownie and others were doing it by the numbers and not getting it done, Honore′ said, screw the numbers, get in that helicopter and fly those pallets of water to the roof of that convention center. Take those amphibious vehicles and haul food to the people trapped on that freeway overpass. Honore′ was exactly the person needed for Katrina and someone like him is what’s needed in this Covid-19.
I woke up this morning and turned on the TV. As usual Morning Joe was on and the speculation meter was running at 98%. I listened for a little news and learned the conversation was dominated by two things, the virus, and the plunging Dow Jones.
Apparently, the viral threat continues to grow and there is talk of closing down Congress to help protect the mostly old white men who comprise its membership, Ted Cruz and some dude from Arizona are going into self-isolation to help keep their constituents back home from catching the bug. I’m guessing the real reason is to help keep their asses at least six feet away from anyone they may need to bump elbows with.
With all the talk about the Coronavirus, I couldn’t help but think about the world’s greatest pandemic, the 1918 H1N1 Spanish Flu outbreak. The flu pandemic struck close to home in that the World War One military post at Camp Sherman outside Chillicothe was hard struck by the flue. I did some Googling and found this brief but informative article from the National Park Service’s website. I might add that of the many building used as makeshift morgues and hospitals a woolen mill on Barrett’s Mill Rd., outside Rainsboro was used as a hospital to treat victims of the pandemic.
Everyone should know that the costs of pharmaceutical medicines in America are out of control. I’ve used this example several times and it is nothing special, just what millions of Americans experience every time they go to the drug store. A friend found himself suddenly facing a needed life-altering drug that runs him over $1,900 a month.
While I don’t know any of the manufacturer’s arguments for that drug costing so much I can easily assume, and likely be correct, that a degree of excessive profiteering is somewhere in the formula.
I recently became aware of an older couple who came face to face with a common and life-threatening medical condition. The details aren’t germane other than to say, the final costs will well exceed $115,000 and if left without insurance they would find themselves bankrupt.
Being bankrupted by America’s “poorest health care system in the developed world” system is nothing new, it happens countless times each day. Researchers recently learned that over 65% of all bankruptcies in America are tied to medical issues and that over 500,000 families file for medically-related bankruptcies every year.
I recently posted on Facebook some photos of the area around our home. We live in thick woods surrounded by most plants and animals common to our area. That includes an abundance of poison ivy and other things that may make your skin itch.
One of the photos was of our wooden walk from the drive to the screened-in porch at the back of our home. Along the walk is a large tree with English Ivy growing up the trunk. Mixed in with the good stuff is a smattering of poison ivy and a plant named Virginia creeper. Some visitors to the posting seemed to not be able to identify the good from the nasty vegetation so I decided to do a little educating.
The Washington Post recently forced the Drug Enforcement Agency to open up its databases regarding the sale and distribution of prescription pain killers in America. The information can be broken down into states and individual counties and includes the drug manufacturers, distribution companies, and leading pharmacies.
In the State of Ohio during the period 2006 to 2012, there were 3,397,979,780 (billions) prescription pain pills supplied to Ohio’s pharmacies. Here’s a more detailed break down for Highland County and its neighbors. NOTE: Information from 2013 to 2019 is yet to be made public. Also, you may notice the name McKesson as being a major distributor. McKesson is the company who has a distribution center outside Washington Court House.
Highland: From 2006 to 2012 there were 7,388,100 prescription pain pills, enough for 57 pills per personper year, supplied to Highland County, Ohio.
Fayette: From 2006 to 2012 there were 10,553,020 prescription pain pills, enough for 52 pills per person per year, supplied to Fayette County, Ohio.
Clinton: From 2006 to 2012 there were 17,287,730 prescription pain pills, enough for58 pills per person per year, supplied to Clinton County, Ohio.
Ross: From 2006 to 2012 there were 35,275,018 prescription pain pills, enough for 65 pills per person per year, supplied to Ross County, Ohio.
Adams: From 2006 to 2012 there were 12,172,090 prescription pain pills, enough for61 pills per person per year, supplied to Adams County, Ohio
One aspect of American history that is pretty simple to understand is the history of government-sponsored health care. The short and long answers are the same, there hasn’t been much. There was an early program for seaman, another for impoverished former slaves, a little attention given to some mentally ill people, and that’s about it until Medicare and Medicaid were passed in 1965. There were earlier attempts and while progressive health care programs became realities elsewhere in the world the doctors of America, and their American Medical Association were vehemently opposed to what they saw as insidious socialism.
I could easily begin this piece with a list of all the things Trump promised his supporters in 2016 but has failed to deliver on. If I did at the top of the list would have to be that thing about Mexico building a wall and paying for it.
But the wall pales in contrast to the promises he made to provide Americans with a world-class health care system. Early on he promised:
“To repeal Obamacare ‘immediately’ and replace it with ‘something terrific.”
Well, from taking office in 2017 until the Democrats regained the House in 2018, strongly on the issue of health care, Trump and his totally GOP government have miserably failed to do so. It took Obama and the support of every Democrat a full two years to create the less than perfect ACA and despite dozens of GOP bills and court cases, it has been weakened but not erased. And in spite of its weaknesses, millions of Americans do have some level of health care they didn’t have before the ACA.
Yesterday evening a woman told me she just couldn’t understand why Democrats believed in abortion. She thought it was just, “wrong.” It was late and I was too tired to think about it but today is a new day and my brain is rested. So, here’s what I think.
First of all, I’m a Democrat and I basically do not believe abortion is a good thing. To some degree or another, I’ve been bothered by anyone being sexually irresponsible and then using abortion as a means of birth control. After all, forms of condoms and birth control have existed since Roman times and earlier. That said, I don’t think it is my place to tell a woman what is correct for them.
