CommentsONE MAN’S OPINION-If the moron in the White House can insist on calling it the Chinese flu, we can call it the Trump Pandemic, which is far more accurate for Americans.
The Trump Administration has been covering up the fact that Covid-19 was spreading so fast because it is doubly invisible. Viruses are too small to see, and it was being spread by people with no visible symptoms. As a result, the entire nation was deceived into believing that business as usual was OK as long as people felt OK. Since the elderly develop symptoms faster and die at a higher rate than the young, the authorities focused on the elderly. That gave the illusion of taking proper action and protecting the most vulnerable.
Concentrating on the elderly gave the nation the false impression that it was primarily the elderly who were susceptible which sent the misleading message to the young that it would skip over them. While some of us elderly may have been spared as a result, the policy threw the Millennials to the wolves.
The Demand to Test the Asymptomatic Millennials
Since Trump had had cut funding for a range of health measures including test kits in 2018, admitting that Covid-19 was spread by the asymptomatic young would have caused an overwhelming demand to mass screen the entire population. In order to thwart criticism of Trump, it was imperative to dissuade people from seeking widespread testing. That’s why we heard that only people with symptoms could be tested and that line of BS ruled out the necessary testing of the asymptomatic young. Reality was exactly the opposite. We needed mass screening as soon as possible, which is how South Korea turned the corner without shutting down its entire society.
An article on Sciencemag.org stated: “Behind its [South Korea’s] success so far has been the most expansive and well-organized testing program in the world, combined with extensive efforts to isolate infected people and trace and quarantine their contacts. South Korea has tested more than 270,000 people, which amounts to more than 5200 tests per million inhabitants -- more than any other country except tiny Bahrain, according to the Worldometer website. The United States has so far carried out 74 tests per 1 million inhabitants, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show.”
Curious Signposts Alerted Us to the Role of Asymptomatic Millennials
Some of the actions by the wealthy were anomalous. Why were the ritzy high-end private schools like Los Angeles’ Harvard Westlake closing, while public schools remained open? So too with private colleges. It did not take too long for the public institutions to follow suit. But for some in LA, the closing of Harvard West told the entire story – the virus was being spread by the asymptomatic young. Harvard-Westlake closed March 12, and on March 15 Garcetti closed LA’s bars, gyms and theaters (when some insisted on remaining open), but Florida still allows Spring Breakers to congregate.
Although readers of this column know that Garcetti is not my most favorite person, given the political situation within which he lives, I believe Eric acted the first second he could. Garcetti’s frustration with Trump is palatable during his news conferences. We have to remember that in this nation, the number one protocol has been to protect the ego of the moron which is why Dr. Fauci and others stand on the podium and allow Trump to spew falsehoods about the virus without contradiction. That stopped somewhat after Dr. Fauci was called out about his acquiescence on the Sunday morning news shows.
Florida Governor, Ronald Dion DeSantis (Republican) allowed bars and nightclubs to remain open until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17 and restaurants can remain open if they only serve 50% of capacity. De Santis refuses to close the beaches knowing the Spring Breakers are flocking to them and that the Trump Pandemic has descend upon them.
On the same day Garcetti was closing bars to save lives, California GOP Congressman Devin Nunes was on Fox News urging people to go out to restaurants. Nunes said, “If you're healthy, you and your family, it's a great time to just go out, go to a local restaurant.” Asymptomatic people believe that they are healthy.
The Decision to Protect Trump’s Ego as the Most Important Public Policy Is a Moral Outrage
During the Trump Pandemic, we should all remember that the number one vector of spreading death and destruction is catering to Trump’s ego.
(Richard Lee Abrams is a Los Angeles attorney and a CityWatch contributor. He can be reached at: [email protected]. Abrams views are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of CityWatch.) Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
