Thursday, February 27, 2020
Political Mayhem Thursday: Pandemic
Susan Stabile stopped by for a chat yesterday, and in the course of our discussion she mentioned that she and her family actually play a board game called "Pandemic." I didn't ask her how that worked, but I have been wondering ever since-- does it involve coughing on each other?
We face the possibility of an actually pandemic, of course, emanating from Wuhan, China. The coronavirus strain that has public health officials concerned isn't fatal for the overwhelming majority of people who contract it, but it is worse than the "common cold" that Rush Limbaugh claimed it is (really, if you go to Rush for medical advice, you probably have bigger problems).
I love challenges where it is scientists who swing into action. Yes, they have their own politics, spats, turf wars, and outsized personalities, but they also share something close to a common goal and usually work towards that goal, especially in the medical field.
Some are critical of President Trump's choice of Vice President Pence to lead the task force-- it seems like maybe a doctor should head it up-- but remember that Obama's "Ebola Czar" was political operative Ron Klain. Hopefully, the VP's status within government will allow things to be expedited in some ways.
We should all want the crisis to be averted, and government to be competent. Our lives, or at least the lives of some people we know, may depend on it. I hope that this is a fight that can transcend politics.
