Day 1192 Two Views: Two Paths

Day 1192 Two Views: Two Paths

Friday April 24, 2020 

191 Days until the election on November 3^rd

271 Days until the Inauguration on January 20, 2021

George Packer’s article in The Atlantic four days ago was the most succinct piece of writing that has not only described what is wrong with this administration but what is wrong with our current political situation and condition, both in this country and the world.

Who would have thought that a crappy bunch of RNA would bring our world to its knees and expose our failings, and show us a new way forward? Not even two months ago would we have thought such a thing. Yet, here we are.

For those who want to say global warming isn’t necessarily caused by humans all they have to do is look at the air around the world. It’s cleaner. Be it images from space, or the people in India who for the first time in their lifetime can see the Himalaya mountains or the people in any of the huge urban centers who are seeing animals returning to areas where weeks ago cars roamed. Fish have been seen in the canals of Venice! 

We now know (well, I know; do you?) that the health official in the San Francisco area that issued the stay at home order in early March did more to slow the pandemic in California and the United States than all the chest beating of the Republicans and Trump. In fact, had she been able to get test kits she said she probably could have issued the order even sooner. If the president had followed her lead there would have been no pandemic in our country. Yes, people would have still died, but not in the tens of thousands.

How was she able to do what she did? She’s knew what she was doing. She had been doing it for years, and she was working with other health officials in the surrounding areas that worked with her and in unison they issued the order. Oh, and she had the power to do it without a politician getting in the way to muck it up. Days later the Governor of California followed her lead. Thus, did California avoid the fate of the rest of the country. 

Imagine if we had had competent leadership for the nation? This could have been avoided. Not all together, but the virus could have been contained and stamped out of society in general. Well, at least when the next one comes we’ll know what to do, right? (I Hope.)

However, the political landscape is fraught with problems and they are structural. I don’t know if we have the ability to change it. 

No where is this more blatantly obvious than in the supposed red state blue state divide. Many of the less populated states are called “conservative.” I’d say ‘unwilling to change’, but the tag is “conservative.” In not too many years the bulk of our population will live in 16 states. That means the majority of our population will depend on 32 Senators to try and persuade the other 68 to help them. So far those other senators have shown little willingness or ability to do so. Instead, they have been busy lining their own pockets and pushing nutty ideas, which have stymied the government in general to act effectively and in the best interest of the people.

Let’s take the case of Mitch McConnell and his suggestion that states should go bankrupt. Governor Cuomo called the idea dumb. It was. It is. But not to McConnell who it was pointed out later was really trying to defund the pensions of union folks who happen to vote more Democratic than Republican. Ah, another chance to cut them off at the knees!

Do you know a retired firefighter? Or policeman? Or their widows? Wouldn’t it be too bad if they lost their pension? Not to McConnell. 

We are now seeing reports of how much cleaner the air is around the world. Some are asking if there is a path forward that we could preserve this situation? The answer is yes but we’d have to make changes. Will those “we don’t like change” people be willing to help? The jury is out on that.

191 Days until the election on November 3^rd

271 Days until the Inauguration on January 20, 2021

PS On a boat on a river …