The Current Crisis, the Blame and His Language

Democracy at a Crossroads

Because we don’t have a true world government, nations are left to deal with the coronavirus pandemic on an individual basis.   There is some international coordination through the World Health Organization, but nations are really dependent upon their own resources.

It is clear that to get the things done (social distancing, testing, hospital availability, relief from economic dislocation, developing a vaccine, providing goods and services necessary for survival, maintaining order in the financial marketplace, etc.) which have to be done, authoritarian governments will fare better than democracies.  They can dictate what their citizens must do and force them to follow prescribed rules.  If some citizens “fall by the wayside” as victims of the sacrifices the government’s procedures demand, that must be accepted.  But in the long run, the authoritarian nation involved will tame the virus. 

In a democracy, however, such forced behavior is not routinely accepted.  People cannot be forced to follow orders.  In such situations, the virus will win out and many people will die.  But by adopting the same approach that authoritarian nations use, democracies can defeat the virus, but at the price of the freedom democracy provides.  Of necessity, that is what they are, and will be, doing.  Compare how authoritarian China and democratic Italy are faring in their struggle with the coronavirus pandemic.  One is winning, one is losing.  The choice is obvious.

In a crisis like this, authoritarian government is necessary.  Once it is no longer necessary, the highest priority will be repairing damaged democratic freedoms and restoring our economic system, which may never be the same as it was before the current crisis.

JL

Where Some of the Blame Layeth

Delayed response to the Coronavirus pandemic is due to Trumpublican refusal to acknowledge the seriousness of the threat when it first appeared.  Blame it on their distaste for anything which government agencies (they refer to them as the 'deep state') do which might raise taxes.  It is the fault of Americans who tolerate the stream of falsehoods the Administration has peddled to state its pathetic position.  Here I quote from Republican conservative columnist Mona Charen whose syndicated column recently pointed out that

“on February 24, the president tweeted” ‘The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA.”  Two days later: ‘The 15 cases within a couple of days, is going to be down to zero.’  Rush Limbaugh told his 20 million listeners ‘the truth’ that ‘the coronavirus is the common cold, folks.’  Sean Hannity quoted an ‘MIT guy’ to the effect that ‘coronavirus fear-mongering by the ‘deep state’ will go down in history as one of the biggest frauds …’  

Charen went on to point out that" this crowd that howls about ‘fake news’ is the most pernicious purveyor of it … even on a matter of life and death.”  And that’s from a Republican, a real one, not a Trumpublican.  

It's time for the president to call Limbaugh back to the White House and rip off that “Medal of Freedom” he was stupid enough to give him … and to point out that some of Hannity’s 20 million viewers may be signing their own death warrants by listening to his advice.  And when, I wonder, will Mar-a-Lago be quarantined and shut down, since it is a nexus of the virus’ contagion in Florida? 

Things would have been a little better if the Senate had gone along with the House's Impeachment of Trump.  At least we would be rid of him ... which now will have to wait until the November elections, if he doesn't resign sooner in disgrace.  Pence, no bargain either, would at least, go along with, rather than undermine, the words of our doctors and scientists.

JL

HIS Language

The next time the President speaks, count the times he uses the words “incredible,” “very” and “tremendous.”  (They must have taught him these words at Wharton.)  Here are the Merriam-Webster definitions.

Incredible - adjective

Definition  of incredible

1: too extraordinary and improbable to be believed, making incredible claims

2: AMAZING, EXTRAORDINARY, incredible skill, an incredible appetite, I met an incredible woman

Very -  adverb

Definition of very 

1: to a high degree : EXCEEDINGLY, very hot, didn't hurt very much

2: in actual fact : TRULY, the very best store in town, told the very same story.

Tremendous -  adjective

Definition of tremendous

a: notable by reason of extreme size, power, greatness, or excellence, tremendous problems, a writer of tremendous talent - often used as a generalized term of approval, I had a tremendous time

b: unusually large : HUGE,a tremendous number of people

“A very large number of people say that our approach to the virus is incredible because of the tremendous things we are doing to fight it."