Photo: Yahoo Finance
The State of California has been on 'lock-down' along with other states around the United States to combat the rapidly spreading across the world. While people have time off of work (i.e., mandatory time - quarantined), an opportunity is available to consider where we have been as a nation along with where we are headed. We live in a democracy. That means elected officials from different parts of the government -- vote on our behalf for laws and regulations. Rules and regulations by which we, as a nation, believe the country should be run by.
Why am I running off on this tangent?
Five years ago, Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates gave a TED Talk titled "The Next Outbreak? We're Not Ready" during which he warned the audience along with the greater audience (i.e., the world) about a looming threat. The looming danger he warned us about would be in the form of a virus. The video is shown below and is around 9 minutes in length (definitely worth watching).
One could ask appropriately at this time: What has been done since the TED Talk?
Was the world not concerned? Or listening?
What have our elected officials in the Chambers of Congress been consumed with to avoid protecting us as a nation from the threat?
The answer is being played out in the current media setting. Our nation is in disarray. From the top-down, our government refuses to enact the Defense Production Act of 1950, which would set in motion production not seen since World War II. That would be one avenue to pursue, which would jump-start a real workable solution.
The drawback of this route for the current administration is that the pressure would be solely on the government (i.e., President Trump and his administration). Rightfully so given that he, along with his administration, run the country. He should set aside partisan politics and enact the Defense Production Act of 1950 immediately. The coronavirus does not care about
politics; that is, the coronavirus does not distinguish between 'Red' or 'Blue.'
Currently, the action which is shown on the national stage is the same as 4 years ago. Philanthropist Bill Gates is now advocating a solution to the current coronavirus crisis. Naturally, the answer is in agreement with medical professionals and scientists from around the world. Additionally, his advice runs counter to what President Trump would like to see (i.e., is advocating for). In a recent interview on CNN with Aderson Cooper, Bill Gates discusses why a 'state by state' solution will not work:
Gates cites statistics that were gathered by various organizations. Organizations that provide data for the public too. Organizations that have data that the Gates Foundation uses to fund disease vaccination solutions. Bill Gates has pursued cures for diseases such as polio and malaria over the past few years. Therefore, he has street credentials in fighting diseases across the world.
Last but not least, in an interview with Yahoo Finance, Bill Gates states the solution of isolation for a short time:
“It’s very irresponsible for somebody to suggest we can have the best of both worlds,” the Microsoft co-founder said in an interview with TED on Tuesday. “What we need is an extreme shutdown so that in six to 10 weeks, if things go well, then you can start opening back up.”Gates noted that while isolation in populated areas — along with widespread testing — is difficult and “disastrous” for the economy, “the sooner you do it in a tough way, the sooner you can undo it.”
To which President Trump replied:
“The expression ‘We can do two things at one time,’ ... and that includes not just economics, that also includes life and death,” Trump said. “We have to keep it that way.”
The U.S. stock market and economy have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. And the financial situation is becoming increasingly problematic for millions of Americans as unemployment claims rose to an historic 3.2 million for the week that ended March 21.
Trump asserted that the U.S. “wasn’t built to be shut down. This is not a country that was built for this,” adding: “America will again and soon be open for business. Very soon. A lot sooner than three or four months that somebody was suggesting.”
A quote from Bill Gates is a proper way to end this blog post and discussion:
“There really is no middle ground, and it’s very tough to say to people: ‘Hey, keep going to restaurants, go buy new houses, ignore that pile of bodies over in the corner. We want you to keep spending because there’s maybe a politician who thinks GDP growth is all that counts,’” Gates said. “It’s very hard to tell people when there’s an epidemic spreading… that they should go about things, knowing that their activity is spreading this disease.”
Stay safe and stay informed. Listen to health professionals who are on the front line. As noted in both the video, along with the articles cited, the federal government is out to lunch. The government does not have your best interest in mind. Confusion, misinformation, and chaos is here and spreading rapidly. Stay tuned.
Have a great weekend!
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