Remember the H1N1 Pandemic? I Don’t Either

[SweetSue92]

Excellent points but most especially your last one. The economy is going to crash, and no one has weighed this out against the cost of whatever we're going to gain at the ERs.

I bring up, okay, over 100 people die every day on the the US roads in car accidents. And yet, we have not stopped all vehicle travel. No one has said, no car travel because people are dying. Why not? Why do we accept 100 traffic fatalities every single day but we must bring our economy to a screeching halt over this?

No answer to that. People just blubber and stammer. "Well it's not the same". Why not?

People are dumb and are sheep and it's so frustrating

It's not the same because of probability.

Covid 19 (Trump's Katrina) has a fatality rate of 2%. Or to put it in proper terms, we have 274 MILLION motor vehicles on the road. if traffic accidents happened at the same rate of Covid 19 deaths, we would have 5 million traffic deaths.

Yes, this would be an emergency.

Of course, it would be nice if Trump hadn't disbanded the Pandemic Response Team, slashed health spending for poor people, etc. That will probably make Covid 19 (Trump's Katrina) worse.

K well your stats aren't right. That's just the number of cars, not the number of cars on the road on any given day.

 

[SweetSue92]

Right, I like my job, and I like working.

If you're the fearful type, that's your personal problem. It's not mine

I like working, too.

I also like "not dying".

Your fear of dying is not my problem

For everyone else:

This massive panic and obsession with "safety" is your welcome to a post-Christian American *shrug*

 

[Likkmee]

Right, I like my job, and I like working.

If you're the fearful type, that's your personal problem. It's not mine

I like working, too.

I also like "not dying".

Hey. Ya never know until you try it....

 

[MindWars]

Remember the H1N1 Pandemic? I Don’t Either​

https://www.americanthinker.com/arti...nt_either.html
March 16, 2020 ~~ By Brian C.Joondeph, MD
America is in the grips of a panic the likes of which we haven’t seen before. What exactly is a pandemic, other than a scary sounding word from science fiction movies? According to WHO, “Pandemic refers to an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people.”
~~ snip ~~
Wuhan virus is not the first viral pandemic America has had to contend with. The last one was the H1N1 virus from 2009. How did America react to that last pandemic 10 years ago? Does anyone have more than a vague recollection of H1N1, also known as swine flu? No one will forget this current panic, but most have forgotten H1N1.
During the swine flu pandemic, were there mass cancellations of events including conferences, concerts, sporting events, and entire professional sports leagues? Did colleges cancel classes, finishing the remainder of their semesters online? Were travel restrictions imposed between America and Europe? Were panicked Americans hoarding everything from toilet paper to pasta?
~~ snip ~~
If these things happened during the swine flu pandemic, I certainly have no recollection. In 2009, congressional Democrat leaders weren’t criticizing the president, instead they were trying to force through a government takeover of healthcare, known as Obama-Care. Criticizing its namesake wasn’t in the media’s playbook and they all but ignored the swine flu.
What a difference a decade and a president makes.
~~ snip ~~
How did the media react in 2009? The NY Times praised Obama’s leadership. From a May 1, 2009 article,
A week after his administration first received word about a deadly flu spreading across Mexico, President Obama convened his cabinet on Friday and instructed every agency to play a role in preparing the United States for a pandemic.
The president’s comments came at the end of a week long balancing act in which his public words and actions were carefully measured to summon a sense of urgency without setting off a panic. It was no coincidence, his aides said, that he played golf the day his administration declared a national emergency.
Imagine if Trump played golf last week. I’m sure the media would just mention it in passing as an example of President Trump trying to avoid setting off a panic.
Otherwise the two presidents did much the same, convening their cabinets, creating a game plan, and insisting on interagency cooperation. Was media reaction the same? Hardly.
Good luck finding a description of Trump’s response to coronavirus from any newspaper or cable news show comparable to how they reported on Obama as he faced the swine flu pandemic. What a difference a president makes.
Swine flu came and went, leaving a far greater swath of destruction compared to the current coronavirus outbreak. The economic and societal disruption from the reaction to coronavirus is likely to be far worse to whatever damage the virus does. Yet the reactions are far different, flames of panic stoked by the media. Most don’t remember the swine flu pandemic but will certainly remember the current chaos.
What’s the difference? The occupant of the White House and an upcoming election. And ponder this timing. The WHO declared coronavirus a global health emergency within a week of President Trump’s impeachment acquittal in the Senate. Do you believe in coincidences?



Comment:
Anyone who is cogent with a memory that reaches back to 2009 would agree with Dr. Joondeph. The fact is that the Obama administration with the cooperating media downplayed the infectious virus until over one hundred fifty of thousand were infected and more than 5,000 died of the illness.
It will be a cold day in hell before those Communists apologize for their carelessness in allowing researchers to sell infected animals to be used in food or admit they created this thing as a bio weapon that got out of the lab. They will neither apologize for their complicity (which being the born liars they are have tried to pin blame on the US) or offer any sort of compensation to victims or countries that have been victimized by their stupidity. Tell me again why we have any kind of relationship with these people?
IMHO, if Trump were not in office, the American people would be as ignorant about the Wuhan Covid-19 as they were about H1N1. Swine flu.
We have, right now, a one in a million death rate from Wuhan Covid-19 and we are shutting down our society. We should be embarrassed that we can be panicked so easily. We didn't even panic buying during the Cuban missile crisis and those were nukes pointed at us. We've become a nation of Snowflakes triggered our own shadows.
The most terrifying aspect of this mass hysteria is the willingness for people to give up their freedoms and security to politicians that will take the opportunity to keep their controls.

Remember when ebola was in Texas annd we still did not see this bs take place-------

This is our 911 ppl gawd dam wake uup it's to take our RIGHTS ANDN FREEDOMS!!

 

[JOSweetHeart]

I remember it. I don't remember people going this crazy over it though.

God bless you and those who lost someone from the sickness always!!!

Holly

Well, you had the feeling someone responsible and mature was in charge. Trump--the lying whoremonger who won't take responsibility--doesn't know what he is doing. As was indicted when the CDC said to socially distance yourself and then the FAA put thousands of Americans shoulder to shoulder for hours on end.

A major error.

Maybe at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what another person is doing. It all comes down to a person's own personal choice. You say here that our leader is not taking responsibility. I don't know if he is or not, but if being responsible is the way that you want other people to be, there may only be one way for such a thing to happen and that is to be responsible for yourself. In other words, be the kind of person that you would love to see other people be as well.

God bless you always!!!

Holly

 

[JoeB131]

K well your stats aren't right. That's just the number of cars, not the number of cars on the road on any given day.

Didn't say on a given day. Learn to read, dummy.

Your fear of dying is not my problem

For everyone else:

This massive panic and obsession with "safety" is your welcome to a post-Christian American *shrug*

Ah, the day we stop believing in Bronze Age Superstitions?

Besides, didn't you get the Memo. Covid 19 isn't a "Hoax" anymore. It's now officially "Obama's Fault". You need to keep up with the memos like a good little cultist.

 

[candycorn]

I remember it. I don't remember people going this crazy over it though.

God bless you and those who lost someone from the sickness always!!!

Holly

Well, you had the feeling someone responsible and mature was in charge. Trump--the lying whoremonger who won't take responsibility--doesn't know what he is doing. As was indicted when the CDC said to socially distance yourself and then the FAA put thousands of Americans shoulder to shoulder for hours on end.

A major error.

Maybe at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what another person is doing. It all comes down to a person's own personal choice. You say here that our leader is not taking responsibility. I don't know if he is or not, but if being responsible is the way that you want other people to be, there may only be one way for such a thing to happen and that is to be responsible for yourself. In other words, be the kind of person that you would love to see other people be as well.

God bless you always!!!

Holly

The blob said he doesn’t take responsibility. I’m not saying it, the blob is.

 

[DigitalDrifter]

If this crisis doesn't convince you there's a media bias, NOTHING will !

 

[two_iron]

The MSM Politburo would step over dead bodies to suck off the kenyan lawn jockey and generally graded him on the AA curve.... where an F = B+ and a D = A+.....

 

[otto105]

Remember the H1N1 Pandemic? I Don’t Either​

https://www.americanthinker.com/arti...nt_either.html
March 16, 2020 ~~ By Brian C.Joondeph, MD
America is in the grips of a panic the likes of which we haven’t seen before. What exactly is a pandemic, other than a scary sounding word from science fiction movies? According to WHO, “Pandemic refers to an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people.”
~~ snip ~~
Wuhan virus is not the first viral pandemic America has had to contend with. The last one was the H1N1 virus from 2009. How did America react to that last pandemic 10 years ago? Does anyone have more than a vague recollection of H1N1, also known as swine flu? No one will forget this current panic, but most have forgotten H1N1.
During the swine flu pandemic, were there mass cancellations of events including conferences, concerts, sporting events, and entire professional sports leagues? Did colleges cancel classes, finishing the remainder of their semesters online? Were travel restrictions imposed between America and Europe? Were panicked Americans hoarding everything from toilet paper to pasta?
~~ snip ~~
If these things happened during the swine flu pandemic, I certainly have no recollection. In 2009, congressional Democrat leaders weren’t criticizing the president, instead they were trying to force through a government takeover of healthcare, known as Obama-Care. Criticizing its namesake wasn’t in the media’s playbook and they all but ignored the swine flu.
What a difference a decade and a president makes.
~~ snip ~~
How did the media react in 2009? The NY Times praised Obama’s leadership. From a May 1, 2009 article,
A week after his administration first received word about a deadly flu spreading across Mexico, President Obama convened his cabinet on Friday and instructed every agency to play a role in preparing the United States for a pandemic.
The president’s comments came at the end of a week long balancing act in which his public words and actions were carefully measured to summon a sense of urgency without setting off a panic. It was no coincidence, his aides said, that he played golf the day his administration declared a national emergency.
Imagine if Trump played golf last week. I’m sure the media would just mention it in passing as an example of President Trump trying to avoid setting off a panic.
Otherwise the two presidents did much the same, convening their cabinets, creating a game plan, and insisting on interagency cooperation. Was media reaction the same? Hardly.
Good luck finding a description of Trump’s response to coronavirus from any newspaper or cable news show comparable to how they reported on Obama as he faced the swine flu pandemic. What a difference a president makes.
Swine flu came and went, leaving a far greater swath of destruction compared to the current coronavirus outbreak. The economic and societal disruption from the reaction to coronavirus is likely to be far worse to whatever damage the virus does. Yet the reactions are far different, flames of panic stoked by the media. Most don’t remember the swine flu pandemic but will certainly remember the current chaos.
What’s the difference? The occupant of the White House and an upcoming election. And ponder this timing. The WHO declared coronavirus a global health emergency within a week of President Trump’s impeachment acquittal in the Senate. Do you believe in coincidences?



Comment:
Anyone who is cogent with a memory that reaches back to 2009 would agree with Dr. Joondeph. The fact is that the Obama administration with the cooperating media downplayed the infectious virus until over one hundred fifty of thousand were infected and more than 5,000 died of the illness.
It will be a cold day in hell before those Communists apologize for their carelessness in allowing researchers to sell infected animals to be used in food or admit they created this thing as a bio weapon that got out of the lab. They will neither apologize for their complicity (which being the born liars they are have tried to pin blame on the US) or offer any sort of compensation to victims or countries that have been victimized by their stupidity. Tell me again why we have any kind of relationship with these people?
IMHO, if Trump were not in office, the American people would be as ignorant about the Wuhan Covid-19 as they were about H1N1. Swine flu.
We have, right now, a one in a million death rate from Wuhan Covid-19 and we are shutting down our society. We should be embarrassed that we can be panicked so easily. We didn't even panic buying during the Cuban missile crisis and those were nukes pointed at us. We've become a nation of Snowflakes triggered our own shadows.
The most terrifying aspect of this mass hysteria is the willingness for people to give up their freedoms and security to politicians that will take the opportunity to keep their controls.

Its because trump spent the last two months downplaying the COVID-19 virus and acting like a typical dumbass.

 

[jillian]

Obama's Kenyan birth better prepared him to deal with the panDEMic

take your meds

 

[otto105]

We should be embarrassed that we can be panicked so easily. We didn't even panic buying during the Cuban missile crisis and those were nukes pointed at us. We've become a nation of Snowflakes triggered our own shadows.

~S~

Its shameful how easily we panic and what a pathetic lot of sheep we are. I'm shamed by it, and embarrassed for us.

But what else does anyone expect? Our fundamental value is "safety". Everyone needs and longs and wants to be "safe". Your safety, our safety, my safety. For goodness sake, when did safety become our highest value?

What an absolute pathetic lot of weenies we are, fighting over toilet paper, calling 911 when it's out (!) hiding in our houses because we might get a fever. Again. Shameful.

Or all the people who used fear to vote for GWB in 2004 for the sake of safety....

 

[JimBowie1958]

Remember the H1N1 Pandemic? I Don’t Either

^^^Self Refuting Fallacy

 

[2aguy]

Remember the H1N1 Pandemic? I Don’t Either​

https://www.americanthinker.com/arti...nt_either.html
March 16, 2020 ~~ By Brian C.Joondeph, MD
America is in the grips of a panic the likes of which we haven’t seen before. What exactly is a pandemic, other than a scary sounding word from science fiction movies? According to WHO, “Pandemic refers to an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people.”
~~ snip ~~
Wuhan virus is not the first viral pandemic America has had to contend with. The last one was the H1N1 virus from 2009. How did America react to that last pandemic 10 years ago? Does anyone have more than a vague recollection of H1N1, also known as swine flu? No one will forget this current panic, but most have forgotten H1N1.
During the swine flu pandemic, were there mass cancellations of events including conferences, concerts, sporting events, and entire professional sports leagues? Did colleges cancel classes, finishing the remainder of their semesters online? Were travel restrictions imposed between America and Europe? Were panicked Americans hoarding everything from toilet paper to pasta?
~~ snip ~~
If these things happened during the swine flu pandemic, I certainly have no recollection. In 2009, congressional Democrat leaders weren’t criticizing the president, instead they were trying to force through a government takeover of healthcare, known as Obama-Care. Criticizing its namesake wasn’t in the media’s playbook and they all but ignored the swine flu.
What a difference a decade and a president makes.
~~ snip ~~
How did the media react in 2009? The NY Times praised Obama’s leadership. From a May 1, 2009 article,
A week after his administration first received word about a deadly flu spreading across Mexico, President Obama convened his cabinet on Friday and instructed every agency to play a role in preparing the United States for a pandemic.
The president’s comments came at the end of a week long balancing act in which his public words and actions were carefully measured to summon a sense of urgency without setting off a panic. It was no coincidence, his aides said, that he played golf the day his administration declared a national emergency.
Imagine if Trump played golf last week. I’m sure the media would just mention it in passing as an example of President Trump trying to avoid setting off a panic.
Otherwise the two presidents did much the same, convening their cabinets, creating a game plan, and insisting on interagency cooperation. Was media reaction the same? Hardly.
Good luck finding a description of Trump’s response to coronavirus from any newspaper or cable news show comparable to how they reported on Obama as he faced the swine flu pandemic. What a difference a president makes.
Swine flu came and went, leaving a far greater swath of destruction compared to the current coronavirus outbreak. The economic and societal disruption from the reaction to coronavirus is likely to be far worse to whatever damage the virus does. Yet the reactions are far different, flames of panic stoked by the media. Most don’t remember the swine flu pandemic but will certainly remember the current chaos.
What’s the difference? The occupant of the White House and an upcoming election. And ponder this timing. The WHO declared coronavirus a global health emergency within a week of President Trump’s impeachment acquittal in the Senate. Do you believe in coincidences?



Comment:
Anyone who is cogent with a memory that reaches back to 2009 would agree with Dr. Joondeph. The fact is that the Obama administration with the cooperating media downplayed the infectious virus until over one hundred fifty of thousand were infected and more than 5,000 died of the illness.
It will be a cold day in hell before those Communists apologize for their carelessness in allowing researchers to sell infected animals to be used in food or admit they created this thing as a bio weapon that got out of the lab. They will neither apologize for their complicity (which being the born liars they are have tried to pin blame on the US) or offer any sort of compensation to victims or countries that have been victimized by their stupidity. Tell me again why we have any kind of relationship with these people?
IMHO, if Trump were not in office, the American people would be as ignorant about the Wuhan Covid-19 as they were about H1N1. Swine flu.
We have, right now, a one in a million death rate from Wuhan Covid-19 and we are shutting down our society. We should be embarrassed that we can be panicked so easily. We didn't even panic buying during the Cuban missile crisis and those were nukes pointed at us. We've become a nation of Snowflakes triggered our own shadows.
The most terrifying aspect of this mass hysteria is the willingness for people to give up their freedoms and security to politicians that will take the opportunity to keep their controls.

Great article.....spread it around on social media...the more people who understand the over reaction to this virus the better.....

 

[otto105]

Remember the H1N1 Pandemic? I Don’t Either​

https://www.americanthinker.com/arti...nt_either.html
March 16, 2020 ~~ By Brian C.Joondeph, MD
America is in the grips of a panic the likes of which we haven’t seen before. What exactly is a pandemic, other than a scary sounding word from science fiction movies? According to WHO, “Pandemic refers to an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people.”
~~ snip ~~
Wuhan virus is not the first viral pandemic America has had to contend with. The last one was the H1N1 virus from 2009. How did America react to that last pandemic 10 years ago? Does anyone have more than a vague recollection of H1N1, also known as swine flu? No one will forget this current panic, but most have forgotten H1N1.
During the swine flu pandemic, were there mass cancellations of events including conferences, concerts, sporting events, and entire professional sports leagues? Did colleges cancel classes, finishing the remainder of their semesters online? Were travel restrictions imposed between America and Europe? Were panicked Americans hoarding everything from toilet paper to pasta?
~~ snip ~~
If these things happened during the swine flu pandemic, I certainly have no recollection. In 2009, congressional Democrat leaders weren’t criticizing the president, instead they were trying to force through a government takeover of healthcare, known as Obama-Care. Criticizing its namesake wasn’t in the media’s playbook and they all but ignored the swine flu.
What a difference a decade and a president makes.
~~ snip ~~
How did the media react in 2009? The NY Times praised Obama’s leadership. From a May 1, 2009 article,
A week after his administration first received word about a deadly flu spreading across Mexico, President Obama convened his cabinet on Friday and instructed every agency to play a role in preparing the United States for a pandemic.
The president’s comments came at the end of a week long balancing act in which his public words and actions were carefully measured to summon a sense of urgency without setting off a panic. It was no coincidence, his aides said, that he played golf the day his administration declared a national emergency.
Imagine if Trump played golf last week. I’m sure the media would just mention it in passing as an example of President Trump trying to avoid setting off a panic.
Otherwise the two presidents did much the same, convening their cabinets, creating a game plan, and insisting on interagency cooperation. Was media reaction the same? Hardly.
Good luck finding a description of Trump’s response to coronavirus from any newspaper or cable news show comparable to how they reported on Obama as he faced the swine flu pandemic. What a difference a president makes.
Swine flu came and went, leaving a far greater swath of destruction compared to the current coronavirus outbreak. The economic and societal disruption from the reaction to coronavirus is likely to be far worse to whatever damage the virus does. Yet the reactions are far different, flames of panic stoked by the media. Most don’t remember the swine flu pandemic but will certainly remember the current chaos.
What’s the difference? The occupant of the White House and an upcoming election. And ponder this timing. The WHO declared coronavirus a global health emergency within a week of President Trump’s impeachment acquittal in the Senate. Do you believe in coincidences?



Comment:
Anyone who is cogent with a memory that reaches back to 2009 would agree with Dr. Joondeph. The fact is that the Obama administration with the cooperating media downplayed the infectious virus until over one hundred fifty of thousand were infected and more than 5,000 died of the illness.
It will be a cold day in hell before those Communists apologize for their carelessness in allowing researchers to sell infected animals to be used in food or admit they created this thing as a bio weapon that got out of the lab. They will neither apologize for their complicity (which being the born liars they are have tried to pin blame on the US) or offer any sort of compensation to victims or countries that have been victimized by their stupidity. Tell me again why we have any kind of relationship with these people?
IMHO, if Trump were not in office, the American people would be as ignorant about the Wuhan Covid-19 as they were about H1N1. Swine flu.
We have, right now, a one in a million death rate from Wuhan Covid-19 and we are shutting down our society. We should be embarrassed that we can be panicked so easily. We didn't even panic buying during the Cuban missile crisis and those were nukes pointed at us. We've become a nation of Snowflakes triggered our own shadows.
The most terrifying aspect of this mass hysteria is the willingness for people to give up their freedoms and security to politicians that will take the opportunity to keep their controls.

Great article.....spread it around on social media...the more people who understand the over reaction to this virus the better.....

What overreaction are you whining about?


The one that has us not trying to be Italy?

 

[2aguy]

Remember the H1N1 Pandemic? I Don’t Either​

https://www.americanthinker.com/arti...nt_either.html
March 16, 2020 ~~ By Brian C.Joondeph, MD
America is in the grips of a panic the likes of which we haven’t seen before. What exactly is a pandemic, other than a scary sounding word from science fiction movies? According to WHO, “Pandemic refers to an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people.”
~~ snip ~~
Wuhan virus is not the first viral pandemic America has had to contend with. The last one was the H1N1 virus from 2009. How did America react to that last pandemic 10 years ago? Does anyone have more than a vague recollection of H1N1, also known as swine flu? No one will forget this current panic, but most have forgotten H1N1.
During the swine flu pandemic, were there mass cancellations of events including conferences, concerts, sporting events, and entire professional sports leagues? Did colleges cancel classes, finishing the remainder of their semesters online? Were travel restrictions imposed between America and Europe? Were panicked Americans hoarding everything from toilet paper to pasta?
~~ snip ~~
If these things happened during the swine flu pandemic, I certainly have no recollection. In 2009, congressional Democrat leaders weren’t criticizing the president, instead they were trying to force through a government takeover of healthcare, known as Obama-Care. Criticizing its namesake wasn’t in the media’s playbook and they all but ignored the swine flu.
What a difference a decade and a president makes.
~~ snip ~~
How did the media react in 2009? The NY Times praised Obama’s leadership. From a May 1, 2009 article,
A week after his administration first received word about a deadly flu spreading across Mexico, President Obama convened his cabinet on Friday and instructed every agency to play a role in preparing the United States for a pandemic.
The president’s comments came at the end of a week long balancing act in which his public words and actions were carefully measured to summon a sense of urgency without setting off a panic. It was no coincidence, his aides said, that he played golf the day his administration declared a national emergency.
Imagine if Trump played golf last week. I’m sure the media would just mention it in passing as an example of President Trump trying to avoid setting off a panic.
Otherwise the two presidents did much the same, convening their cabinets, creating a game plan, and insisting on interagency cooperation. Was media reaction the same? Hardly.
Good luck finding a description of Trump’s response to coronavirus from any newspaper or cable news show comparable to how they reported on Obama as he faced the swine flu pandemic. What a difference a president makes.
Swine flu came and went, leaving a far greater swath of destruction compared to the current coronavirus outbreak. The economic and societal disruption from the reaction to coronavirus is likely to be far worse to whatever damage the virus does. Yet the reactions are far different, flames of panic stoked by the media. Most don’t remember the swine flu pandemic but will certainly remember the current chaos.
What’s the difference? The occupant of the White House and an upcoming election. And ponder this timing. The WHO declared coronavirus a global health emergency within a week of President Trump’s impeachment acquittal in the Senate. Do you believe in coincidences?



Comment:
Anyone who is cogent with a memory that reaches back to 2009 would agree with Dr. Joondeph. The fact is that the Obama administration with the cooperating media downplayed the infectious virus until over one hundred fifty of thousand were infected and more than 5,000 died of the illness.
It will be a cold day in hell before those Communists apologize for their carelessness in allowing researchers to sell infected animals to be used in food or admit they created this thing as a bio weapon that got out of the lab. They will neither apologize for their complicity (which being the born liars they are have tried to pin blame on the US) or offer any sort of compensation to victims or countries that have been victimized by their stupidity. Tell me again why we have any kind of relationship with these people?
IMHO, if Trump were not in office, the American people would be as ignorant about the Wuhan Covid-19 as they were about H1N1. Swine flu.
We have, right now, a one in a million death rate from Wuhan Covid-19 and we are shutting down our society. We should be embarrassed that we can be panicked so easily. We didn't even panic buying during the Cuban missile crisis and those were nukes pointed at us. We've become a nation of Snowflakes triggered our own shadows.
The most terrifying aspect of this mass hysteria is the willingness for people to give up their freedoms and security to politicians that will take the opportunity to keep their controls.

Great article.....spread it around on social media...the more people who understand the over reaction to this virus the better.....

What overreaction are you whining about?


The one that has us not trying to be Italy?

Moron...Italy is in the predicament it is in for 3 reasons...

1) Single payer health care......

2) The second oldest population in the world behind Japan...

3) It's growing ties with China.....over 300,000 Chinese are now in Italy buying up everything the Chinese government can get its hands on.....

Don't forget Iran, you dumb ass...

Why Italy and Iran?

Italy and Iran have been two of the countries hardest hit by the Wuhan coronavirus, outside of China. Why? Helen Raleigh explains at The Federalist:

The reason these two countries are suffering the most outside China is mainly due to their close ties with Beijing, primarily through the “One Belt and One Road” (OBOR) initiative.

OBOR is Beijing’s foreign policy play disguised as infrastructure investment. Here’s how it works: China and country X agree to do an infrastructure project in country X. Country X has to borrow from a Chinese bank to finance the project. A contract is always awarded to Chinese companies, which then bring supplies and Chinese employees to country X to build the project.

As a result of One Belt and One Road, there are more than 300,000 Chinese living in Italy.

Almost exactly a year ago in March 2019, against warnings from the EU and the United States, Italy became the first and only G7 country to sign onto OBOR. As part of the deal, Italy opened an array of sectors to Chinese investment, from infrastructure to transportation, including letting Chinese state-owned companies hold a stake in four major Italian ports. …

Lombardy and Tuscany are the two regions that saw the most Chinese investment. Nearly a year later, the first Wuhan coronavirus infection case in Italy was reported in the Lombardy region on Feb. 21. Today, Italy is experiencing the worst coronavirus outbreak outside China, and Lombardy is the hardest-hit region in the country.

The Iran case is interesting as well:

2019 was the year Iran officially signed up to OBOR. China sees Iran as a crucial player to this initiative because Iran is not only rich in oil but also lies in a direct path of an ambitious 2,000-mile railroad China wants to build, which will run from western China through Tehran and Turkey into Europe.

Today, Iranian health officials trace the country’s coronavirus outbreak to Qom, a city of a million people. According to the Wall Street Journal, “China Railway Engineering Corp. is building a $2.7 billion high-speed rail line through Qom. Chinese technicians have been helping refurbish a nuclear-power plant nearby.” Iranian medical professionals suspect either Chinese workers in Qom or an Iranian businessman who travelled to China from Qom caused the spread of the coronavirus in Qom.

 

[otto105]

Remember the H1N1 Pandemic? I Don’t Either​

https://www.americanthinker.com/arti...nt_either.html
March 16, 2020 ~~ By Brian C.Joondeph, MD
America is in the grips of a panic the likes of which we haven’t seen before. What exactly is a pandemic, other than a scary sounding word from science fiction movies? According to WHO, “Pandemic refers to an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people.”
~~ snip ~~
Wuhan virus is not the first viral pandemic America has had to contend with. The last one was the H1N1 virus from 2009. How did America react to that last pandemic 10 years ago? Does anyone have more than a vague recollection of H1N1, also known as swine flu? No one will forget this current panic, but most have forgotten H1N1.
During the swine flu pandemic, were there mass cancellations of events including conferences, concerts, sporting events, and entire professional sports leagues? Did colleges cancel classes, finishing the remainder of their semesters online? Were travel restrictions imposed between America and Europe? Were panicked Americans hoarding everything from toilet paper to pasta?
~~ snip ~~
If these things happened during the swine flu pandemic, I certainly have no recollection. In 2009, congressional Democrat leaders weren’t criticizing the president, instead they were trying to force through a government takeover of healthcare, known as Obama-Care. Criticizing its namesake wasn’t in the media’s playbook and they all but ignored the swine flu.
What a difference a decade and a president makes.
~~ snip ~~
How did the media react in 2009? The NY Times praised Obama’s leadership. From a May 1, 2009 article,
A week after his administration first received word about a deadly flu spreading across Mexico, President Obama convened his cabinet on Friday and instructed every agency to play a role in preparing the United States for a pandemic.
The president’s comments came at the end of a week long balancing act in which his public words and actions were carefully measured to summon a sense of urgency without setting off a panic. It was no coincidence, his aides said, that he played golf the day his administration declared a national emergency.
Imagine if Trump played golf last week. I’m sure the media would just mention it in passing as an example of President Trump trying to avoid setting off a panic.
Otherwise the two presidents did much the same, convening their cabinets, creating a game plan, and insisting on interagency cooperation. Was media reaction the same? Hardly.
Good luck finding a description of Trump’s response to coronavirus from any newspaper or cable news show comparable to how they reported on Obama as he faced the swine flu pandemic. What a difference a president makes.
Swine flu came and went, leaving a far greater swath of destruction compared to the current coronavirus outbreak. The economic and societal disruption from the reaction to coronavirus is likely to be far worse to whatever damage the virus does. Yet the reactions are far different, flames of panic stoked by the media. Most don’t remember the swine flu pandemic but will certainly remember the current chaos.
What’s the difference? The occupant of the White House and an upcoming election. And ponder this timing. The WHO declared coronavirus a global health emergency within a week of President Trump’s impeachment acquittal in the Senate. Do you believe in coincidences?



Comment:
Anyone who is cogent with a memory that reaches back to 2009 would agree with Dr. Joondeph. The fact is that the Obama administration with the cooperating media downplayed the infectious virus until over one hundred fifty of thousand were infected and more than 5,000 died of the illness.
It will be a cold day in hell before those Communists apologize for their carelessness in allowing researchers to sell infected animals to be used in food or admit they created this thing as a bio weapon that got out of the lab. They will neither apologize for their complicity (which being the born liars they are have tried to pin blame on the US) or offer any sort of compensation to victims or countries that have been victimized by their stupidity. Tell me again why we have any kind of relationship with these people?
IMHO, if Trump were not in office, the American people would be as ignorant about the Wuhan Covid-19 as they were about H1N1. Swine flu.
We have, right now, a one in a million death rate from Wuhan Covid-19 and we are shutting down our society. We should be embarrassed that we can be panicked so easily. We didn't even panic buying during the Cuban missile crisis and those were nukes pointed at us. We've become a nation of Snowflakes triggered our own shadows.
The most terrifying aspect of this mass hysteria is the willingness for people to give up their freedoms and security to politicians that will take the opportunity to keep their controls.

Great article.....spread it around on social media...the more people who understand the over reaction to this virus the better.....

What overreaction are you whining about?


The one that has us not trying to be Italy?

Moron...Italy is in the predicament it is in for 3 reasons...

1) Single payer health care......

2) The second oldest population in the world behind Japan...

3) It's growing ties with China.....over 300,000 Chinese are now in Italy buying up everything the Chinese government can get its hands on.....

Don't forget Iran, you dumb ass...

Why Italy and Iran?

Italy and Iran have been two of the countries hardest hit by the Wuhan coronavirus, outside of China. Why? Helen Raleigh explains at The Federalist:

The reason these two countries are suffering the most outside China is mainly due to their close ties with Beijing, primarily through the “One Belt and One Road” (OBOR) initiative.

OBOR is Beijing’s foreign policy play disguised as infrastructure investment. Here’s how it works: China and country X agree to do an infrastructure project in country X. Country X has to borrow from a Chinese bank to finance the project. A contract is always awarded to Chinese companies, which then bring supplies and Chinese employees to country X to build the project.

As a result of One Belt and One Road, there are more than 300,000 Chinese living in Italy.

Almost exactly a year ago in March 2019, against warnings from the EU and the United States, Italy became the first and only G7 country to sign onto OBOR. As part of the deal, Italy opened an array of sectors to Chinese investment, from infrastructure to transportation, including letting Chinese state-owned companies hold a stake in four major Italian ports. …

Lombardy and Tuscany are the two regions that saw the most Chinese investment. Nearly a year later, the first Wuhan coronavirus infection case in Italy was reported in the Lombardy region on Feb. 21. Today, Italy is experiencing the worst coronavirus outbreak outside China, and Lombardy is the hardest-hit region in the country.

The Iran case is interesting as well:

2019 was the year Iran officially signed up to OBOR. China sees Iran as a crucial player to this initiative because Iran is not only rich in oil but also lies in a direct path of an ambitious 2,000-mile railroad China wants to build, which will run from western China through Tehran and Turkey into Europe.

Today, Iranian health officials trace the country’s coronavirus outbreak to Qom, a city of a million people. According to the Wall Street Journal, “China Railway Engineering Corp. is building a $2.7 billion high-speed rail line through Qom. Chinese technicians have been helping refurbish a nuclear-power plant nearby.” Iranian medical professionals suspect either Chinese workers in Qom or an Iranian businessman who travelled to China from Qom caused the spread of the coronavirus in Qom.

1) Single payer health care......Had nothing to do with the outbreak in country. But since you ask, does the US have more or less doctors and hospital beds per 100,000 people when compared to Italy?

2) The second oldest population in the world behind Japan...Okay, how is this relevant to the outbreak?

3) It's growing ties with China.....over 300,000 Chinese are now in Italy buying up everything the Chinese government can get its hands on.....Sure, with a Merica first we allow this to happen. Second, no patient zero has been identified for the outbreak, but hey, don't miss a chance to be a racist.

 

[2aguy]

Remember the H1N1 Pandemic? I Don’t Either​

https://www.americanthinker.com/arti...nt_either.html
March 16, 2020 ~~ By Brian C.Joondeph, MD
America is in the grips of a panic the likes of which we haven’t seen before. What exactly is a pandemic, other than a scary sounding word from science fiction movies? According to WHO, “Pandemic refers to an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people.”
~~ snip ~~
Wuhan virus is not the first viral pandemic America has had to contend with. The last one was the H1N1 virus from 2009. How did America react to that last pandemic 10 years ago? Does anyone have more than a vague recollection of H1N1, also known as swine flu? No one will forget this current panic, but most have forgotten H1N1.
During the swine flu pandemic, were there mass cancellations of events including conferences, concerts, sporting events, and entire professional sports leagues? Did colleges cancel classes, finishing the remainder of their semesters online? Were travel restrictions imposed between America and Europe? Were panicked Americans hoarding everything from toilet paper to pasta?
~~ snip ~~
If these things happened during the swine flu pandemic, I certainly have no recollection. In 2009, congressional Democrat leaders weren’t criticizing the president, instead they were trying to force through a government takeover of healthcare, known as Obama-Care. Criticizing its namesake wasn’t in the media’s playbook and they all but ignored the swine flu.
What a difference a decade and a president makes.
~~ snip ~~
How did the media react in 2009? The NY Times praised Obama’s leadership. From a May 1, 2009 article,
A week after his administration first received word about a deadly flu spreading across Mexico, President Obama convened his cabinet on Friday and instructed every agency to play a role in preparing the United States for a pandemic.
The president’s comments came at the end of a week long balancing act in which his public words and actions were carefully measured to summon a sense of urgency without setting off a panic. It was no coincidence, his aides said, that he played golf the day his administration declared a national emergency.
Imagine if Trump played golf last week. I’m sure the media would just mention it in passing as an example of President Trump trying to avoid setting off a panic.
Otherwise the two presidents did much the same, convening their cabinets, creating a game plan, and insisting on interagency cooperation. Was media reaction the same? Hardly.
Good luck finding a description of Trump’s response to coronavirus from any newspaper or cable news show comparable to how they reported on Obama as he faced the swine flu pandemic. What a difference a president makes.
Swine flu came and went, leaving a far greater swath of destruction compared to the current coronavirus outbreak. The economic and societal disruption from the reaction to coronavirus is likely to be far worse to whatever damage the virus does. Yet the reactions are far different, flames of panic stoked by the media. Most don’t remember the swine flu pandemic but will certainly remember the current chaos.
What’s the difference? The occupant of the White House and an upcoming election. And ponder this timing. The WHO declared coronavirus a global health emergency within a week of President Trump’s impeachment acquittal in the Senate. Do you believe in coincidences?



Comment:
Anyone who is cogent with a memory that reaches back to 2009 would agree with Dr. Joondeph. The fact is that the Obama administration with the cooperating media downplayed the infectious virus until over one hundred fifty of thousand were infected and more than 5,000 died of the illness.
It will be a cold day in hell before those Communists apologize for their carelessness in allowing researchers to sell infected animals to be used in food or admit they created this thing as a bio weapon that got out of the lab. They will neither apologize for their complicity (which being the born liars they are have tried to pin blame on the US) or offer any sort of compensation to victims or countries that have been victimized by their stupidity. Tell me again why we have any kind of relationship with these people?
IMHO, if Trump were not in office, the American people would be as ignorant about the Wuhan Covid-19 as they were about H1N1. Swine flu.
We have, right now, a one in a million death rate from Wuhan Covid-19 and we are shutting down our society. We should be embarrassed that we can be panicked so easily. We didn't even panic buying during the Cuban missile crisis and those were nukes pointed at us. We've become a nation of Snowflakes triggered our own shadows.
The most terrifying aspect of this mass hysteria is the willingness for people to give up their freedoms and security to politicians that will take the opportunity to keep their controls.

Great article.....spread it around on social media...the more people who understand the over reaction to this virus the better.....

What overreaction are you whining about?


The one that has us not trying to be Italy?

Moron...Italy is in the predicament it is in for 3 reasons...

1) Single payer health care......

2) The second oldest population in the world behind Japan...

3) It's growing ties with China.....over 300,000 Chinese are now in Italy buying up everything the Chinese government can get its hands on.....

Don't forget Iran, you dumb ass...

Why Italy and Iran?

Italy and Iran have been two of the countries hardest hit by the Wuhan coronavirus, outside of China. Why? Helen Raleigh explains at The Federalist:

The reason these two countries are suffering the most outside China is mainly due to their close ties with Beijing, primarily through the “One Belt and One Road” (OBOR) initiative.

OBOR is Beijing’s foreign policy play disguised as infrastructure investment. Here’s how it works: China and country X agree to do an infrastructure project in country X. Country X has to borrow from a Chinese bank to finance the project. A contract is always awarded to Chinese companies, which then bring supplies and Chinese employees to country X to build the project.

As a result of One Belt and One Road, there are more than 300,000 Chinese living in Italy.

Almost exactly a year ago in March 2019, against warnings from the EU and the United States, Italy became the first and only G7 country to sign onto OBOR. As part of the deal, Italy opened an array of sectors to Chinese investment, from infrastructure to transportation, including letting Chinese state-owned companies hold a stake in four major Italian ports. …

Lombardy and Tuscany are the two regions that saw the most Chinese investment. Nearly a year later, the first Wuhan coronavirus infection case in Italy was reported in the Lombardy region on Feb. 21. Today, Italy is experiencing the worst coronavirus outbreak outside China, and Lombardy is the hardest-hit region in the country.

The Iran case is interesting as well:

2019 was the year Iran officially signed up to OBOR. China sees Iran as a crucial player to this initiative because Iran is not only rich in oil but also lies in a direct path of an ambitious 2,000-mile railroad China wants to build, which will run from western China through Tehran and Turkey into Europe.

Today, Iranian health officials trace the country’s coronavirus outbreak to Qom, a city of a million people. According to the Wall Street Journal, “China Railway Engineering Corp. is building a $2.7 billion high-speed rail line through Qom. Chinese technicians have been helping refurbish a nuclear-power plant nearby.” Iranian medical professionals suspect either Chinese workers in Qom or an Iranian businessman who travelled to China from Qom caused the spread of the coronavirus in Qom.

1) Single payer health care......Had nothing to do with the outbreak in country. But since you ask, does the US have more or less doctors and hospital beds per 100,000 people when compared to Italy?

2) The second oldest population in the world behind Japan...Okay, how is this relevant to the outbreak?

3) It's growing ties with China.....over 300,000 Chinese are now in Italy buying up everything the Chinese government can get its hands on.....Sure, with a Merica first we allow this to happen. Second, no patient zero has been identified for the outbreak, but hey, don't miss a chance to be a racist.

1) Single Payer healthcare sucks.....it can't react to a crisis the way a free market healthcare system can........they lose doctors and nurses from the practice of medicine because they become no different than any other government clock punchers...

2).. Moron, the elderly are the most likely to die from the virus, especially those with pre-existing conditions....are you really this dumb?

3) Moron......China is where it started......and you are a really stupid human if you are calling me a racist for saying it started in China.....just like the f*****g Spanish Flu started in Spain, the German measles started in Germany and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrom started in the Middle East....you moron.

 

[otto105]

Remember the H1N1 Pandemic? I Don’t Either​

https://www.americanthinker.com/arti...nt_either.html
March 16, 2020 ~~ By Brian C.Joondeph, MD
America is in the grips of a panic the likes of which we haven’t seen before. What exactly is a pandemic, other than a scary sounding word from science fiction movies? According to WHO, “Pandemic refers to an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people.”
~~ snip ~~
Wuhan virus is not the first viral pandemic America has had to contend with. The last one was the H1N1 virus from 2009. How did America react to that last pandemic 10 years ago? Does anyone have more than a vague recollection of H1N1, also known as swine flu? No one will forget this current panic, but most have forgotten H1N1.
During the swine flu pandemic, were there mass cancellations of events including conferences, concerts, sporting events, and entire professional sports leagues? Did colleges cancel classes, finishing the remainder of their semesters online? Were travel restrictions imposed between America and Europe? Were panicked Americans hoarding everything from toilet paper to pasta?
~~ snip ~~
If these things happened during the swine flu pandemic, I certainly have no recollection. In 2009, congressional Democrat leaders weren’t criticizing the president, instead they were trying to force through a government takeover of healthcare, known as Obama-Care. Criticizing its namesake wasn’t in the media’s playbook and they all but ignored the swine flu.
What a difference a decade and a president makes.
~~ snip ~~
How did the media react in 2009? The NY Times praised Obama’s leadership. From a May 1, 2009 article,
A week after his administration first received word about a deadly flu spreading across Mexico, President Obama convened his cabinet on Friday and instructed every agency to play a role in preparing the United States for a pandemic.
The president’s comments came at the end of a week long balancing act in which his public words and actions were carefully measured to summon a sense of urgency without setting off a panic. It was no coincidence, his aides said, that he played golf the day his administration declared a national emergency.
Imagine if Trump played golf last week. I’m sure the media would just mention it in passing as an example of President Trump trying to avoid setting off a panic.
Otherwise the two presidents did much the same, convening their cabinets, creating a game plan, and insisting on interagency cooperation. Was media reaction the same? Hardly.
Good luck finding a description of Trump’s response to coronavirus from any newspaper or cable news show comparable to how they reported on Obama as he faced the swine flu pandemic. What a difference a president makes.
Swine flu came and went, leaving a far greater swath of destruction compared to the current coronavirus outbreak. The economic and societal disruption from the reaction to coronavirus is likely to be far worse to whatever damage the virus does. Yet the reactions are far different, flames of panic stoked by the media. Most don’t remember the swine flu pandemic but will certainly remember the current chaos.
What’s the difference? The occupant of the White House and an upcoming election. And ponder this timing. The WHO declared coronavirus a global health emergency within a week of President Trump’s impeachment acquittal in the Senate. Do you believe in coincidences?



Comment:
Anyone who is cogent with a memory that reaches back to 2009 would agree with Dr. Joondeph. The fact is that the Obama administration with the cooperating media downplayed the infectious virus until over one hundred fifty of thousand were infected and more than 5,000 died of the illness.
It will be a cold day in hell before those Communists apologize for their carelessness in allowing researchers to sell infected animals to be used in food or admit they created this thing as a bio weapon that got out of the lab. They will neither apologize for their complicity (which being the born liars they are have tried to pin blame on the US) or offer any sort of compensation to victims or countries that have been victimized by their stupidity. Tell me again why we have any kind of relationship with these people?
IMHO, if Trump were not in office, the American people would be as ignorant about the Wuhan Covid-19 as they were about H1N1. Swine flu.
We have, right now, a one in a million death rate from Wuhan Covid-19 and we are shutting down our society. We should be embarrassed that we can be panicked so easily. We didn't even panic buying during the Cuban missile crisis and those were nukes pointed at us. We've become a nation of Snowflakes triggered our own shadows.
The most terrifying aspect of this mass hysteria is the willingness for people to give up their freedoms and security to politicians that will take the opportunity to keep their controls.

Great article.....spread it around on social media...the more people who understand the over reaction to this virus the better.....

What overreaction are you whining about?


The one that has us not trying to be Italy?

Moron...Italy is in the predicament it is in for 3 reasons...

1) Single payer health care......

2) The second oldest population in the world behind Japan...

3) It's growing ties with China.....over 300,000 Chinese are now in Italy buying up everything the Chinese government can get its hands on.....

Don't forget Iran, you dumb ass...

Why Italy and Iran?

Italy and Iran have been two of the countries hardest hit by the Wuhan coronavirus, outside of China. Why? Helen Raleigh explains at The Federalist:

The reason these two countries are suffering the most outside China is mainly due to their close ties with Beijing, primarily through the “One Belt and One Road” (OBOR) initiative.

OBOR is Beijing’s foreign policy play disguised as infrastructure investment. Here’s how it works: China and country X agree to do an infrastructure project in country X. Country X has to borrow from a Chinese bank to finance the project. A contract is always awarded to Chinese companies, which then bring supplies and Chinese employees to country X to build the project.

As a result of One Belt and One Road, there are more than 300,000 Chinese living in Italy.

Almost exactly a year ago in March 2019, against warnings from the EU and the United States, Italy became the first and only G7 country to sign onto OBOR. As part of the deal, Italy opened an array of sectors to Chinese investment, from infrastructure to transportation, including letting Chinese state-owned companies hold a stake in four major Italian ports. …

Lombardy and Tuscany are the two regions that saw the most Chinese investment. Nearly a year later, the first Wuhan coronavirus infection case in Italy was reported in the Lombardy region on Feb. 21. Today, Italy is experiencing the worst coronavirus outbreak outside China, and Lombardy is the hardest-hit region in the country.

The Iran case is interesting as well:

2019 was the year Iran officially signed up to OBOR. China sees Iran as a crucial player to this initiative because Iran is not only rich in oil but also lies in a direct path of an ambitious 2,000-mile railroad China wants to build, which will run from western China through Tehran and Turkey into Europe.

Today, Iranian health officials trace the country’s coronavirus outbreak to Qom, a city of a million people. According to the Wall Street Journal, “China Railway Engineering Corp. is building a $2.7 billion high-speed rail line through Qom. Chinese technicians have been helping refurbish a nuclear-power plant nearby.” Iranian medical professionals suspect either Chinese workers in Qom or an Iranian businessman who travelled to China from Qom caused the spread of the coronavirus in Qom.

1) Single payer health care......Had nothing to do with the outbreak in country. But since you ask, does the US have more or less doctors and hospital beds per 100,000 people when compared to Italy?

2) The second oldest population in the world behind Japan...Okay, how is this relevant to the outbreak?

3) It's growing ties with China.....over 300,000 Chinese are now in Italy buying up everything the Chinese government can get its hands on.....Sure, with a Merica first we allow this to happen. Second, no patient zero has been identified for the outbreak, but hey, don't miss a chance to be a racist.

1) Single Payer healthcare sucks.....it can't react to a crisis the way a free market healthcare system can........they lose doctors and nurses from the practice of medicine because they become no different than any other government clock punchers...

2).. Moron, the elderly are the most likely to die from the virus, especially those with pre-existing conditions....are you really this dumb?

3) Moron......China is where it started......and you are a really stupid human if you are calling me a racist for saying it started in China.....just like the f*****g Spanish Flu started in Spain, the German measles started in Germany and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrom started in the Middle East....you moron.

1) Single Payer healthcare sucks.....it can't react to a crisis the way a free market healthcare system can........they lose doctors and nurses from the practice of medicine because they become no different than any other government clock punchers...Okay, what has our healthcare done which is not being done in Italy? Also, you choose not to answer the question?

2).. Moron, the elderly are the most likely to die from the virus, especially those with pre-existing conditions....are you really this dumb? Pointing out the Italy has an older population is irrelevant to how the outbreak started or spread.

3) Moron......China is where it started......and you are a really stupid human if you are calling me a racist for saying it started in China.....just like the f*****g Spanish Flu started in Spain, the German measles started in Germany and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrom started in the Middle East....you moron. You must really hate Lou Gehrig. Also, trump called it the Chinese flu....where is that on a map?

 

[Tom Paine 1949]

Well, most of us had bigger worries, like the complete economic collapse Bush had given us.

But there are major differences. The first is that we had vaccines and treatments for flu. Most of those who died either didn't seek treatment or didn't get vaccinations or were already in comprimised health.

The second was that Obama actually DID act decisively. The obsession is that he didn't declare a "national emergency" when it started.

What Trump Is Getting Wrong About Obama’s Response to the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic

But who can resist comparing Obama and Trump? Let’s take a look at where Obama succeeded and where he failed. In short: Even with all the medical differences in diagnosis and management, the claim that the 2009 response was inadequate and led to excess deaths is a gross exaggeration.

During and after the pandemic, many claimed that Obama was ginning up the threat, talking about it too much, scaring people too much, being the Nanny State nightmare libertarians had had warned us against. Likely, they said, the faux-crisis was really about developing more support for the Affordable Care Act, not yet voted upon in Congress but looming menacingly on the cold horizon. At the time, I wrote an evaluation of the government response in the Daily Beast, mostly criticizing Washington overreach into a bad but routine crisis best handled by CDC experts, not politicians. In other words, I thought Obama was too responsive. (Ah, the good old days … )

More recently, Justin Fox at Bloomberg Opinion wrote a thorough comparison of the Obama and Trump responses. He looked in particular at one popular criticism made by Trump supporters about the timing of Obama’s declaration of “a national emergency.” The facts are that Obama declared a “public health emergency” a few weeks after the first cases in the U.S. This focused public attention and resources on the outbreak. In October, six months later, he declared “a national emergency.” Indeed, there are some subtle differences between the two federal responses, but for doctors and patients and human health, these bureaucratic distinctions are irrelevant.

Excellent response to a very partisan OP filled with conspiracy theories!

I notice that some Trump fanatics instinctively believe every government agency is "socialist" and automatically figure everything Obama did was wrong. I think you set the record straight.

Just a week or so ago Trump was acting complacent, ignoring expert advice that despite his CDC-recommended ban on tourists traveling from China, the Coronavirus nevertheless was already circulating in our country. NOW Trump has dramatically increased funding for CDC and relies on its many experts, as indeed he should.

President Trump is also now the one ultimately responsible for adopting and encouraging preventative measures that will inevitably disrupt, and partially compensate for the disruption of, our real economy.

The differences between the Swine Flu H1N1 virus and Covid-9 are many, and dramatic. The fatality rate of Swine flu was about 100 times less than the likely real fatality rate of Covid-19, which also allows for much greater asymptomatic spread. The Swine Flu virus started in Mexico and was not even identified clearly before it had very widely spread in this country and all over the world. The CDC did a good job, though errors were made, as is always true in dealing with essentially new viral outbreaks. Swine Flu never overwhelmed any hospitals in this country, despite infecting 20% of U.S. (and world) population. Here is Wikipedia:

"The virus was less lethal than previous pandemic strains and killed about 0.01–0.03% of those infected; the 1918 influenza was about one hundred times more lethal and had a case fatality rate of 2–3%. By 14 November 2009, the virus had infected one in six Americans with 200,000 hospitalisations and 10,000 deaths – as many hospitalizations and fewer deaths than in an average flu season overall ..."

With a rapid development of a vaccine, with strong measures of "social distancing" which unfortunately will have very serious economic effects, without panic, and with a little luck, this pandemic's spread can be stopped before it gets out of hand. We have seen its potential to wreck havoc, but also that it can be stopped, as in China.

One of the great weaknesses of our country is its lack of social solidarity and its often irrational political polarity. A lot of people despise Trump -- myself included. A lot of people love him totally and mistakenly think that any criticism of him is unwarranted. Now that he has adopted many of the suggestions of CDC experts and even Democrats in Congress, we shall all just have to hope that the new policies prove effective.