Trump administration well-prepared for coronavirus | Letters
It’s disappointing that a recent letter from a local doctor took on such a political overtone on the coronavirus.
There is much information to counter his comments.
The Centers for Disease Control has a budget of $11.1 billion. Much of the cuts proposed predate the Trump administration and were approved by Congress.
Nearly all of the $3 billion allocated for global health programs go to the World Health Organization, a UN agency. Giving money to the WHO and the UN is like throwing it into our lagoons here in the Lowcountry. WHO is all about politics and anti-American politics.
Next, the president’s coronavirus task force is chaired by Vice President Mike Pence to provide administration oversight. Others are a who’s who of medical expertise.
CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield is a world-class doctor and viralologist. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is another world-class expert widely respected by peers. Dr. Deborah Birx, task force coordinator, is another five-star doctor with unquestionable credentials.
Add Dr. Jerome Adams, surgeon general; Seema Verma, with a master’s of public health from Johns Hopkins; Alex Azar, secretary of Health and Human Services; and Kenneth Cuccinelli, acting deputy secretary of Homeland Security.
As for Korea being better prepared, it’s not likely. Their screens for the virus are drive-by quick indicators and not a total medical examination.
The president and Redfield said Friday that about 1 million kits will soon be ready – kits developed in the US and not elsewhere.
Joseph P. Garra
Bluffton
You don’t want Trump’s neighborhood to be yours
In the recent movie “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” Tom Hanks portrays the children’s TV legend, Mr. Fred Rogers. We are reminded that in Mr. Rogers’s neighborhood, truth, civility and kindness did indeed matter.
But now we are living in Mr. Donald Trump’s neighborhood, where the leader of the free world deftly, and routinely, slings out denigrating nicknames for those who lose his favor: women, the disabled, politicians, and even foreign leaders. To be fair, these stinky mud pies do boomerang and spatter back on him, adding to the disintegration of civility in our society.
In spite of these immature and childish reactions to situations where Mr. Trump is lacking an appropriate, intelligent response to world and personal topics, his supporters often mimic his behavior as an entitlement.
But now we are in a dire situation, where truth and integrity are vital to our well-being: the coronavirus. President Trump did step forward and address this critical concern. This is what we learned:
The tests for coronavirus are beautiful. Mr. Trump is good at the coronavirus, a natural. The scientists can’t believe how good he is at this. The tests are perfect, just like the phone call to the Ukrainian president that led to his impeachment was perfect. Everyone who wants a test for the coronavirus can have one (contradicted by Vice President Mike Pence). And, most importantly, we learned that Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) is a snake.
This is President Donald Trump’s neighborhood. Could it be yours?
Joseph J. Ohnstad
Hilton Head Island
SC must do more to protect bees
Our state needs to do more to protect bees. The threat of colony collapse deserves immediate attention from our state policymakers.
Bees are our most important pollinators. Hundreds of thousands of plants depend on their pollination.
Accordingly, large-scale bee deaths have dire consequences for our environment and global food supply.
Pamela Haas
Okatie
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