In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, we as a country even the world, should make this a teachable moment in hopes that the likes of this disaster will never be as brutal and far reaching in the foreseeable future. We have love ones dying and others being affected by this nefarious virus and we owe it to them that we’ll never be visited by such an vicious airborne biological threat without being prepared. Our way of life have been impaired and put on hold.
Our country prioritizes the Defense Department, not ever questioning the amount of money needed for protecting our country or even where it is coming from. We debate about cutting and budgeting federal programs offering much needed aid to deserving and hardworking Americans, but never questioning money for Nation Defense.
Common sense dictates that supporting research and preparing for possible pandemics should have been a top priority, especially viruses with the potential to decimate populations. The Covid -19 pandemic has set the global world on alert and should cause us to seriously put other concerns aside, prioritizing saving populations.
Some would argue that this is not a time to be pointing fingers and looking for someone or group to blame, but some would argue otherwise. If we had been doing our due diligence in holding the government responsible for our safety and welfare, we would be in a better position to tackle this pernicious and treacherous threat. We are so eager to spend whatever amount of money it takes to kill our enemies but how much are we willing to pay to keep our citizens alive, safe from the threat of insidious, infectious, life threatening, menacing air borne agents from within.
Are we prioritizing the wrong things? Shouldn’t we be trying to save lives instead of using the scare tactic of using National Defense as a reason to empty untold amounts of money in the name of keeping us safe or as they say National Security. The American people are not arguing that we need to be safe from attacks from enemies, especially on our soil, but the same priority should be put on saving us from diseases and illnesses within. And if the truth be of any importance to some, all wars are not necessary. Many wars are manufactured to make money by selling war equipment: guns tanks, airplanes etc. benefiting big corporations at the expense of American lives.
Oops did I open up a can of worms?
Many people would be quick to argue that if we didn’t have so many elected local, state and federal law makers on the take, representing big corporations who put profit ahead of the health of people and the environment, we would be better prepared to handle this global threat. But if you notice we have those who say let’s not point fingers, let’s just get through this. “ Hell to the No,” people are dying and being affected and we need to hold those accountable for looking the other way or it is apt to continue to happen in the future.
This Covid-19 pandemic must be a monumental learning and teachable moment in history, if not ,we will all be complicit in our demise for not preparing and demanding better. We must prioritize life, not death. We need to be leery of lawmakers rationalizing or finding excuses not to prioritize research to avert another pandemic such as what we are experiencing. There is no excuse, we should have been better prepared if we had learned from the previous past.
We must also be cognizant in making sure programs or corporations ready to do research or prepare us for another viral disaster don’t exploit the American people for exorbitant profits. We must have someone or group to look after what is best for the American people, for so many of our elected officials are in the pockets of big corporations putting profits ahead of the safety and interest of the public.
Point fingers, hold people accountable, for the many deaths that could have possibly been avoided. Ask yourself, “Is this the time when we don’t hold our government accountable?” People’s lives and the environment should take top precedence than favoring bills aiding in providing excessive profits to big corporations.
The Trump administration supported cutting the budget of the CDC (Control Disease Center) in Atlanta when it came to activities related to chronic infectious diseases, but it had yet to be passed by the 2020 Congress. The public as a whole, depend on our lawmakers to rely on information from researchers, experts, and facts, not the subjective opinions of non believers in areas dealing with our personal health and our environment.
We seem to find a way to fund programs we feel are important, let’s prioritize preparation and research needed to forgo another attack like the Covid-19 virus or another deadly infectious virus that is certain to visit us in the future.
