{"id":1071,"date":"2020-08-07T13:17:51","date_gmt":"2020-08-07T13:17:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bikingwithmike.com\/?p=1071"},"modified":"2020-08-07T13:17:51","modified_gmt":"2020-08-07T13:17:51","slug":"august-7-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bikingwithmike.com\/?p=1071","title":{"rendered":"August 7, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We know what to do so why aren\u2019t we doing it?\u00a0 Virtually all credible public health officials, epidemiologists, and physicians of all kinds have stated repeatedly that the way to get this virus under control is to do the following:\u00a0 implement a national testing strategy and greatly increase the number of tests; get people to wear masks and practice social distancing; avoid large gatherings; and wash your hands about a million times a day!\u00a0 It\u2019s no mystery.\u00a0 We know what to do so why the hell aren\u2019t we doing it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It doesn\u2019t take pouring through reams and reams of data to determine that the CDC guidelines work.\u00a0 Arizona is being cited as a case study.\u00a0 They started to open things up, cases started to skyrocket, they clamped down again and reimplemented some of the restrictions and cases have started to come down.\u00a0 This is not difficult. It just boggles my mind that we bill ourselves as \u2018the most powerful nation in the world\u2019 and we are struggling with this like some third world country few people could properly place on a map.\u00a0 \u00a0Why the hell are we failing so spectacularly as a nation?\u00a0 I will tell you \u2013 Donald J. Trump and his abysmal lack of leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why the hell can\u2019t we put a national testing strategy in place?\u00a0 Right now, we have a patch work strategy that is pretty much left up to each state.\u00a0 Labs are overloaded and test results are sometimes taking a week or more to get analyzed.\u00a0 Just think about that \u2013 a test for an extremely contagious disease and you have to wait a week or more to find out if you test positive or not.\u00a0 It\u2019s certainly frustrating for you but what about all of the people you\u2019ve come in contact with between when you got tested and when you got the results?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or here\u2019s another nightmare scenario \u2013 you get tested and a week later you get the results and they are negative.\u00a0 You celebrate but unbeknownst to you, you contracted the virus between when you got tested and when you got the results.\u00a0 So now, you\u2019re running around all happy thinking you are virus free when, in fact, you are positive and potentially spreading the disease to those around you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This patchwork testing strategy that is currently in place is a ridiculous way to fight this battle.\u00a0 We are currently conducting something like 700,000+ tests a day which is, by itself, an impressive number, but the fact is the health experts say that we need to be testing millions per day to be able to identify and isolate cases quickly.\u00a0 Since there are no national strategies, a consortium of governors from seven states got together and developed their own coordinated strategy.\u00a0 Where the hell is the Federal government?\u00a0 Oh, yeah, the President wants to do less testing so then we\u2019d be reporting fewer cases.\u00a0 It\u2019s no small wonder he can\u2019t even pronounce \u2018Yosemite\u2019!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine that a foreign army were invading this country \u2013 do you think there would be a national strategy in place?\u00a0 I would sure as hell hope so.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to imagine a scenario where each state was responsible for developing their own battle plan.\u00a0 And yet here we are.\u00a0 The country is under attack and we have this crazy quilt approach to defeating this enemy.\u00a0 It\u2019s absurd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same is true for wearing masks and all of the other CDC guidelines.\u00a0 Its just another crazy quilt set of policies.\u00a0 Just this week, the Sturgis motorcycle rally is kicking off in South Dakota and they are expecting attendance of around 250,000 people \u2013 no masks required.\u00a0 And when the rally is over, all of these people will disperse across the country and it is a 100 percent probability that some of them will be COVID positive.\u00a0 So even if the state you live in, like here in Montana, where masks are mandatory, they will likely see a bump in cases due to Sturgis attendees returning home.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the latest models are projecting that there will be up to 300,000 deaths in America by the end of the year if nothing changes.\u00a0 In an interview a couple of days ago when Trump was asked about the number of deaths (currently around 160,000) he responded with, \u201cIt is what it is.\u201d\u00a0 Appalling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think I have figured out the problem.\u00a0 Trump understands that his ticket to reelection depends upon the economy.\u00a0 And right now, we all know the economy has taken a major hit so Trump\u2019s ticket to the White House is looking a little \u2018iffy\u2019 right now.\u00a0 He understands that if he can show that the economy is rebounding at all, he will take credit for that and it will improve his chances.\u00a0 That\u2019s why he wants schools re-opened.\u00a0 It has nothing to do with education, child welfare or anything else \u2013 it has to do with making sure parents have somewhere to send their kids so they can go to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything Trump is doing these days is driven by getting the economy going in the hopes of getting reelected. \u00a0\u00a0If it costs the lives of 300,000 Americans by the end of the year \u2013 in his mind, that\u2019s just the cost of doing business.\u00a0 As has been stated many times before, Trump is very transaction oriented.\u00a0 He views everything in terms of winners and losers.\u00a0 In this case, if Trump can get the economy going (or at least convince enough people that the economy is recovering whether true or not) and get reelected then it will simply be a case of \u201cI win, you\u2019re dead\u201d.\u00a0 And he will simply respond, \u201cIt is what it is.\u201d\u00a0 Tens of thousands of American lives needlessly sacrificed on the altar of Trump\u2019s ego.\u00a0 This is not the America that I grew up in.<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"