Cities and States to Blame?
As we near the end of 15 days of Trump’s guidelines, we are asked to believe that Donald Trump is doing great things and all these problems are the result of a lack of preparation by Democratic states and cities. At the same time Donald Trump is asking Mike Pence to not answer the phone for state governors if they don’t appreciate what the federal government is doing.
The cities and states throughout the US are struggling to get a grasp on what is happening. They are attempting to order supplies for the medical workers who are a risk from this disease. All the while because we live in a capitalistic society the suppliers are able to cancel orders because another order comes in for the same items for a greater cost. This is a classic example of supply chain management going bad.
Supplies are limited. In a capitalistic society, a supplier is driven by profit. Procurement distributed between 50+ entities competing for limited resources.
This is a supply chain that begs for a federal purchase and distribution system. A federal purchase system would drive cost down. The US Military is the best logistics organization in the world. By centralizing the procurement and logistics the most needy communities could receive the material first.
The states and cities are not to blame!
Who should be preparing for pandemics…
Intelligence systems, CDC, Health and Human Services are all federal agencies. The NSC at one point had a branch which was to prepare the country for potential pandemics. Donald Trump disbanded this branch of the NSC. Yet he talks about the mess he inherited. So this is one of the great things he has done for this country?
In early February, his administration was informed that the coronavirus was on it’s way and that it had the potential to overwhelm are medical institutions. His administration at the time felt there was no need to accept funds for this disease. Yet Donald Trump talks about how his travel policies helped slow the spread. He mentions nothing about preparation other than pointing fingers else where.
Trump is getting high marks for his early press briefings
But as time has gone on, they increasingly are becoming his political stump speeches. From the beginning he had the opportunity to let those with the information present the materials. Instead he is taking credit for the work of others. When will he be held accountable for his actions?
His actions leading up to the crisis did not mitigate its effects, in they are a leading reason that this is a crisis. Donald Trump’s insistence that this is a statistics and economic problem makes matters worse. It shows how insensitive he truly is. His continuing insistence that we should open up the country sooner not later does not help doubters follow the guidelines and again could lead to more hot spots.
My Greatest Hope and Biggest Fear…
I’ve heard discussion that heat and humidity will reduce the transmission of this disease. My greatest hope is that this turns out to true. Because it suggests by mid-to-late spring the spread of the coronavirus should slow.
My greatest fear is if this is true that Donald Trump and his supporter will use his response to this crisis to re-elect him president of the United States. We should not forgive the mistakes he made which lead to this crisis. We as a country should hold him accountable for what he has done.
- Taking the US out of the Paris Climate According.
- Weakening our relationships with are allies.
- Withdrawing from the Iranian nuclear accord.
- The number of people with health insurance has declined.
- The safety net programs for those in need has reduced.
- The state of preparation for the threats such as coronavirus has weakened
Howard Truman had a saying on his desk.
“The buck stops here”
Most presidents since then have accepted that statement. This one has not and that alone should be enough to disqualify him from holding the presidency.
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