sonora2sonoma

We’ve long known trump is a dangerous man to be leading the country, but never has his mismanagement appeared more perilous than it does presently in his fantasy-based approach to the current virus epidemic. Rather than concerning himself with doing everything he can to protect the public from the virus’s spread, the president’s concern seems to be focused more on the falling Dow Jones average than the rising numbers of people infected by the virus.

In his public contradiction of the advice of medical experts, the president has demonstrated once again that the word ‘selfless’ is not included in his limited vocabulary. By sanctioning the idea that it’s ok for folks experiencing mild symptoms to report to work, the president is placing peoples’ lives at risk. If any other leader were to make such irresponsible statements, they could be held liable for criminal negligence; if that isn’t a good argument against the idea of an imperial presidency, I’d like to know what is!

The woeful state of unpreparedness of health officials to mount a meaningful response so far to the epidemic appears to be part of a larger picture. The president’s slow response in providing the test kits needed to measure its spread creates the appearance that he is deliberately keeping the numbers of the infected low in order to aid him in perpetrating the myth that the virus’s spread will be limited.

The president’s willful contradiction of the expert advice of his advisors is appalling; rather than dealing with the facts on the ground, he prefers to manufacture his own alternate facts. When Kelly Ann Conwoy first introduced the concept of ‘alternate facts,’ the laughability of the notion masked its serious import; when its application imperils peoples’ lives, as in the present instance, it ceases to be a laughing matter!

Based on trump’s apparent inability to focus on anything concerning this matter that doesn’t impact his own personal interests, he clearly does not see himself as the president of the United States—he views himself as the president of donald trump, Incorporated!

It’s long past time for the adults in the room to take charge!

Tim Konrad