Thursday, April 30, 2020

MY PERSPECTIVE 

    I’m only 81 years old, so I don’t have a long history of comparable current events, but this country of ours is in a worse mess that I can remember. And it has nothing to do with this COVID-19, bad as it is. I’m talking about the leadership of our great nation. I’m talking about those in office, those who would like to be in office, and the media, all working at cross purposes, trying to make themselves look like leaders. To start with this country deserves better, much better. 
    We have a President who can’t seem to quit talking. Example: Because of the suddenness of the onset of this virus the information is changing every day. As an example, just try tracking what the medical community has been saying about the virus, what we should do about it, what we should do to protect ourselves, how it’s transmitted, and many other associated subjects. Their conclusions and suggestions have been changing almost daily. Only now is the information beginning to coalesce. So the information the President has been handing out has been changing almost on a daily basis. 
    Now, the media can get by with all kinds of wild conjecture, some of it even based on the facts available at the time. Other politicians can do the same thing, but everyone seems to expect more of the President. There is some validity to that assumption, or at least we’d like to think so. 
    Now, if the president could just keep his mouth shut most of the time, or at least couch his comments as the best information available at the time and that it could change, it would go a long way to keep him out of trouble. Or better yet, on this pandemic thing, let the CDC and WHO take the lead. They are the ones getting paid to know the answers. 
    Also, if he wouldn’t try to respond to every adverse comment that’s made concerning him, it would make him look much more presidential. Now, it seems like he has nothing better to do but argue with every adverse comment that comes his way. It reminds me of high school. 
    The other side of that coin is that the media and his political enemies will take everything he says and cast it in the worst possible light. Their main concern it seems is not the state of the union, the virus, the economy, or world affairs, but how best they can keep this President from getting reelected, or, as ineffective as possible while he is still in office. 
    I’m sure there are a lot of politicians out there, trying to do a good job for their constituents, but unless they are badmouthing somebody, we never hear of them. 
    The political leadership of both parties have done more to divide the people of this nation than any bunch of huddlehunces I can recall. 
    Like I said, this country deserves better. 
    The side effect of all this comes down to the question, why would anyone seek the office of President and take that much abuse? And anybody who wants the job is already suspect. But again, this is all just my perspective.