Now, I'm not talking about stating impressions or opinions. In my world impressions are just that: impressions that don't have to be based on anything. Opinions are a little higher up the scale, and probably aught to be based not necessarily on fact, but at least on some reasonable line of thinking. Just don't present impressions or opinions as fact.
A conspiracy theorist recently told me that Covid-19 is not as prevalent in terms of number of cases and deaths as is being reported. Regarding deaths reported, he said that hospitals receive compensation for each reported Covid-19 death, so have the incentive to report all deaths as due to Covid-19. He went on to say that since February, not one single hospital death in this country attributed to illness has been reported as anything but Covid-19.
He is correct that hospitals receive medicare compensation for Covid-19 victims...$13,000 for each incident and $37,000 if a ventilator was used. It could be said that the situation provides incentive for false reporting and it may be reasonable to assume that some false reporting, either through error or deliberately is going on. But without proof that can't be stated as fact, and accusing all hospital administrators and all doctors of corruption is plain foolish.
As to his statement that no non-Covid-19 hospital deaths have been reported since February, it took only a 15 second search to disprove that.
I won't bother to show him the chart because it won't alter his thinking. Facts are anathema to conspiracy theorists.
Facts are also anathema to Donald Trump. Throughout his term he has made countless unfounded allegations about people, organizations, Covid-19 and the economy. And when confronted with facts he has never, to my knowledge acknowledged or apologized for his own "fake news." Instead he either ignores or misdirects the issue. On a recent FOX news interview Trump claimed that Joe Biden said he wants to defund the police. When the interviewer proved him wrong, Trump fluffed it off by saying that Biden may have used different words but that's what he wants.
Trump has criticized the World Health Organization, the Center for Disease Control, and Dr. Fauci for making mistakes, particularly about their early position about masks not being necessary. They didn't make mistakes nor were they lying. Their guidance was based on what was known at the time. In the mid-1950s I was taught by my science teacher, backed up by text books that the atom was the smallest particle possible. That assumption was based on the best available evidence at that time. That they were mistaken is not lying. It's called learning, something the CDC, the WHO and Fauci has done and continues to do but that Trump seems incapable of.
In my opinion Biden has the perfect election campaign strategy...just sit back, do nothing and let Trump continue to destroy himself. I can't wait for November.
It's difficult for me to watch or read news these days. I am feeling more and more angry and I know its having an affect on my blood pressure. If I were a god I'd be looking down at our country and be either really sad or really pissed off. An out of control pandemic, an economy in shambles, protesters, counter-protesters, looters, police heroes and villains, a president battling with governors, governors battling with mayors, conspiracy theorists stirring the pot, cities and states reopening and shutting down again, a white guilt syndrome hell-bent on proving how remorseful we are by rewriting if not destroying history and a black lives matter movement with the same purpose, people refusing to wear masks, racial unrest, young people having Covid-19 parties, and worst of all, no clear leadership for any of these issues. No, if I were a god I'd look at this country, proclaim the situation unsalvageable and push the reset button.
My personal survival tactic until/if this all blows over is to retreat into my little corner of the world. I have a large back yard where I can watch the walnut and pecan trees begin to bare nuts, and help Maribel harvest veggies from her garden, and watch the squirrels building nests in the water oak. I have my front porch where in the cool of the early evening I can sit in my favorite chair and eavesdrop on Gandalf and Elrond and the rest of the council as they develop their plans to dispose of the ring. They too have their share of problems, but they don't have to face the insanity that is rampant in the USA now.
No comments:
Post a Comment