I'm a "little" frustrated with all the closings and other stuff

[DanL]

So I got pissed and wrote a letter to the editor of the NH newspaper (Union Leader) but both my son & daughter say it won't be published.  What do you think?   

Subject: Questions about all of the news exposure the Chinese virus is getting.

As I write this on March 17, 2020, 27 people in the US have died and schools, restaurants and many stores have closed down for an unknown time.  Our economy is going down the tubes because of all the quarantine actions, grocery stores are running out of products because of the hoarding and you can’t turn on the TV or radio without listening to the doomsday forecasts from the media. 
However, in 2019, it was estimated that 16,000 people in the US died because of the flu(2/14/19 Washington Post article) and there was no doomsday forecasts, businesses and schools were not closed and people were not panicking or preparing for the end of the world.  The CDC said the flu typically kills 12,000 to 56,000 people in the US in a year.  In the winter of 2017/2018 the flu killed an estimated 80,000 Americans according to Dr. Robert Redfield, CDC (9/25/18 interview with Associated Press).

My questions are:
Is there something about this Chinese virus that the government is not telling us?
Is the current doomsday scenario being reported on all media outlets a way to boost media ratings?

If the news outlets have given up responsible journalism and are just trying to boost ratings, then the government should shut them down before people start committing suicide because of the hoax the news outlets are portraying.


Dan Leonard
Union Street

Sorry to throw this out to you guys but your my friends and I'm pissed at what I hear on the TV & radio.  We stopped listening to the TV & radio yesterday because I was getting so pissed!  Am I the only wacko out there?   

[ybnorml]

Does the newspaper lean left Dan ??

[GaryC]

I think you have smart kids.

[Dan-bury]

We all have to voice our opinion. I hope you at least get a response.

My thought is...with all this hand washing the media will probably tell us were going to run out of water next...

[oldsmokey]

But wait, it's not correct to call it the Chinese Virus.   

Why not call it by its proper name? The Wuhan …. whatever, bug.

[ybnorml]

Dan, I read an article yesterday about this exact situation....
Between April 2009 and April 2010 H1N1 ( Swine Flu )
60.8 million cases reported
274,000 hospitalized
12,400 deaths
No panic, no media outrage, no shortage of toilet paper

Not to make this politicized, but we can't trust what China tells us or what China does.
And to think a lot of our medicines come from there.....

[Valkrocket]

My conspiracy theory.......... It was all about making a market adjustment. And now it's gotten out of control. This is ridiculous... No toilet paper to be found anywhere????
My theory for the run on TP is -  1 person sneezes and 100 people $hit their pants. 

Quarantine on>>>>>>>>>

[ybnorml]

1.) It occurred to me that President Trump had gotten under China's skin pretty deep over the last couple of years. First President to actually challenge their incredibly one-sided trade laws with American business, Theft of intellectual property, etc. and FORCE changes.
2.) It occurred to me that in the November 2020 election China would very likely prefer ANY Democrat over Donald Trump.
As 2019 proceeded..it was becoming obvious to the least casual observer that the American economy was firing on all cylinders and as a result Donald Trump's re-election was virtually guaranteed.
3.) In an effort to begin disconnecting American business from it's total reliance on China the President made a state visit to India in February.
For President Trump to have visited India in February, the organizational and diplomatic details for that visit were being organized WELL in advance...even into the end of 2019.
Chinese intelligence would have been very aware of those plans to tighten the relationship between America and India (China's economic rival). This was possibly the last straw for the Chinese government.
4.) First Corona Virus confirmations in China were in Dec. 2019.
5.) When it became apparent that there was a dangerous virus infecting people in Wuhan province President Trump offered American medical staffers from our most prestigious institutions.
China refused to allow them to enter the country.
6.) The Chinese military's Biological Warfare center is in Wuhan province.
7.) You don't have to be a Harvard Economics professor to know that releasing a virus with the potential to create a global pandemic could ultimately force the robust American economy into recession.
8.) You don't have to have a PhD in political science to know that the economy falling into a recession during a Presidential campaign is going to damage the chances of the incumbent.
China...When have they EVER been concerned about deaths of their own citizens...let alone OURS..if it advanced their ideology..???
Chairman Mao's "Great Leap Forward" slaughtered 45 million Chinese citizens in 4 years.
Think about it.

[Ponte]

Everything you stated in your last post is spot on YB.... I couldn't agree more....

[Tony C.]

State and local governments are essentially following CDC recommendations to minimize exposure to the virus and flatten the contagion curve so that hospitals are not overwhelmed with folks who might get very sick. There's a lot of very smart people at the CDC. I trust their guidance.

It's nice to see both Political Parties working together to put policies in place and spend over $850 billion to help stabilize the economy and get money to folks who've lost their jobs. Things will get better, but in the mean time, yes they suck.  

[DanL]

that was developed by the World Health Organization and is now used by every other country in the world.  Because of that CDC decision, The CDC contractor (ATCC) developed a test that had too many false positives and had to go back to the drawing board and develop another test, causing big delays in distribution of a test for the virus.  To date, no genius at CDC has acknowledged responsibility for the decision not to use the WHO’s test and there has been no one fired because of the decision.   

[DanL]

1.) It occurred to me that President Trump had gotten under China's skin pretty deep over the last couple of years. First President to actually challenge their incredibly one-sided trade laws with American business, Theft of intellectual property, etc. and FORCE changes.
2.) It occurred to me that in the November 2020 election China would very likely prefer ANY Democrat over Donald Trump.
As 2019 proceeded..it was becoming obvious to the least casual observer that the American economy was firing on all cylinders and as a result Donald Trump's re-election was virtually guaranteed.
3.) In an effort to begin disconnecting American business from it's total reliance on China the President made a state visit to India in February.
For President Trump to have visited India in February, the organizational and diplomatic details for that visit were being organized WELL in advance...even into the end of 2019.
Chinese intelligence would have been very aware of those plans to tighten the relationship between America and India (China's economic rival). This was possibly the last straw for the Chinese government.
4.) First Corona Virus confirmations in China were in Dec. 2019.
5.) When it became apparent that there was a dangerous virus infecting people in Wuhan province President Trump offered American medical staffers from our most prestigious institutions.
China refused to allow them to enter the country.
6.) The Chinese military's Biological Warfare center is in Wuhan province.
7.) You don't have to be a Harvard Economics professor to know that releasing a virus with the potential to create a global pandemic could ultimately force the robust American economy into recession.
8.) You don't have to have a PhD in political science to know that the economy falling into a recession during a Presidential campaign is going to damage the chances of the incumbent.
China...When have they EVER been concerned about deaths of their own citizens...let alone OURS..if it advanced their ideology..???
Chairman Mao's "Great Leap Forward" slaughtered 45 million Chinese citizens in 4 years.
Think about it.

Terry, EXECELLENT analysis!

[DanL]

under the heading:
Purveyors of fake news should be shut down

and I've been getting text messages since a little after 6 this morning congratulating me on what I said.

Wow, I thought I was the only wacko thinking all this crap happening is pre-planned (Thanks again, Terry).  It's too bad our elected leaders don't think the same way.  They need to sit back, have a drink and really think through their next moves and not listed to the media talking heads. 

[ybnorml]

Maybe we're two wackos in the boat Dan....
I have been reading different articles from different news sources with different
professors, then kinda mumbo jumbo'd my thoughts on paper....

Right, wrong, or indifferent....just my opinion on this fustrer-cluck !!!

[Tony C.]

that was developed by the World Health Organization and is now used by every other country in the world.  Because of that CDC decision, The CDC contractor (ATCC) developed a test that had too many false positives and had to go back to the drawing board and develop another test, causing big delays in distribution of a test for the virus.  To date, no genius at CDC has acknowledged responsibility for the decision not to use the WHO’s test and there has been no one fired because of the decision.   

I hesitate to answer because I don't want the New England Board to turn into the General Board with political talk and arguing. The decision not to use  WHO tests was not made by rank and file scientists. That decision was made at the top of the CDC and was influenced by politics.

[Tony C.]

I hesitate to answer because I don't want the New England Board to turn into the General Board with political talk and arguing. The decision not to use  WHO tests was not made by rank and file scientists. That decision was made at the top of the CDC and was influenced by politics.

My response above is not correct and was based on misleading information I read. Please see the link below for additional information . Sorry for posting incorrect information.

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/mar/16/joe-biden/biden-falsely-says-trump-administration-rejected-w/

[RonBou]

I have an opinion but I'm keeping it to myself.

[Skinhead]

My opinion is there is more to this than simply a new strain of flu.  The Gov. knows something. and I believe the Chinese are probably responsible for the whole thing.  Intentionally or an accident, I think they are responsible.  The fact that the government is reacting as it is, is proof that they know more than they are telling us.  

As I've said many times before, I love my country, but fear my government.  They lie!  They may think it is for our own good, but they lie.  I think the current administration,  lies to us less than others in the past.

I'm voting for Trump in Nov. unless I die from this virus, then I will probably vote for Biden.

[Oss]

Wow

But maybe true words