These are troubled times for America.  And indeed.  For the world.  The pandemic has altered not only the way we see the world but the way we see our neighbors and our family.  Not as friends or loved ones.  But as potential enemies endangering the safety of those we care for most.   A trend that has been all too evident in the struggle to just survive in the modern climate of America’s urbanized workforce. Long before the pandemic became the overriding concern. But the pandemic, and its mishandling has brought to the forefront some disturbing examples of unpreparedness, poor response, and some downright questionable practices apparently promoted at the whimsy of our leadership.  A far cry from the Civil Defense Programs of the Fifties and early sixties that prepared America to survive a nuclear armageddon.  We must ask ourselves.  Why ?  Have we become so complacent or self-centered that we fail to recognize any threat to our society that isn’t clothed in a mailed fist or accompanied by the drums of war ?   Is our leadership incapable of intelligent decision making by virtue of  to many opinions ?  With no singular decisive will capable of a knowledgeable assessment while ignoring the fearmongering effects of input overload.   These are just some of the questions that need answering if America is to return to some semblance of order.  We will never be the same.  But, we must not let our fear dictate the loss of our humanity or our sense of community.                      

During the initial response phase our actions seemed more like a third world nation than the world leader we are.  Many lesser countries were quicker to limit international or intranational travel than we were.  Now, as a free nation interstate travel is difficult to control.   And I’m not sure I would be willing to risk that limitation of our freedoms by preventing such travel.  But international travel was within the governments purview.  Yet, even after the citizenry had been requested to self isolate, interior international airports were still in use without proper pre-testing of passengers.  Surely, I would not want to strand US citizens on vacation or business travel in a foreign country for an indeterminate length of time.  But before boarding all passengers should have been tested for exposure.  And I mean tested not just screened.  With any passengers testing positive routed to the nearest US military base for isolation and return to the country on military medical evacuation flights.  Furthermore, even those flights that were pre-tested before boarding should not have been allowed to continue to their final destination in the country’s interior.  Many cases in the interior states could have and should have been prevented.  Any and all international flights should have been stopped at the border where the passengers could be retested.  Then allowed to continue on their journey.  This accomplishes two things.  First it helps stem the tide of internal exposure.  And second it gives the CDC and the Department of Health a listing of personnel to notify should any on those flights later be found to have been exposed.  Potentially identifying a patient zero and isolating any future exposure.                      

As a king lost a kingdom for want of a nail.  It could be said that a president lost the White House for want of toilet paper.  The manner in which America was instructed to self-isolate created such panic that the run on consumer goods was reminiscient of the run on banks from the ’29 crash.  It may seem funny to future generations.  But those of us who travelled store to store looking for these necessities were not amused.  Looking at row upon row of emptied shelving - I was apalled.  To think we live in what is arguably the greatest country of modern civilization and our leadership was so shortsighted there was no consideration given to rationing or replacement.  Of course the leader of the free world doesn’t do (and probably has never done) the shopping for his household.  The toilet paper just magically appears when he bellows.  Hello Harry Potter.  Jesting aside.  You can’t just shut down a nation.  Peoples lives hang in the balance.  Admittedly they’re, what politicians would call, the expendable poor.  But it’s these very same people who put someone in the White House, presumably, to look after the concerns they aren’t in a position to look after themselves.  And the administration whose responsibility that was failed and failed miserably.   Following the recommendations of one advisor, whose only knowledge or concern was limiting the exposure of the masses to an, at the time, untreatable pathogen.   It was the responsibility of this nations leadership to weigh the risks of exposure against the long-term needs of each of the nation’s households. And, while many could and should remain isolated. The need for maintenance of critical supplies, of which toilet paper was only one, should not have been compromised.  Industries providing those goods or services could have been scaled back in production with little or no impact to local isolation protocols.  But the effect on store shelving alone would have been worth the risk if only for it’s effect on the morale of the nation.  Providing that glimmer of hope that all was not lost.                    

Now let’s discuss some of the other policies that while nobly gestured, were ineffective, incomplete, or improperly executed.   Beginning with the emergency monetary disbursements.  These were an attempt, and a welcome one I’m sure, to replace the income lost by many employees, mostly in the service, sales, and manufacturing industries.   Their budgets demolished by the forced closure of the businesses that provided the majority of their income.   But the methodology of  these disbursements was seriously flawed.  Many, who desperately needed them, didn’t get them.  The premise that they should be disbursed based on tax returns was erroneous.  And overlooked many who, were either fighting for disablity or were unemployed prior to the shut down.  And had therefore not filed taxes, due to having no income for one or more years, prior to self-isolation.  Especially in the more rural areas of the country where employment is harder to come by.   Further, the manner of verification was non-existent and allowed for the potential fraudulent misappropriation of disbursements by the criminal element; foreign and domestic. Also the disbursement authority (the US Treasury Department I assume) failed to cross reference their disbursements with any Social Security information.  This could have prevented the most needy from missing these incentives as well as preventing possible payments to those individuals who were attempting fraud or incarcerated at the time and therefore had no claim on these funds.   For those concerned about internet security or unable to afford service, a paper claim form should have been made available.   This could have been filled out and mailed by any persons unsure of their eligibility status.   Ultimately; any form of cross referencing would have benefitted Americans.    And the lack of the administrations ability to foresee these shortfalls is unforgiveable.                    

Continuing on, we come to the great rental income giveaway.   Another flawed noble gesture.   Don’t get me wrong.  I agree with the administration.   Millions of families could not be allowed to become homeless when their loss of employment was by order of the government.   I’m sure that many families were relieved by the knowledge that they could not be evicted during the period of self-isolation imposed by our government.   Unfortunately nothing was done to stave off eviction after expiration of the order.  So now those same families face eviction.   Unless they can come up with thousands of dollars to pay the years past due rent.  With no prior concern about what happens when the eviction stay order expired.  The administration lost its image of competency.   Instead, the order appears as nothing more than a publicity stunt.  Enacted at the administrations whimsy.  Not as a necessary or competent consideration of the circumstances.  There was not even an order to shift a rental businesses own mortgage payments to the end of the mortgage term to prevent these very types of evictions.  As a businessman familiar with the processes of  high finance.   This, at least, was expected and should have been included in the order.  Yet; even this fails to consider the needs of owners dependent on their rental property incomes to provide for their own standards of living.  Perhaps these private individuals could have qualified for a temporary Section 8 type of classification and added payment to eliminate the very types of mass evictions confronting much of the country.   Once again, while the intent was right and honorable, the application was poorly executed.  With little or no thought given to the long-term ramifications of the administrations actions.                    

What I find ironic is that the concern shown to ensure that  American’s didn’t end up homeless.  Didn’t extend to our need  for utilities.   What ever payment leeway or discounts were applicable was left to the discretion of the service providers.  So while its nice that during the winter of 2020 we had a roof over our heads.  It sure would have been nice to have heat, lights, and water  too.  Perhaps that’s a bit harsh.   I’m sure that many utility providers made allowances for the economic repercussions of the nationally imposed self-isolation.   But in the circumstances that confronted the country - that isn’t enough.  Nothing concerning the health and comfort of American families can be left to a businesses sense of charity in times of emergency.   While I was not personally forced to juggle utilities payments with the purchase of other necessities.   Trying to maintain the health, comfort, and insurance obligations of  the household.  I believe that many Americans were.  While they waited and wondered if another round of stimulus payments would come through in time to help them dig out a little before someone comes to shut off their utilities.  Now, as much as I hate direct handouts of taxpayer funds to private businesses.  The guarantee of reduced utility bills during the pandemic would have required them.  By assuming the costs for production and distribution of either the coal or natural gas supplied to electrical production facilities throughout the nation.   The kilowatt hour charges to second and third level distributors could have been removed. With a little more research and planning a similar system could have been put in place for other utility providers as well.  This elimination of utility use measurement charges to the consumer during the pandemics most critical period.  Would have reduced consumer bills by 50 to 60 percent, holding the end user liable only for standard service charges.  Relieving  American families of a large portion of the uncertainty that the circumstances of self-isolation and unemployment thrust upon them.  And in times of civil distress - that is what the government is supposed to do.                      

Now; while the government tries to shove the need for vaccinations down (or up depending on your perspective) various parts of our anatomy.   I think we should re-examine the definitions of the terms they’re using.   The government and medical academia have promoted vaccines as a method of inducing immunization.  They base this on the apparent immunity produced by the use of vaccines on the historic scourges of humanity.  Namely; polio, german measles (rubella), mumps, and other highly contagious and debilitating diseases that affected humanity at the turn of the last century.  However, historically, its not immunity as much as it’s a resistance to these diseases.  When Dimsdale inoculated Catherine the Great against smallpox.  He used a live sample of the virus.  Extracted directly from a pox vesicle present on someone afflicted with the disease.  This gave her, and those subsequently treated, a true immunity to the smallpox virus.   And thus we arrive at the real definitions of these treatments.  Inoculations produce true immunity because they are derived from and use live samples of the intended pathogen.  A vaccine only induces a resistance and therefore is only as competent as the manner by which it was created.  Current vaccines are derived by killing the target virus.  Harvesting the viruses by-products from the media in which they’re grown.   The RNA by-products are copied, encased in a fat soluble shell, and diluted in an aqueous solution for injection.  Though simplified significantly this is the basis for most of the COVID vaccines currently being administered.   And it is also their weakness.  The efficacy of the vaccine is dependent on the competency of the methodologies used to reproduce these critical RNA proteins.  Which I question.  The failure of their reasoning has already been proven by its (the vaccines) inability to adapt to variants, including the current version, and its exclusion of the most important sector of our society, children.   And, I will always disagree with any vaccination mandates.  Be it chicken pox or any other minor childhood disease or be it COVID.   Frankly; COVID has not proven itself virulent enough to warrant blind obedience to anyone.  The common cold is more contagious.  And the current distancing standard is more than sufficient to prevent the spread of COVID.  Like masks; any non-medical grade mask is essentially useless.  And any mask truly capable of preventing the spread of a microorganism would, by necessity, be so tightly woven (< 1 micron) that no one could breath through it.  The promotion of vaccination is a public confidence measure, and not truly effective at providing permanent and lasting immunity. Without which we could easily find ourselves experiencing deja vue in 2022.  Back at the same self isolation standards that were instituted in 2020.  Our government should have promoted the research and subsequent manufacture of a live virus inoculation.  When they do.  I will be the first in line.                                      

These failures, as I’ve outlined them, are indicative of an intrinsic weakness in the Country’s leadership as offered by the major political parties.  They’re all so dependent on advisors and pre-occupied with public relations concerns.  That they’ve become incapable of independent thought.  Lacking the ability and the knowledge to adequately assess the recommendations made to them.  The only redeeming quality; no administration in the last 50 years could have done any better.  The true reason behind these failures is that they were left to the administration in office.  When they should have fallen under the auspices of the civil defense authority.  As reorganized and subsequently codified in 1994 emergency response now falls under the authority of the Department of Homeland Security.   Specifically; its subsidiary the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the same organization that took 5 days to deliver water to the Superdome. While the codification adequately itemizes the security concerns of the nation and authorizes state or local support.  It fails to allow for deferral of operational controls to the department under which the type of emergency falls.  In this case, the nation needed a plan formalized by the Department of Health and Human Services in association with the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.  And the same is true of any other type of national emergency.  Be it hurricane, fires, or Mt. St. Helens.  With no formalized plans for reaction.  Whatever is done ends up seeming haphazard because it is essentially at the discretion of the administration in command.  And I say in command even though most would not understand the true meaning of those words.  Or even the concept of giving legitimate, necessary, and competent orders.  And there is the true culprit.  The lack of pre-determined, Congressionally approved, plans of action.   Regardless of the emergency.  Regardless of the location.  Plans should be pre-formulated to guide the nations response.  Ensuring that appropriate resources are quickly allocated and dispatched to the safest locations nearest the need.  Irrespective of the current elected administration.  This was the case with the nation’s intended response to the nuclear threat during the cold war.  And it should be the case now.   In closing I’d like to remind Missourians, especially our voters, of the 7P rule.  ‘Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance'.