Comments on: Cancer and Coronavirus

By: Charles Leahy

Charles Leahy — Wed, 01 Apr 2020 16:07:21 +0000

In reply to abailes.

Hi Allison – you may have
Hi Allison – you may have missed my point. In the current scenario WIDESPREAD TESTING IS NOT AN ALTERNATIVE because in spite of our government (Trump) saying that testing is broadly available and anyone that wants it can get it – that is not the case. And you simply saying “Trump could use the power of…” reinforces the fact that he has not, so it is not an option. At all. Not even to consider. We must deal with the facts as they are now, and therefore staying hunkered down in our homes is the only course of action – no others are available to us because the government has not made those resources available. And private industry has proven that they will profit even in times of disaster – yes I understand that’s what capitalism is all about – making maximum profit off of disaster – since we are seeing states having to bid against each other for scarce resources.

By: Charles Leahy

Charles Leahy — Wed, 01 Apr 2020 16:02:34 +0000

In reply to Doug. My apologies - I should have
My apologies - I should have said of about 50% of "discretionary spending" - which is the part of the budget that the government points to priorities, not interest payments or other payments already required by law.

By: Matt Hoots

Matt Hoots — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 00:49:10 +0000

In reply to abailes. Thanks for sharing Allison- I
Thanks for sharing Allison- I am afraid that by the time the petition reaches 100K it will be too late.

By: Chris Stratton

Chris Stratton — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 05:29:56 +0000

I'm sorry to hear about your
I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis, Allison. Thank you for sharing your story.

By: Doug

Doug — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 03:38:06 +0000

In reply to Charles Leahy. 'The United States spends
'The United States spends more than one-half of our budget on the Defense Industry and the Armed Forces.' when I look at the pie chart, its those great programs called SS and Medicare that are more than 50% No?

By: abailes

abailes — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 15:30:44 +0000

In reply to Charles Leahy. Charles, thanks for your

Charles, thanks for your comment. I respectfully disagree with your two main assumptions. Suppression not only IS an option, but there's not much hope in going the mitigation route. Read Coronavirus: The Hammer and the Dance to find the details. Basically, mitigation doesn't spare the healthcare system from being overwhelmed and it doesn't save many lives. It merely delays the peak, which is nearly as bad.

Suppression is the only option that makes sense. Is it going to be difficult? Absolutely. Is it impossible? Absolutely not. Trump could use the power of the Defense Production Act to ramp up production of the supplies need, and he could do it today. (He should have done weeks ago, but let's focus on where we are now.) Look at what we did in World War II. We can do this.

By: Charles Leahy

Charles Leahy — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 14:40:26 +0000

Allison I do wish you luck
Allison I do wish you luck with your treatment. My wife is presently undergoing treatment and has a weakened immune system and for that I am very concerned as well. But I am commenting not as a sympathetic person, but one with 25+ years in managing highly complex international supply lines of very diverse type and origin. Suppression is not an option because test kits are not widely available to test everyone. South Korea identified their first case of the virus just one day before the US did – IN JANUARY – and within two weeks they were pumping out valid tests to tens of thousands of people – not because they were suspected, but because they were testing everyone they could to identify and isolate. THEY HAVE APPEARED TO SUPPRESS THE VIRUS. The United States spends more than one-half of our budget on the Defense Industry and the Armed Forces. Yet they are not the front-line for the current defense of our country – the for-profit healthcare industry is. Where I live in North Carolina rural hospitals and medical centers are closing at an alarming rate because they are not profitable to operate. In Asheville doctors and nurses have been leaving the only hospital in town because it was taken over by HCA out of Nashville and many are upset with the changes being made – all in the name of efficiency. And now this virus. Mitigation is our only hope if we have no better option and if our internal national defense infrastructure is so lacking in substance and priorities, and leadership. A strong mind (education) and a strong body (health care) are the FIRST lines of a nation’s defense – and the US is flailing wildly. If you look to a nation’s budget to try and understand their priorities, these two most important items are not prioritized and are instead continuously being whittled down. That is why I am so concerned – we reap what we sow.