Volcanoes, Pandemics, Global Warming…Oh My! — GOP Know-Nothings Fought Pandemic Preparedness

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Viruses don’t care whether you are poor, or wealthy.  They could care less if you work hard or hardly work.  They aren’t concerned if you are Jewish, Christian, or Muslim; morally righteous, or full of sin; gay or straight, pro-gun or no-gun.  Viruses are only concerned with whether or not you are a fitting host for it to live and reproduce within.  Here is what they do, according to HowStuffWorks.com:

1. A virus particle attaches to a host cell.
2. The particle releases its genetic instructions into the host cell.
3. The injected genetic material recruits the host cell’s enzymes.
4. The enzymes make parts for more new virus particles.
5. The new particles assemble the parts into new viruses.
6. The new particles break free from the host cell.

As you can see, humans, as possible hosts, have discovered through scientific method, how viruses work – as well as prudently prepare for them as a society.

Unfortunately for humans, some people subscribe to the Beavis and Butthead style of governance, better known as the 21st century incarnation of the GOP. 

First, Governor Perry of Texas (who threatened to secede from the nation) requests Federal funds to help combat the Swine Flu, and now recall the following:

When House Appropriations Committee chairman David Obey, the Wisconsin Democrat who has long championed investment in pandemic preparation, included roughly $900 million for that purpose in this year’s emergency stimulus bill, he was ridiculed by conservative operatives and congressional Republicans.

Obey and other advocates for the spending argued, correctly, that a pandemic hitting in the midst of an economic downturn could turn a recession into something far worse — with workers ordered to remain in their homes, workplaces shuttered to avoid the spread of disease, transportation systems grinding to a halt and demand for emergency services and public health interventions skyrocketing. Indeed, they suggested, pandemic preparation was essential to any responsible plan for renewing the U.S. economy.

GOP Know-Nothings Fought Pandemic Preparedness