I don’t know how much Chuck Schumer really had to do with it… and frankly I don’t care… it’s just great to see him using his powerful position for something positive for a change – helping push through increased production of Tamiflu. And, yes, I’m aware, as I’m sure most of you are, that even this drug may be ineffective in the face of an avian flu epidemic that may or may not be upon us. Like a lot of people I tend not to think about such things. Being around in an era of terrorism is enough, but the plague…
The sky is fallling, the sky is falling!
Remember SARs, and Anthrax, dirty bombs, Abu-garib, un-ending energy price increases and Small Pox etc.– all MSM, flooged non crises.
I am supprised at your buying into the scare mongering tactics of people who are more than clueless, they are “journalists” a term that personifies clueless to the nth degree in my mind.
I am beginning to think that anyone who writes or pontificaets for a living or even just for pleasure approaches cluelessness the more they are inclined to opine.
thedaddy
Roger, I would have thought that you of all people would know that the avian flu pandemic scare is just Hollywood hype for this new movie.
I’m glad thedaddy isn’t running the country. He sounds like he’d get along well with Roy Nagin. Who knows what will happen with avian flu? As Roger said, it may or may not happen. But one day there will be a flu pandemic. It’s inevitable. And we’ll all be justifiably outraged if our government hasn’t taken any steps toward preparation. We should have a large stock of anti-virals. The media’s alarmist hype has nothing to do with it. I hope they’re all wrong and I’m glad they’ve been wrong so far about smallpox. But preparing for biological terrorism or natural pandemics is one of the most important responsibilities of a diligent government.
It is the Government that has screwed up the production of vaccines a la the Hillary Clinton insistance that “We should have a large stock of anti-virals”. The government has made it unprofitable for domestic manufacturers to make the stuff so they don’t.
I am sorry I don’t share your confidence in the Gov’t saving my life.
And in addition I wasn’t talking about the Gov’t I was talking about so-called “experts”.
“But preparing for biological terrorism or natural pandemics is one of the most important responsibilities of a diligent government.”
No! It is the responsibility of the individuals and private enterprise — If you wait for the gov’t you get New Orleans.
Statism, Socialism, Communism, Facism all of which depend on the gov’t for services are all failures, all gov’t social programs are failures.
“But one day there will be a flu pandemic. It’s inevitable.”
You’re sure?
How do you know this? — I know you’ve been listening to the “experts” , You probably believe that the world is running out of petroleum too!
“And we’ll all be justifiably outraged if our government hasn’t taken any steps toward preparation.”
I won’t — Because I don’t depend on the government to provide me anything that is not in the Constitution.
I depend on Myself and my family and my proven friends and they on me.
thedaddy
Why don’t you try reading what I actually wrote? I never said I had confidence in the government saving my life. And I certainly don’t rely on it. But I most definitely believe that government should do its best to protect its citizens. I am well aware of how often it falls short (I imagine you would phrase that very differently). Unlike you, I guess, I don’t believe it should make no effort.
As for “experts”, as a matter of fact, when it comes to issues of science and medicine, I do listen to what scientists and physicians have to say and make an evaluation accordingly. I am sufficiently knowledgable about the mechanisms (and historical records) of viruses to be confident that they will continue to act as they always have, lying dormant, mutating, spreading. And the world is a very interconnected place. How do I know there will be another viral pandemic one day? The same way I know there will another terrorist attack somewhere, someday, by radical Islamists. The darn things don’t go away by themselves. To pretend otherwise is to be a blind fool. If your family and friends mix up homemade batches of vaccine in their basements, then I guess you won’t have to look to the government. But that is not the case for most people.