Once again the Stable Genius has outsmarted the opposition.
His (temporary and partial) ban on immigration is one that will appeal to many American voters and has portrayed those who are against it in a bad light with the centre ground where elections are won.
To put it simply, during a global lockdown, how much immigration is taking place?
His pledge to end immigration to secure US jobs will resonate with people who are without work as immigration is blamed by many for them being out of work. And his pledge as infuriated those on the left who have not looked at the numbers of people coming into the USA at the moment. Many nations have sensibly limited entry to residents only due to COVID19 and all America is doing is joining the list of others doing the same.
The bottom line is that this should have been done earlier to keep in line with the rest of the world, and it will have little effect on legal migration as that has fallen dramatically anyway.
On Wednesday I did my first, and so far, only Joe Wickes workout. Needless to say, my knees do not do what his can. I did not do it today as I went out on a walk. On Saturday I walked into work and back home again and on Sunday I was finally able to mow our lawn after our lawnmower had been repaired. But my lack of cycling appears to be increasing my abdominal girth and I need to book my bike in for a service.
Work is getting busier now as people are coming forwards with the issues that have been present before. However they are not coming with all of them and I am concerned, like many in the NHS, that people are ignoring symptoms that they should be seeking help for. The death rate of COVID19 has hit at least one care home that we help look after and is in danger of spreading through another. I am very impressed with the care and compassion that those working in them are giving to the patients and on Thursday, if I get back in time, I will be clapping for them.
The kids are back at school. And by being back at school, I mean working from home. Me son is working more than he did before, but this is nothing compared to what his sister is doing.
And last of all, my daughter has watched an episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer with me. The rest of the family have stopped watching it and Angel so I am going to watch them myself, or with her. i have watched Smokin Aces with my wife. We loved it And had decided to watch it after we finished watching Snatch. Both films are great, and while similar in some ways, are quite different in others. Snatch was not so much predictable, but has fewer shocks in it. Actually shocks is the wrong word, for both are shocking, I mean that Smokin Aces had more surprises! My son and I have been watching The Mandalorian, though we disagree on the motives of the little green alien. We are continuing to watch The Clone Wars, but this may be associated with a drive to work more as he has been reminded that the quick and easy path is the way to the dark side.
I have been busy today. Work was stressful especially as I saw two patients who have been exposed to COVID. I guess I will find out how much in two weeks time. I am hoping it is not too much, if at all considering that shortness of breath is not nice to live with. Saying that, if I am to get it, I would rather recover than not.
But, I am to get some face masks for all of us. I know that masks do not protect me from COVID, but it will be in case we become asymptomatic carriers as it will reduce the odds of this passing it on.
Those wearing masks in public are helping others as the masks are only effective in preventing infection for a few minutes. We put masks on patients we consider higher risk in fact to protect us. Also face masks offer those who wear them for protection not only a false sense of security, but may increase the odds of touching their faces. I will offer the kids the choice of colours. Possibly...
Anyway, the title of the post is based on the song below.
I do think that people are keen to blame Trump for lots of things. And I think it is wrong of the media to report on unsubstantiated rumours all the time when it comes to Trump.
The main reason for this, is that there is so much of what Trump says, and how his administration acts that needs to be focused on.
A big example is how his administration has endangered the USA.
After Ebola threatened the world, the pandemic office in the USA was reorganised. Trump has pointed out that he did not close it, but it did change on his watch. Despite how important it was when it came to Ebola, there was no one in charge at the White House to respond to the COVID pandemic, unlike what happened when the USA faced Ebola and Swine Flu.
The next point is how the Trump appeared to publicly downplay the threat that COVID-19 posed to the world. While those who support Trump state that the WHO had reported on the 14th of January, that there was no clear evidence of human to human transmission, many are unaware that the WHO stated on the 23rd of January
WHO assesses the risk of this event to be very high in China, high at the regional level and high at the global level.
This message, contained in the World Health Organization Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) SITUATION REPORT - 3 and the date is very important. Mainly because Trump has claimed that the WHO got it wrong.
Many may argue that Trump took action by closing the borders to China on the 31st of January, but by then, the virus had spread beyond the Chinese borders. There is no doubt that the US government was taking action, but it did not seem to be close to enough, an example being the restrictions on social distancing.
People need good leadership in times like this. Someone who says that the virus is a hoax and will be gone is not someone who is preparing the pubic to the actions that are needed to reduce the speed at which this virus spreads.
It is unfair to blame Trump for all the deaths in the USA due to COVID-19. No matter who had been in charge there would be issues with the numbers of ventilators that the US needs. But a quicker, more decisive and consistent approach and message would have helped to flatten the curve in New York, along with the other areas where the healthcare systems are being overwhelmed.
Yesterday my son and I went for a bike ride. Before then, it was a trip to the shops as well as trying to get our lawn mower fixed (still not working and our grass is still growing). There were a few times that he got too close to others in my opinion, but it was great cycling with him. His fitness has got a lot better now he cycles to school and it was also fun to play throw and catch with him in the garden. He has improved over the last few weeks and I think that it is better than be at this. Which is annoying in a way because he was so bad when we started, but I am also proud of him. I did have to tell him not to cycle so fast though as I do not want to have to take him to A&E! But we did use the time out on our bikes to deliver some supplies to some friends of ours.
And now for a version of one of my favourite songs because it tells the story of how my wife and I are together, even though many thought that we would not last.
A message copied and pasted from what I was sent by e-mail.
If
you are struggling with thoughts about suicide, it is important that you talk
to someone urgently. It is vital that you stay safe.
Are
there any friends, family or neighbours you can speak to? Speaking to someone
over the phone, by video message or any other means available is very
important.
The
Samaritans offers a listening ear any time of day or night and is entirely
confidential and non-judgemental. You can call 116
123 or visit www.samaritans.org
Have
you looked at the Stay Alive App? It has lots of information which can
help, including a safety plan. You can download this from Google play or Apple
App Store.
I cried today. I spoke to a lady about her mental health. She was concerned as she felt it was not that good. She has been panicking before going to work.
She works in our local hospital. Our hospital that is filling up with COVID19.
I told her that she has every reason to feel anxious and that I was amazed that she is still going in. And I had to try hard to stop her from hearing the tears in my voice as I talked to her.
My job has risk, but hers has so much more. So when I clap for the NHS today, I will not be clapping for me, I will be clapping for people like her.
