Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) responds to Senator Ron Johnson’s telling people to gargle with mouthwash to kill Covid. Mr. Johnson: “Standard gargle, mouthwash, has been proven to kill the coronavirus (according to an audio recording of his remarks). If you get it, you may reduce viral replication. Why not try all these things?” Why not? It builds false hope of a simple cure when there is none and a hope for preventing Covid which gargling does not do. Covid resides mostly in the nasal passages. The best tool for preventing Covid is a combination of Covid inoculations, social distancing, and masking up by all and not just yourself. “It is insane how the GOP has weaponized COVID-19 as a political tool,” Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
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run75441 considers the following as important: COVID-19, Healthcare, Michigan, Michigan sets a pandemic record, politics, US EConomics
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Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) responds to Senator Ron Johnson’s telling people to gargle with mouthwash to kill Covid.
Mr. Johnson: “Standard gargle, mouthwash, has been proven to kill the coronavirus (according to an audio recording of his remarks). If you get it, you may reduce viral replication. Why not try all these things?”
Why not? It builds false hope of a simple cure when there is none and a hope for preventing Covid which gargling does not do. Covid resides mostly in the nasal passages. The best tool for preventing Covid is a combination of Covid inoculations, social distancing, and masking up by all and not just yourself.
“It is insane how the GOP has weaponized COVID-19 as a political tool,” Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Joel Eisenberg. At a state and local level, it goes beyond just suggesting mouthwash.
Michigan
Recent headline, “Michigan sets pandemic record for COVID hospitalizations; stretched staffs feel defeated, disheartened” November 2021.
This week, the state hit a record, topping one set in the spring 2020 and documenting the most and total COVID-19 hospitalizations since the start of the pandemic. Michigan, worst in the country, was averaging about 440 hospitalizations per 1 million people for seven days. During previous peaks, in spring 2021 and December 2020, the average was about 420, according to the University of Michigan’s MI Safe Start Map, The incline, steeper in months past, has been more gradual, increasing since summer.
One would think, the number of outbreaks in densely populated areas such as Detroit and Wayne County would be higher. Not so, when comparing the numbers per 100,000. Republican dominated Livingston County Michigan, the richest county in Michigan and with a much smaller population, has a rate per 100,000 50% higher than Democratic Wayne County. Why is this true?
Michigan’s legislature is Republican and has been since the late nineties thanks to gerrymandering. Since then, it has also had a Republican governor twice and a political trifecta twice also. Livingston County has been under the same Republican thumb all of the 28 years I lived in it by similar margins and longer.
During this time of one-party dominance, roads and infrastructure were crumbling and the tax breaks to the high in income and corporations kept flowing except for Wayne County and Detroit.
For some insane reason, there exists a large percentage of people who believe in crazy Covid commentary much of which is stimulated by Republicans locally, in Michigan and nationally. Michigan Republicans are supporting the attacks on state government having lit the fuse leading to a plan to kidnap Governor Whitmer. Even when the local and state Republicans did not find major issues in the 2020 presidential vote, they still did not rebuke national Republicans.
The Michigan Legislature;
After one year, the Republican controlled legislature is still blocking much of the disbursement of Federal Covid Funds. Unless of course, the governor signs legislation stripping powers from the executive branch. Rather than political gamesmanship, the legislature should focus on how to best help businesses and individuals most impacted by the pandemic.
Whitmer has asked the Legislature to send her any comprehensive plan of attack keeping people healthy and safe. Instead, lawmakers have sent her multiple bills to strip away power from the governor and the health department director. Whitmer has vetoed these measures.
And in retaliation Republican Michigan legislators continue to hold Federal Covid funds captive disadvantaging constituents and blaming the Governor.
The most serious issue experienced by constituents are Republican attacks on vaccinations. and mandated masking, and social distancing . . . labeling such an attack on personal liberties. People believe they have the right to act in any manner they wish to without taking into consideration the actions of theirs on others.
November 2020, Detroit Free Press – Michigan
Six weeks have passed since the Michigan Supreme Court ruled Gov. Gretchen Whitmer could no longer enforce her emergency orders to contain the COVID-19 pandemic without the consent of Republican state legislators.
Outgoing GOP House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, called the court’s 4-3 ruling;
“a great win for the people of Michigan.”
Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, rejoicing at the end of Whitmer’s statewide mask mandate hailing the dawn of a new era in which only more limited pandemic restrictions supported by the legislature could be enforced.
October 2nd and Shirkey;
“Citizens will benefit the most,”
Both leaders promised Republicans would move quickly to authorize any public health measures that were genuinely needed to protect their constituents.
But the 45 days since the populist victory Chatfield and Shirkey proclaimed have been notable mainly for legislative dithering and a terrifying spike in Michigan’s COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths.
If their objective is to demonstrate how a dramatic reassertion of legislative authority can improve state management of the pandemic, Shirkey and Chatfield are, so far, failing spectacularly.
The most recent numbers confirm an acceleration of the discouraging reversals that began almost immediately after Michigan justices struck down Whitmer’s emergency orders on Oct. 2, 2020.
The state health department reported 8,516 new coronavirus cases on Friday, shattering a record established only the previous day. Confirmation of another 118 COVID-19 deaths brought the state’s pandemic toll close to 8,000. And leaders of five of the state’s largest health systems say hospitalizations linked to the virus are doubling every two weeks.
Covid-19 Raging November 2020 . . . Lets go visit trump at his hotel in Washington D.C.!
And have some champagne, returning to Michigan afterwards. What is the point, trump lost in Michigan bigly.
The author goes on to say it would not lay all the blame on Republican legislators due to similar occurrence in other states.
Complete BS as the Republicans have had control of the state Legislature since 1990 and a trifecta since 1990 two of 4 times. Maybe, the Republican leaders are just culling the herd and the numbers of older constituents.
Republicans have done little to sell or push their constituents into practicing masking, social distancing, and getting vaccinated. Instead, it is all about giving the constituency a glass of beer, etc. at the neighborhood bar and illusionary tax breaks which heavily favor corporations and higher income brackets.
Sorry, Republicans promote the crazy in our lives and society. It is time for the constituency to learn from this and slam the door shut on crazy.