The Rabble At Statehouses Needs To Shut Up, Sit Down!

The vast majority in poll after poll have stated they feel the state shutdowns are appropriate.  They have responded to pollsters with a patient understanding that this pandemic is historic, and we need to be mindful of medical advice and adhere to government orders.  We understand the gravity of the issue at hand.

There’s plenty of polling on stay-at-home orders, and they’re quite popular. A Quinnipiac University poll taken this month found that 81% of voters favored a national stay-at-home order. This included at least two-thirds of every demographic and political group. That’s similar to what a Fox News poll showed as well.

Like so many others in the nation, I have followed the advice and did so not only for this home but for all those in my community who I also feel a kindred responsibility for as we work to bend the curve.  I am fully aware that the vast majority of my fellow citizens have been doing their part over the past weeks, too.  And for the same reasons.

The best medical minds in the nation have let it be known a bottom line should be met in every state.  Each state should bend the curve to have a 14-day downward trajectory of influenza-like illnesses and COVID-19 symptoms being reported before the process of opening businesses should occur.

So today I simply was outraged at the rabble who thought they knew best in Michigan. They shouted so the spittle was seen flying from their ignorant mouths.   And the rest of us in the nation are expected to accept this neanderthal behavior?

These type of conservatives want the rest of us to think their opinions should be on the same level of acceptance as all the others.  But no!!  An opinion that is not based on facts, and in the case of COVID-19, not on science and data, has no standing whatsoever.  For several years the majority in this land have been told we need to listen to the wacked-out conservatives and try to understand what they are saying.  So the mental misfits spin wild conspiracies and spout the most stupid statements and demand we need to pay attention to what they are saying.

NO. 

The rabble who are now trashing decency and medical advice so to have their bars open and obviously with the man pictured above, strip clubs, as no woman of any self-worth would sleep with him.  These idiots must never get leverage on how professionals decide when to open up businesses.  Sound governing and leadership designed to protect all of the citizenry must never be tossed aside for the ones who spit and rant like lunatics.

We are tired of the rabble that has of late wanted to dominate the media, and make headlines with their boorish antics.  We are tired of needing to witness these shouters and dimwits who think they know more than the professionals and data-driven members of society.

We have every right to tell the rabble to shove off!  Today was more than what sensible America should be asked to tolerate from this ilk.

And so it goes.

Humphrey’s History Video: Naked Presidents

During Wisconsin’s Stay At Home order, so to combat COVID-19, I am recording a series of 60-second grand stories from history.  Today what happens when a president strips at the Potomac River for a swim?

Nighttime Smiles In Dane County With Flight Of Lights!

I want to give a most appreciative shout-out to all those who made for a genuinely nice time with Flight of Lights at the Dane County Regional Airport.  James and I drove through about 10 P.M. this evening.   After another day of headlines about the pandemic, it was nice to see lights and sparkle and pace our drive so to linger in front of this or that display.

I know this post may sound perhaps ‘small town’,  But for the past many weeks we all have been mentally and emotionally battered with the headlines of virus, death, and economic despair. So whoever came up with the idea that some splash of color and lights is what we most needed should be applauded–again and again.

For all those who provided the labor to make it all look so nice at nighttime, and those who contributed funding to allow it to be such a spectacular display—THANKS!

It was also super nice to see other cars there, and also being respectful by turning off their headlights.

And for readers of this blog, it is no surprise what brought me the biggest smile……

Donald Trump To Wear Dark Stain In History Books: Lack Of Honesty, Leadership During Pandemic

Polls continue to find the public is not pleased with the response to COVID-19 by Donald Trump and his administration. Equally damaging for the White House is the increasing number of people who think Trump is not trustworthy regarding the facts of the pandemic.

As an example, troubling survey results from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research

Just 28% of Americans say they’re regularly getting information from Trump about the coronavirus and only 23% say they have high levels of trust in what the president is telling the public. Another 21% trust him a moderate amount.

What I find of high interest is a stunning development with the polling.  The share of the population that finds Trump trustworthy regarding this pandemic is lower than his overall job approval number.  Several polls as of late are showing this data, which is a clear siren in the night.  The lack of public trust in Trump cannot be attributed only to the nation’s partisan divide.  That is a light, my readers, a real light about what is brewing among the electorate.

Meanwhile, total trust for the CDC has consistently been in the 80s since the beginning of March, while mistrust has hovered in the teens. And with this polling, (which in this case being reported is a collection of all the polls to be found) showed more Americans said they were very or somewhat confident in the government than said they were not very or not at all confident.  But at the same time, there is also dismal news for Trump about his lack of trustworthiness.

Trump consistently gets low grades on trust. In the average poll since the beginning of March, 43 percent of Americans say they at least somewhat trust him on the coronavirus, and 53 percent say they only trust him a little bit or not at all. 

People are shaken by the crisis that has taken over the nation.  They are concerned about the economic impact, and the uncertain path forward over the next year.  They want a leader who can stand before the nation and be honest.  They are not finding that in Trump, who has butchered facts and honesty about every issue that has come before the public in the past three years.  Now when the nation needs to have confidence in a president there is no shred of credibility left in this White House.  Trump might as well walk out naked before the press as he has not one ounce of integrity remaining.

Trump’s use of made-up nonsense, purposely designed misinformation, and all-out lies have left the citizens like a ship adrift in a very dark stormy sea.  One does not need to trust me.  Just read the facts about what Trump has done and said regarding the pandemic.

Here is a small sample.

When: Friday, February 7, and Wednesday, February 19
The claim: The coronavirus would weaken “when we get into April, in the warmer weather—that has a very negative effect on that, and that type of a virus.”
The truth: It’s too early to tell if the virus’s spread will be dampened by warmer conditions. Respiratory viruses can be seasonal, but the World Health Organization says that the new coronavirus “can be transmitted in ALL AREAS, including areas with hot and humid weather.”

When: Thursday, February 27
The claim: The outbreak would be temporary: “It’s going to disappear. One day it’s like a miracle—it will disappear.”
The truth: Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned days later that he was concerned that “as the next week or two or three go by, we’re going to see a lot more community-related cases.”

When the volumes of this pandemic are written future generations will discover not only the absurdities that were presented by the Trump White House but the sinister and daily outpouring of lies and dishonesty from the one who had the responsibility of national leadership upon his shoulders.  It will be the darkest stain ever worn by any American President.

I would be remiss if I did not leave my readers with some hope.  We need that more now than at any point over the past three years.  In my own way, with this little blog on the internet highway, I hope to shed some uplifting mood on our current situation.  But you need to also do your part.

Decades ago I bought a book that resonated at the time and over the years has registered again and again.  Character Above All, which was edited by Robert Wilson, Is a collection of essays in which noted historians and journalists explore the relationship between character and presidential leadership.

Now, more than ever, the book again calls out to the nation to be read and heeded.

The book also had a series of tapes, which were sold separately, where the historians presented hour-long lectures on the president they had researched.  I first listened to those tapes as I traveled on weekends to visit my folks.

It is so stunning to me that I grew up in the era of Gerald Ford–who was sworn into office when I was still in grade school–to the time when a low-educated and buffoonish personality now sits in the White House.

Ford is recalled for standing up to his lout of a father and turning away money for the honor of taking his step-dad’s name.  It is a grand counterpoint to what we have witnessed over the past number of years with Trump.

The book and the riveting chapters underscore another point I often stress.  The nation no longer has civics taught as it should be, nor history thematically presented so that it can be allowed to show its relevance for the lives of today’s citizens.  It is incumbent on us to be ever-more determined to right this tilting ship of a nation.

One of the starting points is to be firmly planted on the proven foundations of the past.  This book is a starting point.  A fast read, well researched, nicely written.

We can get over this most disquieting time. But it will require an educated and determined citizenry.  That is my hopeful message to you, my fellow citizens.

Humphrey’s History Video: Lincoln’s Hair And T.R.’s Ring

During Wisconsin’s Stay At Home order, so to combat COVID-19, I am recording a series of 60-second grand stories from history.

 

Covid-19’s Impact On School-Age Children

When the pandemic struck hard at Wisconsin my first question to a friend, who is a public school teacher in Madison, was how youngsters who relied on lunches and food from our schools would be impacted.  I was heartened to see numerous news articles and reports in the press about how those students are not falling through the cracks, and are still receiving meals.

Weeks later I am now focused on another issue that surrounds the closure of schools due to COVID-19.  While we all grasp the necessity of limiting the spread of the virus, on the one hand, I am also pleased to know that around the world there is a growing recognition that such closures stymie the learning and development of all kids.

As The Economist noted today.

The rich world has no modern precedent but a 2017 paper by Keith Meyers, of the University of Southern Denmark, and Melissa Thomasson, of Miami University, on a polio epidemic in 1916 in America, made the lesson clear: closing schools hurts kids’ prospects. The younger ones leave school with lower achievements than previous cohorts and the older ones are more likely to drop out altogether.

My husband was a college professor for many years in this city.  He has noted the challenges which instructors will face when the next school term starts without students having become proficient with this year’s classwork.  In addition, comes the reality that the economic disparity is playing havoc with remote teaching across our nation.

The digital divide is real. In many districts, the rush to build a remote learning plan began the old-fashioned way, with paper packets — enough to tide kids over while school leaders take stock. Namely, can they provide hardware and Wi-Fi access to every student who needs it?

The answer for many school leaders has been a dispiriting no.

“I would easily say that less than 50% of our students and families have access to either a consistent learning device and/or Internet access,” says Nikolai Vitti, the head of Detroit Public Schools Community District. “I think that’s our greatest challenge right now.”

When there is dysfunction within the home of a student the closure of public schools adds one more layer of angst.

Even before the outbreak, chronic absenteeism was a problem in many schools, especially those with a lot of low-income students. Many obstacles can prevent children who live in poverty from making it to class: a parent’s broken-down car or a teenager’s need to babysit siblings, for example. But online learning presents new obstacles, particularly with uneven levels of technology and adult supervision.

Cratering attendance in some districts contrasts with reports from several selective or affluent schools where close to 100 percent of students are participating in online learning. The dramatic split promises to further deepen the typical academic achievement gaps between poor, middle-class and wealthy students.

This blog, in one way or another, continually stresses education.  Too often posts on CP need to underscore what happens when a lack of education is demonstrated.  I have blasted those who demean education, the teaching profession and paying the bill to make sure we instruct our future generations.  Now we need to up that verbal game, given the awareness of stunning shortcomings which have been exposed as a result of this pandemic.

We have learned just how unprepared we are to meet the educational challenges. When it comes to our school-age kids the deep economic inequalities are glaring.  We see which school districts have funds for the infrastructure so to allow for the devices and bandwidth.  We see where parents have the luxury to be at home and direct at-home education of their kids.

And we also see where the tax base is not anywhere sufficient to afford the needed means for a sizable segment of our youth to get the education they also should expect during a crisis.    

We need to find ways to reopen our schools come the fall so the learning and socialization of youngsters can again be a part of their daily lives.   We simply do not have the capability to educate students via long-distance learning in an equitable manner.  And it is not fair to those on the lower economic rungs of society’s ladder to be further deprived of their education.

Humphrey’s History Video: Green Bay Packers And Ted Kennedy

During Wisconsin’s Stay At Home order, so to combat COVID-19, I am recording a series of 60-second grand stories from history.  Today I tell a story of the Green Bay Packers and Ted Kennedy which will bring a smile.

And I nail this video in precisely 60 seconds!  That makes former radio guys smile…..

 

My Letter In Support Of Simpson Street Newspaper Published In State Paper

I very much support the efforts of the Simpson Street newspaper.  I was pleased my views were published in a recent edition of the Wisconsin State Journal.

Creating an interest in writing, gaining editing skills, understanding fact-based writing, along with the thrill of publication can not be underestimated for those young people.