Media, stop nitpicking
Dear editor:
In the reading the paper today, I noticed with dismay a whole page article submitted by four members of The Associated Press entitled, “Signs missed and steps slowed in pandemic response.”
It was solely dedicated to nitpicking the Trump Administration on how badly, in their opinion, they have handled this virus crisis. I could not find one positive thing in the entire article. Now I know this is an election year and the liberal media and Democrats have dedicated themselves, in my opinion, to do anything possible to make look Trump look bad. Has this unprecedented crisis been handled perfectly, no, but there are several contributing factors which the article conveniently left out. First off, China hid what was going on for several months and refused to share information once the virus was publicized. Additionally, even as of late January, both the WHO and the CDC were still minimizing the risks, information the Trump Administration was at least partially going by. They say Trump was making up stuff that conflicted with the medical staff. Yes, there was some of that, but part of the president’s job is to be positive and minimize panic; this was his main intention. There has been criticism about a lack of supplies, but this article also failed to mention that after the H1N1 pandemic in 2009/2010, the Obama Administration failed to ensure the supplies were replenished.
I could go on about other things they failed to mention and challenge some possible misinformation, but I don’t have the room. There will be plenty of time for “Monday Morning Quarterbacking” after this crisis recedes, the liberal media and Democrats will certainly ensure that. However, I do agree there should be a “lessons learned” oversight done, so we can ensure we are more ready for the next pandemic. Hopefully, it will be productive and not just another partisan “witch hunt.” For now at least, let’s stop the bickering, nitpicking and blame game and work together to get through this. Stay well! Mike Williams Hot Springs Village