COVID-19 supplies

Dear editor:

In a letter to the editor, Dick Mattson asked our president when it was that he discovered that he had inherited empty warehouses that had once contained supplies needed to fight the virus.

The first part of the answer to your question of Trump about why he does not just pick up the telephone and order the supplies is probably because he does not do much on his own. He delegates responsibility. And then if the results do not please him, he shoots the messenger. Then he is not liable. How many times has he said, “I don’t know him”?

But he was asked, in a way, why he had not replenished the stores of supplies, and he said that he had been too busy fighting the Democrats in general, and the impeachment attempt in particular. I am not sure why he had to fight, if the charges were bogus, as he asserted. But there you are. Why not take that opportunity to show the world how terrible his political enemies are? They took up his valuable time that could have been used to prepare for a pandemic.

And then there was the battle to build “The Wall.” That takes time and mental effort away from the supply situation.

Oh, I almost forgot. Weekends have to be set aside for swatting the little white ball, to the tune of millions of dollars of the taxpayers’ money. If anyone doubts that statement, the figures are available online, at several sources. I guess it is not fair to cite these, since any reports that criticize or show how untruthful Trump can be are fake news. He was always critical of President Obama because he played golf, but his own trips have eclipsed those of Arnold Palmer. Trump had made a campaign promise that he would not be leaving the White House for such trivial pursuits.

Perhaps the latest reflection on the president’s way of looking at things can be clarified by his defense of his taking a drug that many in the science field feel is, at this point, potentially harmful. He is quoted as saying that people are just being critical of his decision to use it because he is promoting it. The implication is that if anyone else had used it, chances of approval of that usage would zoom. Never mind the fact that scientific testing is still taking place, and most intelligent minds are withholding judgment about it.

Now we have not just “fake news.” We have “fake science news” also. Let us hope that the leadership of the most powerful nation in the world is not in danger. Dick, you wrote about our wearing masks as a courtesy measure. How much more important is it for our leaders to protect themselves because of their critical positions? This includes wearing masks and being smart about our drug intake. Many people look to them for examples of proper behavior. C.G. Smith Hot Springs