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MCT: Wednesday, May 20, 2020

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AN EXTENDED PERIOD of dry weather is expected across interior portions of northwest California. In addition, temperatures will warm from the 80s this weekend into the 90s early next week. Otherwise, periods of fog, stratus, and drizzle will occur along the coast during the next several days. (NWS)

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Variable Checkerspot (photo by Angela DeWitt)

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HEALTHCARE HEROES AND LESSONS LEARNED

by William Miller, MD, FACP

Chief of Staff, Coast Hospital

I am happy to report that as of today we can conclude, with a high degree of confidence that we have no evidence of community spread of COVID-19 here on the Coast and certainly no outbreak in Mendocino Coast District Hospital. We have tested 153 people; 124 staff and 29 patients. So far, 139 are negative, zero positive, with 14 still pending. Our testing strategy was based on doing internal contact tracing and identifying individuals who might have had a moderate or high risk exposure. This is what we recommended, but we went a step further and expanded testing to include low risk exposures as well. Community staff and patients, who had no exposure were not tested. Equally important, I am happy to report that the initial staff member who did test positive is recovering well. We learned several things from this experience.

First, we learned that the processes we have in place at the hospital to prevent transmission of COVID-19 worked very well. Having everyone, including staff, patients and others, all wearing a mask really was effective. I believe that our hospital is a very safe place to work and to get healthcare. I encourage people who need our services to not be fearful and to come forth and get the care that they need.

Second, the majority of the 153 are local residents. This sampling, coupled with the 80 or so negative tests done previously for other reasons, including those done as screening tests through MCC, are a sampling of the Coast. While we still desire to do more broad screening, these negative results, coupled with the fact that we are not seeing any patients sick with COVID, reinforces that we have a very low prevalence. This is useful information to help guide public health decisions for our city and county leadership as to how and when to begin to roll back shelter-in-place.

Next, it was good practice for us on how to investigate a potential outbreak and perform contact tracing. That is not something that we get to do every day and from an infection prevention standpoint, is valuable experience. Also, it helped us to examine our policies and procedures around screening of staff, including those that may travel here from farther away. We have made changes to such procedures as a result.

Lastly, we learned that the old adage that times like this bring out the best of people and the worst of people is true. The majority of our community has been wonderfully supportive of our hospital and our healthcare workers. However, we also experienced a few of our travelers receiving threats from members of the community. This is a sad note and I know that is not the face of our community that we wish to present to the rest of the country. 

I feel that there is a lot of misunderstanding around having staff, including physicians, who work for us while calling somewhere else home. The simple reality is that most rural hospitals in the US are not able to draw from their own communities to completely staff highly specialized roles. Since only a small percentage of the community is currently trained in healthcare, we draw from staff that live elsewhere while we recruit to meet our local needs. Yes, that comes at a premium, however, the benefit is beyond just filling positions. Travelers bring a breadth of experience from having seen how things are done elsewhere that is extremely valuable.

These people travel here, leaving behind their homes and families, to help us out. At a time like this, with the challenges of COVID constantly looming over us, all of our staff are heroes, regardless of where they call home.

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PARTICIPATE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT

I heard a report this week that television executives are panicking because this is the time of year that they announce the new fall TV shows and start selling advertising. There is some concern that we will “run out of TV” over the summer. One substitute program I suggest is the regular and special meetings of the Fort Bragg City Council or the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors meetings. I realize that this may not be on everyone’s top-ten list, but please consider the following.

There are a lot of reasons to be angry, frustrated or even scared these days and I hear and read the emotions directed at local government and its officials. Participating in those meetings makes you a part of the process and lets you tell those folks what you think. The meetings can be viewed in real time on Channel 3 through Comcast and are also live-streamed. Past meetings are archived and available on the City’s website. In normal times, you can even be part of the live audience; attend in person and sit in uncomfortable chairs. Unlike the Rachel Ray or other talk shows, you do not have to be invited or wear bright colors to make the audience look happy (or so I have been told). Unlike Rachel, the City Council doesn’t get to pick their audience.

Public participation is important and part of the process. Agendas and staff reports are published in advance of the meetings, so that you have an opportunity to understand the issues. The responsible staff member’s email address is on the staff reports, so you can reach out ahead of time to ask questions. Even during the time of COVID-19, you can tell the City what you think of an agenda or action item.

One easy way is to submit comments by using the eComment agenda module. Visit the City’s website then select the “Agendas & Meetings” icon to see a listing of all City meetings. For upcoming meetings with eComment enabled, you will see a link on the far right-hand side of the page which allows you to comment on all agenda items. You will need to register the first time you use this feature, but you don’t need to provide your name, just an email. You can simply indicate whether you Support, Oppose or are Neutral on a particular agenda item, without leaving a comment. This is not quite like Facebook with emoji, but it offers Councilmembers information on how many people are for or against an issue. Or you can voice your opinion and the reasons why. If you need help, or just want to email a comment, contact the City Clerk at cityclerk@fortbragg.com. You can tell Councilmembers what you think of an action before it is decided.

These days, most of what the City Council is deciding is related to COVID-19, which is why your participation is so important. This is the issue most on our minds these days. Sometime Wednesday (May 20th), the Agenda for the May 26th regular City Council meeting will be published and include links to documents and staff reports.

This upcoming agenda includes a request for City Council to approve an Urgency Ordinance which allows businesses to apply for no-cost temporary Use Permits or temporary waiver of zoning requirements to facilitate business operations affected by the Shelter-in-Place Order. The goal is to help businesses survive by giving them more flexibility in how they are allowed to conduct business. Also COVID-19 related is a request to use HOME grant funds for rental assistance for low to moderate income households adversely impacted by COVID-19. Council will be asked to approve the salary adjustments resulting from the recent staff reductions and the City’s applications for CDBG Funding. The CDBG program applications focus on post- COVID recovery and include a request for $750k in Business Assistance Loan funds, $117 in Microenterprise Assistance funds, $100k to finish the Mill Site Planning, $204k for design of the Fort Bragg Fire Station Rehabilitation and $217k for Code Enforcement activities. Non COVID- 19 business includes the approval of the PG&E On-Bill Financing program that will allow the City and CV Starr Center to replace the old lighting fixtures with LED fixtures and use the monthly bill savings to finance the improvements interest free. I encourage you to get involved in your local government.

— Tabatha Miller, Fort Bragg City Manager

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TED WILLIAMS:

Mendocino BOS action on Public Health Officer — Mendocino County Board of Supervisors unanimously directed CEO Angelo to request mutual aid from the state for public health personnel. Further, at our asking, Dr. Doohan will continue as interim Public Health Officer to avoid vacancy and ensure continuity.

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WHERE IS MENDOCINO COUNTY IN THE ATTESTATION PROCESS?

Supervisor Ted Williams: OptumServe testing could arrive as soon as Friday which will allow us to meet the criteria necessary for attestation. Otherwise, the documents are about ready. … I don’t expect the health officer to sign her name to capabilities we do not have. An attestation with the testing requirement unmet will be denied. The test capability is not on the health officer. She has nothing to do with it. County administration requested assistance from the state. The public submitted a stack of pleas for support. The governor responded, publicly stating Mendocino County would receive a unit. We’ve had communication about the possibility of this Friday. What the state and contractor pull off isn’t within the hands of anyone in this county.

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THE BIG NEWS at the end of Tuesday’s Supervisors meeting was that Supervisor John McCowen has belatedly got religion on his failed pot program. After years of defending a program that was grotesquely overcomplicated as he steadily made it more complicated than the state's pot regs, McCowen announced that he has prepared a streamlined program that will get the County out of most of the permitting process except for zoning and checking that state paperwork is in order. Supervisor Williams seemed to agree in concept, saying that if Supervisor McCowen is proposing something that will “scrap” the existing program and start fresh he’s all for it. Supervisor McCowen’s new proposal will be first heard formally at either a June 2 special meeting or during the regular June 9-10 meeting.

IN OTHER SUPES NEWS: As predicted, after a few nitpicks about the funding and sequencing, the Board rubberstamped roughly $1.5 million to “Visit Mendocino” to “promote” local tourism as the County Health Officer specifically discouraged visiting Mendocino. (Details to follow.)

(Mark Scaramella)

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SUPERVISOR MCCOWEN:

May 19, 2020 Board of Supervisor's Update (just a small sampling of the agenda items and information from today):

Public Health Officer Dr. Doohan today approved Mendocino County's Attestation Document to be submitted to the State. Once the document is posted to the California Department of Public Health website in-store retail for all retail, and on-site dining for restaurants will be allowed provided they comply with approved requirements for safe re-opening. 

As previously reported, thanks to the efforts of you, the public, and the advocacy of Senator McGuire, Assemblymember Wood, CEO Angelo and Dr. Doohan, Mendocino County will have an Optum Serve testing site at the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds. The site will be open to the public 7:00am-7:00pm Tuesday-Saturday of next week and the same hours Monday-Friday in succeeding weeks. Again, staff is working tirelessly to secure the site, supplies and staff to conduct the tests. This location alone will meet the State testing standard for the attestation process. 

In response to the Covid cases associated with the Assembly of God Church in Redwood Valley, the County assembled a team and collected over 300 test samples today. The County learned of a confirmed case late Friday and Dr. Doohan and her team immediately went into action to initiate contact investigation and tracing. It's a testament to the dedication of our Public Health employees that they worked through the weekend to secure a site and be open for testing in such short order. Thank you to the people who came forward to be tested. You are helping keep our community safe. Anyone who may have attended services at the church in question and may have had "close contact" with others who worship there is encouraged to get tested. 

The Board also announced out of closed session that it unanimously declined making an appointment for Interim Health Officer and instead directed staff to seek mutual aid from the State. Dr. Doohan will continue to serve and will work collaboratively with the State to implement mutual aid.

The Board also approved a three year agreement with Partnership Health Plan that will result in greatly expanded substance use disorder treatment, which is a critical need in Mendocino County.

No details as of yet, but we now have a 15th case in Mendocino County. There is currently no cure and no vaccine so everyone needs to be prepared to continue social distancing indefinitely.

Everytime a new case is reported it's only human nature that everyone wants to know who, what, why, where and how. But the point is that we must all follow approved safe practices all the time no matter where we go.

We must all wear facial coveringe when outside our homes and around others, especially when going into stores or residences. Maintain social/physical distancing of a minimum of six feet whenever feasible, even when wearing a facial covering or mask. Stay home if you have symptoms. Seek medical care if necessary. Don't touch your face with unwashed hands. Wash your hands frequently. Be especially mindful to protect older folks and anyone with an underlying medical condition that makes them more susceptible to severe illness. 

We wear facial coverings to protect our friends and neighbors. It's really a very small thing to do to help protect everyone in our community. 

Stay strong together and stay safe!

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ED NOTES

EVERYONE JUMPED our dear leader's bones this week when he announced that he not only approved of hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19, he took it himself, and took it against the advice of his own White House medical man. Then, here comes Nancy Pelosi irrelevantly denouncing Don as "morbidly obese." Which he isn't; he's just a fat guy. We had a morbidly obese president named Taft, the only truly obese person to hold the office, although there have been a few pudges including my fave, Ulysses S. Grant who got fat on the job. When Trump said he popped hydro, I assumed, and still assume, he's got an interest in the company whose value shot up immediately after Fatso's endorsement. Why the libs would worry about the health of Trumpers beats me, especially when they've never worried about their welfare, which is why the fat man got elected in the first place.

A MATH STUDY from Columbia University, coordinated by Dr. David Kipping, analyzed all the existing research to determine how likely it was that life would blossom on Earth. The research, suggests if Earth's history were to be repeated, intelligent life forms like humans could not be guaranteed to re-occur. "If we re-ran Earth’s clock, one should statistically favor life to frequently re-emerge, but intelligence may not be as inevitable," Kipping said. His statistical experiment found that the very first primitive lifeforms were statistically most likely to evolve 190 million years after habitable conditions existed, a point believed to be around 4.2 billion years ago. You might expect that the more literal Christians, the ones who believe the Bible is the actual history of our species, would jump on this finding to argue divine intervention. I'm not exactly C.S. Lewis, but the atheists who argue cosmic accident or evolutionary up-from-primal sludge seem as implausible as the literalists.

A READER WROTE:

Doohan responded, "I’m baffled by your questions about urgency. I’m working night and day" on pandemic-related matters.

The PHO evidently doesn’t understand that lots of folks, including this folk, are working night and day. That’s our duty and responsibility as government employees. No one needs to thank us, single us out for praise, or give any special recognition for any of us doing what is expected of us: It’s called doing your job.

Keep in mind, while PHO Doohan is doing her job long-distance from San Diego, and the rest of us, presumably, are doing our jobs here in Mendocino County, the majority of fellow citizens are mostly locked down in their homes, unable to work, and most likely not receiving a paycheck, while we government employees continue on the public payroll.

The ones making the real sacrifices are the so-called "non-essentials," rendered as such by government fiat.

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AFFLUENZA

Editor:

In recent times you have made a few comments about nutrition that reveal your ignorance on the subject ("we know all we need to know about nutrition," "the Adventists are a bunch of vegetarian cultists"). It is obvious you have spent too much time watching sporting event commercials and are a victim of consumerism. Since I like your paper so much and want you to be around to keep it going, I have decided to provide you with some real science on nutrition. It is more in denial than that of Global Warming. 

T. Colin Campbell is a professor at Cornell University. He got his doctorate and started his career doing research in developing nutritious foods for animals in our meat production system. His book The China Study is one of the largest and most comprehensive studies ever done. He compared the health of peasant farmers to the health of the urban Chinese who are benefiting (?) from new wealth. He established that our major chronic diseases are diseases of affluence. I like to phrase this as a consequence of eating too "high on the hog." 

I would recommend reading the newsletter below and getting on the list. Unlike most medical advice it is free. 

Thanks for your tolerance.

Don Cruser

VEGETABLES: Top 10 Plant-Based Research and News Stories of 2015 - January Newsletter and the Ethics of health


ED NOTE: Not that I'd dare presume to speak for Him, but from what we know of the guy, I doubt JC would approve of a church dedicated to Him and His dad operating a chain of for-profit hospitals, not that this opinion pertains to your rutabaga recommendation, which I probably agree with without reading T. Colin Campbell's findings, mention of whom compels me to reveal another prejudice — names that begin with a single letter to give the bearer, I guess, the gravitas he fears he lacks. Never knew anybody who did that who wasn't a crook or a crank and, similarly, while we're in the patronymic aisle, I never knew a hyphenate who didn't live in Masterpiece Theater. (Or is that theatre?) Of course that's only my experience which, admittedly, is limited.

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CATCH OF THE DAY, May 19, 2020

Bennett, Gayski, Hietala

JEREMIAH BENNETT, Hendersonville, Tennessee/Ukiah. Mandatory supervision sentencing.

BENJAMIN GAYSKI JR., Willits. Protective order violation, county parole violation.

JUSTIN HIETALA, Blue Lake/Ukiah. Burglary, probation revocation.

Ledgerwood, Roberts, Sallee

MARCUS LEDGERWOOD, Ukiah. Burglary, offenses while on bail, failure to appear.

CHERRI ROBERTS, Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol, resisting, probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)

CLINTON SALLEE, Fort Bragg. Suspended license (for DUI), failure to appear, probation revocation.

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GET USED TO THEM

Editor,

In December, I retired after 46 years of practicing dentistry. The first 10 or so of those years were spent being a “wet-finger” dentist — not wearing gloves or a mask. The AIDS crisis changed all that. We soon learned that our only way through it was to practice “universal precautions” — wearing gloves, masks and other personal protective equipment, and assuming that everyone was potentially infectious.

This wasn’t without some difficulty on my part. The loss of tactile sensation, the constant fogging of my glasses under my mask, etc. were annoying and frustrating. On more than one occasion I tore off my gloves in the middle of a procedure so that I could more accurately feel what I was doing. But I got used to it over time, and I spent the next 35 years practicing in a manner that was safe for my patients, my staff and for me.

So given that we’re all looking forward to wearing masks all the time, let me say how important it is for them to be worn properly — that is, covering the mouth and nose. I know how uncomfortable this can be at first. But you’ll get used to it, too. And we’ll all be healthier and safer for it.

James A. Abbott

Santa Rosa

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ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

Except this isn’t the flu – it is far more contagious and attacks bodily systems that the seasonal flu does not.

What freedoms have you lost??? What essential to life activities have you been denied from participating in??? You were able to go and purchase food, go to the pharmacy, obtain medical care, and walk your dog. So what freedom during a public health crisis have you lost?

When did people become so inflexible that in the midst of a Pandemic you can’t stay the fuck in your house for a few weeks until the dust settles and to help the I.C.U. wards not be overrun? 

Do you really need a drink at the bar so badly that you can’t abstain from social-booze-ups until the curve is flattened? Are those dollar bills burning such a hole in your pocket that if you can’t get down to your local strip joint and start shoving cash into the g-strings of scantily-clad ‘dancers’ you might be driven to the edge of insanity???

Freedom, Freedom, Freedom my ass – You remind me of the brain-trusts running around waving their peashooters in State Capitals screaming about their Freedom draped in Confederate Flags and sportin’ Swastikas. How about this time the greater good Trumps your theoretical Freedom.

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‘IMMUNE TO EVIDENCE’: Expert Explains How Dangerous Coronavirus Conspiracies Spread

Stephan Lewandowsky studies the way people think, and in particular, why they engage in conspiracy theories. So when the cognitive scientist from England’s University of Bristol observes wild speculation related to the COVID-19 pandemic, he sees how it fits into the historical pattern of misinformation and fake news.

alternet.org/2020/05/immune-to-evidence-expert-explains-how-dangerous-coronavirus-conspiracies-spread/

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Neon Fantasy by Keth Macgregor

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A SALTY WRITER

Editor,

Don't jump to conclusions regarding Joe Biden. He ain't scared of anybody. He is not a pragmatist. He could pave the way for a progressive Democratic victory in 2024. I think Mike Bloomberg would make the best president based on two and a half hours of interviews I've listened to. 

One of the best fiction writers in the New Yorker, William Trevor, has died. 

Alan Gurganus’s piece was little better than the usually bad ones. 

I have read all of Proulx’s writing except for “Barkskins” which I could not find. I have also read all of Bill Bryson books. I like Proulx better. She's a salty writer. Her first five books were about Vermont starting with “Postcards,” then “Accordian Crimes,” “The Shipping News,” about a weekly newspaper in Newfoundland which won a Pulitzer. It was well-deserved prizewinner. Each week the paper devoted one full page to sexual assault. Most of the rest of her books were about Wyoming, up to “Fine just the way it is,” from “Close Range,” a young man keeps losing things. Proulx says "You would lose your balls to if they weren't in a sack." While talking to a man about lesbians he says "Those are the tongue and groove women, aren't they?" Proulx spent a good deal of time on research before writing, especially “Shipping News” and “The Old Ace in the Hole.” She lives close to Rawlins, Wyoming on a ranch closed in winter.

The verdict: For involuntary manslaughter Trump will spend 30 days in jail. For being an asshole he will be transported to a funny farm in upstate New York where he can perform at will, although locked in. He will leave DC on January 20, 2021. Keep an eye on him during the lame-duck period. He may have something up his sleeve.

PS. $1200 up until 5/13 was based on those who paid income tax in 2018, 2019. Direct deposit. Now they will receive checks. Now Social Security pays everyone with a Social Security number based on form 1099 mailed each December. Direct deposit. If trouble, send letters to Jared Huffman.

Ralph Bostrom

Willits

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SOUTH CAROLINA RESTAURANT ADJUSTS to social distancing after re-opening

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IT’S VERY, VERY FRUSTRATING when you see people’s economic and job frustration being weaponized to benefit the rich. Obviously you sympathize with people that are out there going, you know, reopen businesses and stuff because they have to go work. But those kinds of protests are being astroturfed by wealthy people to get those people back working for them. And they’re the ones being put at risk. So it’s the height of evil when you see the Fox and Friends people, who are in remote studios and safe from each other going, ‘We need to end this social distancing, don’t you think?’ Why don’t you guys do it first? You’re seeing them throwing bodies onto the barbed wire to benefit themselves.

— Patton Oswalt

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NEWSOM BUDGET YANKS BACK MEDI-CAL HEALTH CARE GAINS FOR LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS

Earlier this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom had proposed expanding the state's health coverage program to reach more people. Then along came the coronavirus, and the Medi-Cal cuts began anew.

calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2020/05/california-medi-cal-budget-cuts-benefits/

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MENDOCINO COAST WRITERS’ CONFERENCE 2020 GOES ON! — Fully Online

While most writers’ conferences and creative art gatherings have been cancelled due to COVID-19, the 2020 Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference will go on and registration is open! MCWC’s mission of bringing writers and faculty together to explore and celebrate the written word is more important than ever. By offering the conference fully online, Executive Director Lisa Locascio says, “We are embracing the opportunity to redesign our gathering and bring our cherished traditions—deep and productive workshops in ten subjects, afternoon seminars presented by a range of faculty, opportunities to consult with publishing industry experts, readings by our world-class authors, open mics, and other opportunities to make connections—to our participants from across the distance.” 

Beginning Thursday, July 30th, through Sunday, August 1st, all events, including morning workshops, afternoon seminars and panels, and the evening readings will be hosted through Zoom. The schedule has been adjusted to fit an online format. The three-day full conference will be offered at a reduced registration price of $475. There is an additional Sunday Publishing Bootcamp offered for $125 that can be added on or taken individually. Registration closes June 30. This is a unique opportunity to spend a weekend learning and creating in a community of talented writers, all from the comfort of your own home.

For more information about registration, and to see a video message about this transition from our Executive Director, Lisa Locascio, please visit our website, www.mcwc.org.

Submitted by Karen Winn, Board Member, Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference.

kgwinn1@yahoo.com or (916) 835-7215

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TRUMP: LETTING BIG CORPORATIONS GET AWAY WITH WHATEVER THEY WANT

by Ralph Nader

Throughout his presidency, Donald Trump has allowed large corporations to run rampant, exploit people, and get away with it. Trump considers himself above the law, boldly claiming, “I have an Article 2, where I have the right to do whatever I want as president.” For more information about Trump’s misdeeds, please see the Articles of Impeachment proposed by me and constitutional law experts Bruce Fein and Louis Fisher in the December 18, 2019 Congressional Record, page H 12197.

In 2017, Trump betrayed his own voters by giving the corporate rich a nearly two trillion dollar tax cut instead of fulfilling his promise to invest in repairing infrastructure and expanding well-paid job opportunities.

These tax cuts for the rich and big corporations, which benefited the Trump family, ran up the deficit for our children and were largely used to give executives bonuses and let CEOs waste money on stock buybacks. In short, the corporate bosses lied to the Congress, saying they wanted these tax cuts to invest and create jobs, but actually used them to enrich themselves.

After his Trumpian giveaway, Trump crushed health and safety law enforcement, unleashing more disease-producing corporate polluters and corporate thieves. The result: harm to workers, consumers, and defenseless communities.

The New York Times reported 98 lifesaving regulations were revoked, suspended, or simply replaced with weaker versions. What remains on the books is not enforced.

Similar wreckage of corporate law-and-order has exacerbated the crisis of working people. Trump has worked to further punish student borrowers; diminish workplace and auto safety; and remove safeguards against banking, credit, and payday loan rackets.

Trump, during his failed business career and bankruptcies, saw the law as a nuisance and breaking and escaping justice as a competitive advantage.

While raising huge sums for his reelection campaign from business lobbyists, Trump keeps giving them no-law government, more loopholes for tax escapes ($170 billion more buried in the $2.2 trillion relief/bailout legislation), more corporatist judges to shut you down in the courtroom, and more of your taxes for their endless corporate welfare greed.

Big companies such as banks, insurance companies, real estate behemoths, and Silicon Valley giants have so many tax escapes and cuts that they’re moving toward tax-exempt status.

Howard Stern, a longtime friend of Trump who promoted Trump’s notoriety early on, has recently called on Trump to resign. Stern said that, in reality, Donald Trump was “disgusted” by his own voters. Why won’t more Trump voters realize that Trump has nothing but contempt for them? Trump will betray his followers at every turn.

During the COVID-19 virus pandemic – which Trump dismissed and scoffed for eight critical weeks, leaving the country defenseless – Trump has allowed a corporate crime epidemic. He has no qualms about aiding and abetting a corporate crime wave epidemic.

Trump, with Congressional Republicans, wants more legislation giving big companies immunity from lawsuits by victims for their negligently harmful products and services. Another rigging of the system.

Trump’s agencies actually announced that they’re putting their law enforcers on the shelf. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) astonishingly told foreign importers of food and medicine that inspections overseas are suspended. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signaled similar retreats, as have other enforcement agencies. Why would the Trumpsters signal green lights for corporate crooks? Especially since corporate scams and other corporate crimes – some crude, others sophisticated – are exploding as trillions pour out of Washington.

A year ago, Public Citizen reported a steep decline in corporate prosecutions and fines under Trump. Now, compared to the size of the previous corporate crime wave, they’ve fallen off a cliff. You can ignore the stern warnings by Attorney General William Barr. He is a phony. He has neither allocated nor asked Congress for a budget that will provide the Department of Justice the capacity to crackdown.

In fact, Trump has fired inspectors general and not filled vacant inspectors general positions. Trump’s boasts bear repeating: Congress can’t watchdog him because “[he has] an Article 2, where [he has] the right to do whatever [he wants] as president.”

With vicious madness, Trump pushes for federal deregulation of nursing homes where residents are dying from COVID-19. He pursues court cases in attempts to end Obamacare, the result of which would be throwing 20 million Americans off of their insurance during a lethal pandemic. He is cravenly freeing corporate emitters of life-destroying mercury and coal ash in our air, condemned pesticides and toxins in drinking water, and whatever else is on the deadly wish list given to him by his corporate paymasters.

Trumps actions that dismantled protections for all Americans families have been expertly documented. Yet, few critics are calling for his resignation or removal from office, despite the clear and present danger he poses to the American people and the Republic.

Trump is doing whatever he wants. He is getting away with abandoning the rule of law and the dismantling of crucial government institutions as he embraces American-style fascism and nepotism.

Perhaps people will learn how to effectively fight back against Trump, a delusional, flailing, ego-obsessed, foul-mouthed, self-enriching bully. The people must stand up to this corrupt politician who lies every hour and turns our government over to Wall Street. He sacrifices the people on Main Street to enrich fat cats and oligarchs.

One person, Eugene Jarecki, offers a rebuttal to Trump. In a Washington Post op-ed, Jarecki’s sources found that “had the guidelines been implemented earlier, a crucial period in the exponential spread of the virus would have been mitigated and American lives saved.” According to conservative estimates from epidemiologists, “had the Trump administration simply implemented mitigation guidelines by March 9, approximately 60 percent of American COVID-19 deaths could have been avoided.” On his website, TrumpDeathClock.com, Jarecki “displays both the number of people who have died in the country from COVID-19 and an estimate of that portion whose lives would have been saved had the president and his administration acted just one week earlier.” Jarecki has also erected a 54-foot high Trump death clock in New York City’s historic Times Square.

See the numbers yourself on TrumpDeathClock.com. Email david@theeisenhowerproject.org to see how Eugene Jarecki’s team can help you set up such an accountability clock in your community.

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FOUND OBJECT

21 Comments

  1. Eric Sunswheat May 20, 2020

    RE: “Immune to Evidence”: How Dangerous Coronavirus Conspiracies Spread. By Marshall Allen, ProPublica
    17 May 20…

    In the “Plandemic” video, the absence of evidence is twisted to be seen to be as evidence for the theory. They say the cover-up is so perfect that you will never find out about it. That’s the opposite of rational thinking. Usually when you think of a hypothesis, you think of the evidence. And if there’s zero evidence, you give it up or say there is no evidence for it.

    Conspiracy theorists may also simultaneously believe things that are contradictory. In the “Plandemic” video, for example, they say COVID-19 both came from a Wuhan lab and that we’re all infected with the disease from vaccinations.

    ————>.
    Vaccine
    Volume 38, Issue 2, 10 January 2020, Pages 350-354

    Influenza vaccination and respiratory virus interference among Department of Defense personnel during the 2017–2018 influenza season

    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.10.005

    Greg G.Wolff
    Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch Air Force Satellite, 2510 5th Street, Bldg 840, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, United States
    Received 20 June 2019, Revised 30 September 2019, Accepted 1 October 2019, Available online 10 October 2019.

    Vaccine derived virus interference was significantly associated with coronavirus and human metapneumovirus;

    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X19313647?via%3Dihub

  2. Jim May 20, 2020

    This goes for City, and B.O.S.

    MY EMAILS NEVER GET RETURNED.

    • Susie de Castro May 20, 2020

      Me, two, with one exception: the Police Department—they return emails, and do not pontificate.

      And Public Works return emails, too.

  3. Susie de Castro May 20, 2020

    Healthcare Heroes

    My youngest daughter (born in San Diego, CA), MPH (San Francisco State), RN in a New York City Hospital.

  4. James Marmon May 20, 2020

    RE: POLLEN MASKS

    I don’t know about anyone else, but wearing a mask this spring has really helped out with my allergies. I’ve been wearing a mask outside while I do my yard work and it seems to really reduce my suffering.

    MASKS WORK!

    If you can’t afford one, I will make you one for free.

    James Marmon
    Mask Maker

    • George Hollister May 20, 2020

      The best I have found for Spring allergies are over the counter nasal steroids like Nasonex. There are less expensive store brands that work just as well. Thank you to modern medicine.

      • Harvey Reading May 20, 2020

        But apparently they mess up your mind.

  5. George Hollister May 20, 2020

    For those interested in history and world affairs, “World Order” by Henry Kissinger belongs on your bookshelf. It was published in 2014 but is still relevant, and will remain so. There are specifics in the book I disagree with, but it is still very insightful. The book provides a foundation for understand important, and differing world views of what world order is. Read it. It’s likely not what you think.

    • Harvey Reading May 20, 2020

      George, you get more ridiculous by the day. Kissinger should have been locked up for war crimes decades ago. He is about as credible as you…or Obama.

  6. Lazarus May 20, 2020

    FOUND OBJECT

    I told you mine was bigger than yours.

    Be well,
    Laz

  7. chuck dunbar May 20, 2020

    Found Object:

    Defeet Covid-19

  8. James Marmon May 20, 2020

    RE: CRAZY BERNIE

    “Crazy Bernie Sanders is not a fighter. He gives up too easy! The Dem establishment gets Alfred E. Newman (Mayor Pete) & @amyklobuchar to quit & endorse Sleepy Joe BEFORE Super Tuesday, & gets Pocahontas to stay in the race, taking thousands of votes from Bernie. He would have….

    ….beaten Sleepy Joe in a LANDSLIDE, every State, if these events didn’t happen. Even if Warren just dropped out, he would have easily won. Dems did it to him with Crooked Hillary and now, even more so…and Bernie doesn’t even complain. VOTE for Trump on TRADE, better than BS!”

    -Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump

    1 hr. ago

    • Harvey Reading May 20, 2020

      Actually, the ass-in-chief makes more sense than all the democratic asses have made during the election season. Hopefully, the democrats will have dissolved and be long gone before the 2024 general election…if humans still exist that far into the future.

  9. Harvey Reading May 20, 2020

    THE BIG NEWS

    The really big nooze is that I haven’t heard anyone complaining about a lack of dope. Mendo, guees what? If your growers can’t comply with the law, there are plenty of other growers around who do. I smoked dope from the early 70s, and, off and on, to the early 2000s, and never, ever, had any from Mendo. Mendo has swelled heads when it comes to the dope market. Its dope growers imagine themselves as being more important than they are. They won’t be missed.

  10. michael turner May 20, 2020

    The editor is correct about the doctor claiming to work “night and day”. I don’t believe it. In my experience hospital staffs always have doctors who makes sure everyone knows about their brutal work hours. And in every case they turn out to be bad, disorganized doctors who were always running late, unreliable in their communications, bad at completing tasks. I know of only one doctor in the area who worked night and day. That was Dr. Bowen in Willits, and he would never, ever mention it to anyone.

  11. Joe May 20, 2020

    RE ED

    Except that Trumps personal doctor (not Fouci) prescribed the medicine to him like thousands and thousands of other doctors have all over the U.S. (and the world) off label for Covid-19 since the FDA approved it (not Trump) for such use. If you were Trump and a million liberals would actually volunteer to give you covid to you maybe you might want some protection? People politicizing a drug just ruins it for anyone who might just benefit from getting it. And by the way it is now considered first line treatment in China, India Japan, France and many other countries but not the U.S. That is because we are waiting for our Bill Gates vaccine to save us all right? Is it just about ruining the economy so Trump won’t be elected and Obama thugs can cover their crime spree?

    https://nypost.com/2020/04/02/hydroxychloroquine-most-effective-coronavirus-treatment-poll/

    https://qcostarica.com/hydroxychloroquine-the-drug-costa-rica-uses-successfully-to-fight-covid-19/

    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1545C_dJWMIAgqeLEsfo2U8Kq5WprDuARXrJl6N1aDjY/edit

    and do you remember when Fauci told us masks were ineffective? – most likely not. Is this malpractice or just Medical Politics?

    https://twitter.com/ttp13526/status/1263151872812040193

    More Fauci flip flops;

    The Virology Journal – the official publication of Dr. Fauci’s National Institutes of Health – published what is now a blockbuster article on August 22, 2005, under the heading – get ready for this – “Chloroquine is a potent inhibitor of SARS coronavirus infection and spread.” (Emphasis mine throughout.) Write the researchers, “We report…that chloroquine has strong antiviral effects on SARS-CoV infection of primate cells. These inhibitory effects are observed when the cells are treated with the drug either before or after exposure to the virus, suggesting both prophylactic and therapeutic advantage.”

    https://en-volve.com/2020/05/06/dr-fauci-approved-hydroxychloroquine-15-years-ago-to-combat-coronaviruses-trump-must-investigate/

    Also I find the who “fat” thing juvenile .

  12. James Marmon May 20, 2020

    RE: FOX’S “OUTNUMBERED”

    Mendocino County got mentioned on national tv today when the liberal guest on “Outnumbered” brought up the 3 people who tested positive at the Redwood Valley church this week. She used it as an example as to why churches in California should not be allowed to open until there is a vaccine. Churches are bad.

    James Marmon

    • Harvey Reading May 20, 2020

      I Agree, but churches were bad long before the new flu bug was developed and released. Oops, forgot, we are NEVER, EVER to compare the new designer flu with the flu. It drives the medicos crazy.

  13. Brian Wood May 20, 2020

    Churches can be bad. Obviously churches shouldn’t get a special pass as far as distancing rules go. Unfortunately many church goers believe their orders come from a higher place.

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