The United States is finally leading again in something. We have more cases of Covid 19 Virus than any other area or country. We have had more deaths than any other country or area of comparable size or larger. China is about five times our size and the European Union is slightly larger yet they aren’t even close to us. With the resurgence of the first wave of infections, today’s predictions by the administration’s experts have decreased the number of months it will take for us to reach 200,000 deaths from January to November.

Why does the country that spends so much on health care per capita than any other country be leading the world? The President keeps blaming our disastrous responses on China and the World Health Organization. The truth is China didn’t know how virolent or how it was spread. One doctor tried to alert authorities but he didn’t yet have enough cases to convince anyone. When the authorities saw what was going on, they brought in WHO. Several Americans were part of that team. When the team verified the Chinese information, alerts were issued. After dumping Obama’s pandemic people, America had nobody with access to the Oval Office to start a reaction. Trump dithered on doing what was needed while the rest of the world was locking down. The result, according to experts who were fired afterwards, was 30 to 50,000 additional deaths. Their statements were made in April.

Political interference from Trump over-riding his picked team of experts is the cause of today’s predicament in the states with Republican governors. He told them to open up too early, not to test, and use only positive talks. He has told the Centers for Disease Control’s Director Robert Redfield to ease the guidelines for sending children back to school. They didn’t, so Redfield’s days are probably numbered. He wants every child back in school before the election. He literally said he would force school districts to make children come to school. Before saying he would withhold money he stopped short of saying he would direct Attorney General Barr to look into it. Later he said he would use money from the CARE Act to support schools, getting all of the children back. More Mismanagement.

Arizona’s experts and medical personnel are crying out for Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) supplies. Their hospitals are full and their Republican Governor did an update after nine critical days of silence. Republican Governors have abdicated their job of protecting their citizens by giving mayors’ authority to lockdown or wear masks. At the same time those same Republican Governors still follow Trump’s leads by criticizing those same mayors who acted on science.

This is the same routine of denial and mismanagement which Trump caused in March and April. As the demand for PPE and ventilators ballooned, Trump said he would supply all the states need. He couldn’t because the rest of the world, by then, was also buying them up or keeping all they could manufacture. Then he said the states were responsible, causing them to bid against each other. This caused prices to skyrocket even more and poor quality equipment to be purchased at high prices. Trump then criticized the states for bidding up the items and said he would take control because he had all the items they needed, but he didn’t.

Testing supplies is another blunder. He keeps saying plenty of tests are available but states are pleading for more. As of the end of June over a hundred different tests are available but the CDC has only been able to certify eleven as reliable. Experts say we need to be testing ten times more per day and getting quick answers. One area in Florida takes nine to eleven days for an answer which is only eighty percent accurate. Other tests the CDC tested didn’t get to twenty percent accurate. Some of the tests had zero. Many states bought those because the CDC’s own tests didn’t work and they hadn’t approved any yet.

The President constantly lies about the virus and its effects only to have his own experts contradict him moments later. He is still calling Covid 19 a hoax and the numbers of infected not important. He has all but dismissed Fauci and others who told the truth. Last week he said we shouldn’t test so much because it makes him look bad before the election.

The one truthful thing he has undeniably said; his only concern is getting re-elected. This shows he doesn’t care how many die, just if he can win enough states in November. His niece is right. He is mentally ill.

A few hundred years ago one side would attack the other in battle by putting their most disposable, least trained troops in the front lines. Those troops would charge into cannon fire or musket lines and be mowed down; hence those disposable troops were called “cannon fodder.” The reason for the deaths is the better troops can advance before the other side could reload and win the battle.

Iran sent kids and old men into the minefields in front of the Iraqi Army. They stepped on mines, were blown apart by artillery, and were mowed down by machine guns and rifle fire. They shot up their ammunition and shells and had to retreat before the Iranian guards got to them. The kids and old men were disposable “cannon fodder.”

Reopening schools and running them like last year makes the kids “cannon fodder” because the administration has said we have to get the kids back in school so the parents can go back to work. This might help the economy which, in turn, might get Trump re-elected. This means Trump is using the kids as “cannon fodder” as a chance to get re-elected.