Crazy....

Has the world gone completely crazy? It is sunny here, I have the blinds opened up to take advantage of the passive solar streaming in the window.
The neighbors are mowing their lawn, a tree trimmer is pruning a tree a cross the street and chipping the limbs. The birds are starting to take advantage of the fresh bird seed.  People are out walking with their small children....all in all a very normal appearing day.

 

Fall is here and the leaves are turning a wild array of colors.  Gardens are put up for the year and things are winding down from the hectic pace of summer. The "decorating" neighbor has her Halloween stuff up and it is gaily waving in the light breeze. Ghosts, goblins, wild eyed spooky cats and a coachman from hell grace her lawn and bring a smile to passers by.  It all seems so normal. Peaceful and quiet.

Then why do we feel uneasy? There is no dark organ music playing in the background to instill a sense of dread or doom? There is no sign of dark or stormy skies?  There are no sirens howling in the distance and no sounds of shelling and gunfire. No Ebola victims bleeding out on the street...no hordes of crazed zombies lurching around the corner....no just one crazed cattle woman working at her blog on a very normal day.

Then why do we feel uneasy?  I believe people need strong leadership. To know the direction we are heading is the right one. To feel secure in the people they voted into office. The media hype for this election is slowly starting to build but we hear little of real value. The big issues are not the pathetic economy, the lowest worker participation numbers ever, job losses to over seas. The big issues are of course Ebola and the bombing of ISIS. It is almost convenient these things came up right at election time.

I was thinking  'Ebola' although it is serious it is not the issue it is being made out to be. For example:
Worldwide nearly 1.3 million people die in road crashes each year, on average 3,287 deaths a day. An additional 20-50 million are injured or disabled. More than half of all road traffic deaths occur among young adults ages 15-44.

Annual United States Road Crash Statistics

• Over 37,000 people die in road crashes each year
• An additional 2.35 million are injured or disabled
• Over 1,600 children under 15 years of age die each year
• Nearly 8,000 people are killed in crashes involving drivers ages 16-20
• Road crashes cost the U.S. $230.6 billion per year, or an average of $820 per person
• Road crashes are the single greatest annual cause of death of healthy U.S. citizens traveling abroad

 In 2013, about 580,350 Americans are expected to die of cancer, almost 1,600 people per day. Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the US, exceeded only by heart disease, accounting for nearly 1 of every 4 deaths.


 Sep 16, 2013 - Each year in the United States, at least 2 million people become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and at least 23,000 people die each year as a direct result of these infections. Many more people die from other conditions that were complicated by an antibiotic-resistant infection.

I believe one of the more serious issues is the inability of anyone in the CDC or government to actually tell the truth concerning this potential pandemic.  The continuation of air travel to and from the affected countries baffles me! Now with another confirmed case in New York, of a Dr. who came from the infected region after dealing with patients confirms my complete lack of faith in the handling of the outbreak.Yes he passed the initial screening at the Airport but remember the incubation of this disease can take as long as 21 days, perhaps more.

In my humble opinion...if you are not going to have a travel ban then at least implement a quarantine of people traveling from the region with the disease! They know the incubation period of this virus, they know how it is transmitted. Treat it accordingly! If it is the End of the World Virus it is claimed to be then take the steps to stop any chance of contagion any one of these travelers brings with them from the area. Wouldn't setting up a proper quarantine be cheaper and more efficient that letting people out into the streets and then trying to heal them after they have potentially infected many more?

The people we have elected to represent us in Washington DC need to get a grip on who they are working for and what their responsibility to those people is. All the hype is about how the Republicans are going to win big but my worst fear is not how big they win but how big we loose! In my mind there is a horrible lack of leadership in BOTH parties and it shows up in the handling of this disease. Both Democrats and Republicans should be totally ashamed of the lack of true leadership and decision making they are showing in these times of uncertainty.

Well enough for now...the sun is still shining warmly in the window, Ralph's lunch for work is starting to smell good and is about ready to portion out for his lunch kit. A neighbors dog is barking at a walker who is going by.  The tree trimmer is still chipping branches! Yes it all seems so normal....but for the under currents of dissatisfaction and unease that you get when you go to get groceries or anything else where there are larger groups of people.  Hang in there people...be safe and be prepared.