Letters: Coronavirus, Trump, climate change and more | April 26

Trump failed at his primary job

President Trump’s first job is to protect the American people. Through this pandemic he failed to do that. First, he ignored the intelligence community that told him that this deadly virus was coming since January. Seventy days goes by instead of alerting our nation’s health community and planning for it to strike. Then, when it does come in late February, he called it “a hoax.” Then on Feb. 26 he said it would just disappear. “It will go from 15 to zero,” he said. Fox News went along with him, and more and more of their viewers were exposing themselves to the virus for weeks.

Instead of trying to get the federal government involved and enacting the National Defense Act to get our hospitals and healthcare people the equipment they needed, he aimlessly fought with them on whose job it was going to be. Daily, the people were given conflicting information of what we should and should not do. Thank goodness that we live in the state of Washington where Gov. Inslee did not wait and see on what needed to be done. His message was clear from the beginning, and we learned that he values the safety of all.

Follow rules on park pathways

To mitigate cabin fever caused by the “stay-in” orders, my husband and I take walks along the river path bordering Howard Amon Park. Many others are also taking advantage of the the opportunity to get outdoors.

Apparently, not everyone is familiar with the safety requirements — or perhaps they’re ignoring them, creating a danger for others. The rules are posted in several places along the walkways. They require dog walkers to have their dogs on leashes and to pick their dogs’ poop. The biggest danger, however, comes from bicyclists and skaters/skateboarders. Rules require that they announce their presence when approaching others, especially from behind. Almost none do that. Moreover, many of them are going really fast, so that a collision could cause serious damage both to them and to walkers. On several occasions, we have barely avoided being run over, so that now I am constantly looking over my shoulder to check for approaching bikers or skaters. Having to do so certainly takes away some of the pleasure of walking and enjoying the scenery and the weather.

So, if you are biking, walking your dog, skating or pushing a baby carriage, please familiarize yourself with the rules, and observe them.

Herald showing us at our best

Just wanted to say thank you to the Tri-City Herald for continuing to bring us the news during this critical time. We especially like the positive stories that are being presented . People working together, parents and teachers creating positive learning environments, hospital personnel going above and beyond because they are dedicated to their profession, all in the midst of chaos. Thank you for showing the silver lining.

Tyson acted late for coronavirus

In the April 14 article on the coronavirus outbreak at the Tyson plant, it states that management “began taking steps to prevent transmission among employees at its Wallula beef slaughter and processing plant a week ago.” So the company waited to ‘start taking steps’ for a month after the governor began to issue proclamations on the outbreak and weeks after the Department of Health issued guidance for employers? This is appalling, and Tyson’s delays put employees and their communities at risk. Now they are paying the price. Shame on you, Tyson. Profits shouldn’t be prioritized over people’s health.

Easter shoppers lacked distancing

Coronavirus (COVID-19) reports and statistics from Benton Franklin County Health Department have now spiked to 500+ maybe reaching 600. With the cases flattening out this week of seniors and healthcare facility employees at around 163 seniors and 101 heath care employees; that means the rest of 300+ are from the community.

An amazing thing took place on April 11 all the retail grocery stores parking lots were full of cars and customers — Walmart, Fred Meyer, Costco, WinCo and Fiesta — not including the smaller grocery stores. Tri-Cities people were out doing their Easter buying lots of groceries. On Easter Sunday, WinCo parking lot was still full of cars. Yet nobody, no TV stations, no newspaper, or Benton Franklin County Health Department reported a thing. What happened! This didn’t have to do with the companies but with the people of the Tri-Cities shopping for Easter.

This needed to be reported as everyone in the Tri-Cities shares all these grocery stores. If the COVID-19 spikes in five-plus days, don’t be surprised. Look at the Easter shopping as the main reason!!! Unbelievable!!! The health department is much aware of this spike in shopping on Easter weekend. Time to wake up!!!

Why is Benton death rate higher?

In very rough terms, Benton County has double the population of Franklin County. Benton County also has about double the number of case of COVID-19. But Benton County has about 10 times the number of deaths as Franklin County. Has anyone found a reason for the discrepancy?

Editor’s note: As happened in King County, many of the Benton County deaths have occurred in senior housing and the elderly are more likely to die from COVID-19 than younger people.

Salmon a priority in BPA planning

I just must respond to John Cox of Richland who wrote in Thursday’s paper about salmon. I have studied salmon migration on the Columbia River for many years, and I can tell you the answer to Mr. Cox’s question, “Who speaks for the salmon?” It is the Bonneville Power Administration.

For all the years since the Bonneville Dam was constructed, BPA has made salmon life and migration a priority. The money they have put into the design and maintenance of the fish ladders to ensure salmon success as they swim upstream and downstream is enormous. Mr. Cox suggests that salmon have been ignored through all the years of dam development along the Columbia and Lower Snake River systems, but that is simply not true. Salmon have held a priority position in the consideration of all construction along the river systems of the Pacific Northwest.

As to the orcas, I suggest a look at the sewage being dumped into Puget Sound by Canadian industries. That is the biggest issue for orcas.

Lifelong member of GOP on Trump

A recent letter used the term Trump Derangement Syndrome. As a life-long Republican I offer this definition.

The disorder actually describes persons who still support Mr. Trump in spite of his dismal record as president and his lack of leadership and management capabilities.

Of the numerous examples of misdeeds, one recent example should suffice. In January and February, Trump assured us that the coronavirus was of no consequence and would likely disappear soon. In March, he grudgingly admitted that the disease might be a problem, then proclaimed that he had known since January the disease was a going to be a major problem but he had been intentionally misleading us because he was a “cheerleader” for the country and didn’t want to shake up the economy. (I don’t blame Mr. Trump for the falling stock market as I never believed he deserved any credit for its astronomical rise either.)

The fact that he consciously lied to protect his own interests underscores the kind of president he has been.

I fervently hope that those afflicted by the syndrome will see the light by November and vote for a more capable person. Overcoming Trump Derangement Syndrome is critical for our democracy.

Epidemic template for climate change

Epidemiologists and other health experts were warning in January that COVID-19 was coming and the consequences could be severe. In places that took early and effective actions, its adverse effects were blunted (e.g., South Korea, Taiwan, Germany, Washington, California); where action was delayed, disorganized or weak, the result has often been catastrophic.

Climate science experts have also been issuing warnings for many years about the potential for dire consequences in the absence of a strong and early response to global warming. While the timeline for these consequences is more drawn out than for the COVID-19, their insidious creep toward a “new normal” rife with problems will eventually impose enormous economic, health, environmental and social costs in coming decades. The longer effective action is delayed, the greater these costs will be.

The good news is that we can see examples in the current crisis of how early and vigorous responses, using concerted marshaling of resources and grounded in scientific expertise, mitigated the worst with strong collective action. This could serve us well as a template on how to deal with global warming.

Generations need to work together

The novel coronavirus disproportionately afflicts older and less healthy people. They need the cooperation of younger and healthier people to practice better hygiene and social distancing to protect them from infection and harm.

In the same way, global warming will disproportionately impact Generation Z, the generation that will be living when the world is much warmer in the latter decades of this century. Gen Z needs the cooperation of older people to pass the legislation needed to drive down the emissions driving global warming.

In both cases, cooperation is needed to overcome intergenerational inequity, and all of us benefit from that cooperation. Let’s all practice better personal hygiene and social distancing to protect our elder and ill people as well as ourselves. Let’s all support the best first step to limit global warming, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (HR 763), which puts a national price on fossil carbon and distributes the revenue evenly back to all of us. Go to https://www.cclcalls.org/call/wa/4 today to ask Rep. Dan Newhouse to cosponsor this legislation.

Thoughts for unhappy anglers

To all fishermen, and women, that are of the opinion that the state should open up fishing. Here are a few things that you may want to consider. I am a fisherman myself.

I would encourage you to go to the WDFW website and listen to the radio interview with the head of WDFW regarding the closures. The restrictions are put in place to try to reduce the chances of spreading the virus by limiting the movement of people. That should be our main concern. Painful but probably the best move for the health of the entire population.

The restrictions presently in place may frustrate us, especially those who have significant amounts of money tied up in boats, tow vehicles and tackle. By not abiding by the stay-at-home guidelines, you could be contributing to the spread of the virus to folks who are working essential jobs that you may come into contact (with) as you venture out. These could include workers at fueling stops, grocery stores, tackle shops, food stops, etc. Many of those folks working those jobs are just earning a subsistence wage and can’t afford to have some of the luxuries that we are fortunate to have.

Add 3 more to list of Tri-Cidionts

Unbelievable! We have three new additions to the Tri-Cidiots: Peck, Didier and Koch. We can add them to the “it’s my right to go fishing” group. But Peck, Didier and Koch want to do more: Let’s open for business! We can kill even more people that way. Let’s overwhelm our hospitals and nursing personnel even more, use up that PPE even faster! Sure, guys, brilliant. I forget … which of you are doctors? Epidemiologists? Oh, that’s right, none of you. You seem to be joining that 1% group — let’s make more money! That’s the ticket. Nothing else matters. Nothing. And by the way, Didier, if you want to work, go outside and work on your farm. You can practice social distancing all you want and leave the rest of us alone.

Gov. (Jay) Inslee is doing the right thing. You are doing the wrong thing. Keep telling yourselves it’s for businesses and that the suffering is worth it. In the next election, I hope my fellow Franklin County citizens will vote you all out.

‘Biggest decision’ or just reckless

“Biggest decision of my life,” (ABC News, 4/10/20) Trump says in regard to opening up the country in May. There is no “decision” for people who do not trust this man. How can we resume our lives when we do not know if the person next to us has or hasn’t been infected with the virus? It’s just a “no-brainer,” but all that Trump seems to want is business as usual without much concern for the health of the nation. If he had our welfare in mind, there’d first be nationwide testing to ensure the country has a clean bill of health. Or a vaccine.

Pretty sad, not to mention extremely reckless, when the Pied Piper President gaslights Americans with preposterous deadlines like this. I’m not even going to suggest that the rank-and-file pro-Trump people should volunteer to be the proverbial “canary in the coal mine;” I’m just not that cruel.

Trump abhors competence

So, Trump has now fired Michael Atkinson (intelligence community inspector general). A few weeks ago, he fired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and his brother Eugene. I’ve lost track of how many others he fired for insufficient loyalty. Combine this with the quality, competence and integrity of his cabinet and the inescapable conclusion is that the grifter in chief despises integrity, competence and patriotism. The only things he values are total fealty to himself and unlimited avarice.

ID tags might help with dementia

This morning, I received a call from my neighbor who told me my husband, John, was out walking down the street. Now John has dementia and most definitely should not have been out walking by himself. I got the car and found him about a half a block away.

He had stopped by a block wall and was talking to a man named Paul who works for the city. I got John into the car and talked to Paul. He had called the police who quickly showed up. The policeman who came was named Jared and we all three talked and I told them how much I appreciated their wonderful and quick response. Then Jared took a picture of John so they could identify him if this happens again. My husband has a nametag but wasn’t wearing it. Since then, I have ordered a name bracelet that, hopefully, he cannot get off by himself.

I am so very grateful to these two wonderful men and how they were so very professional in a situation that could have turned out very differently.

I would suggest to anyone who has people in their lives who could wander off to please get identification for them so they won’t get lost or something worse.

This story was originally published April 26, 2020 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Letters: Coronavirus, Trump, climate change and more | April 26."