Cutting Joe Biden Some Slack
Yes, Vice President Joe Biden is a clown.
Yes, it is great fun laughing at Joe Biden's gaffes, especially when he contradicts his boss.
But maybe we should be paying closer attention to what he's actually saying. No, seriously!
Today the vice president said he wouldn't fly in commercial aircraft or ride in subways because of the greater potential to contract the flu, and that's what he would recommend to this family.
"That's me," he said.
Quite simply put, he is speaking for himself. He isn't acting as a mouthpiece for Homeland Security, HHS, or even the White House, just noodling the idea that common sense says you ought not to put yourself in harm's way if there are alternatives and no overriding reasons otherwise.
It's a sad measure of how far we have fallen as a nation when everything anyone says becomes an occasion for ridicule. Now I'm not a big Biden fan -- the thought that he is but a heartbeat away from being Commander-in-Chief is much more troubling than the Mexican Swine flu -- but give the man credit for a bit of clear thinking on the "pending pandemic."
What he said about aircraft? True. Studies have shown that even in normal times flying can be hazardous to your health because of the closed air systems. If you've got 150 people on a flight, and just one has a cold, there is a good chance you will catch it. My own anecdotal experience convinces me that this is so: I don't think I've ever flown without coming down with the cold or flu shortly afterward, except for the times I've flown in practically empty jetliners, or small aircraft. I would imagine subways have the same sort of problems.
Right now the official position of the White House, et al, is that we are looking at a probable pandemic that is very serious, bears watching, should close affected schools, will necessitate quarantines, and yet ... isn't worth closing the border, no one need worry about wearing a mask, the death rate seems rather small, and not to worry because our best and brightest scientific minds are on the case.
In other words, it's deadly serious and it's no big deal. All at the same time.
That may well be true, as several epidemiologists say that is is likely that the Mexican Swine flu, while pandemic in nature, is not yet skilled at killing its hosts. It may take two or three "waves" over the next year or so for it to become so adept.
Which, to me, argues for trying to isolate it and contain it quickly. Don't allow it to find a host more condusive to its killer ambitions. Take sensible precautions now, like tightening border crossings and restricting certain types of travel, and each of us personally doing our part.
As one of our Founding Fathers said, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
Ben Franklin and Joe Biden, strange bedfellows. Who knew?
posted by Dave the Oklahomilist @ 1:27 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
You know the "regular" flu kills over 3,000 per year here in the US alone... but nobody (with a brain) has suggested shutting down the airline and mass transit industries to stop people from getting the flu... nor has anyone ever been able to tell their boss... gee, I don't feel like flying to xyz town today because I might get the flu or a really really bad cold from someone on the plane... WTF?
Actually, Red, according to the CDC the regular flu kills about 36,000 Americans per year, but I understand your point. I'd agree with your statement with one modification: "Nobody who wants to keep their job ... has ever been able to tell their boss, gee I don't feel like flying to xyz town today, etc."
I hope you aren't arguing that in order to save the airlines and other mass transit companies we should unnecessarily risk our health (and I don't think you are). A normal flu tends to kill the very young and very old; a pandemic flu such as H1N1 (Mexican Swine, heh) would rather target 18-45 year olds, so maybe we should be reacting to it a little differently. I'm not advocating shutting down anything, but I think individuals could be a lot more proactive in protecting their own health and relying less on advice from Janet Napolitano and Barack Obama, who would say anything as long as it achieved some political goal.
Looking at it from that perspective, I find Biden's wide open mouth refreshing. Clownish, but refreshing. He telegraphs what the Obamatons are thinking, and that's useful for the rest of us.
By the way, I probably would tell my boss I wouldn't fly if there were a real bad flu going on. I guess that's why I eventually started my own business. My wife might even agree this is evidence that I am, as you suggest, truly brainless.
As always, I appreciate your input.
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