Tag Archives: pandemic

national news

Democrats stake out defensible COVID relief position

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By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

You’re a political consultant aligned with Democratic congressional candidates, maybe even incumbent members of the U.S. Senate or the U.S. House of Representatives.

Your candidate has just voted to send his or her constituents a payment to help them cope with the economic impact of the COVID 19 pandemic and voted to extend unemployment benefits until September and voted for money to pay for millions more vaccines aimed at protecting Americans against the killer virus.

Is that a defensible position? Is it more defensible than, say, a Republican politician vote against all those things?

I think so. Yeah, I know it is a more defensible position.

The Senate has just cast a partisan vote that has approved a $1.9 trillion COVID relief package pushed hard by President Biden and his fellow Democrats. All GOP senators voted “no.” The measure has gone to the House, where the same thing will happen, with all Democrats probably voting “yes” and all Republicans likely turning thumbs down.

The 2022 midterm election looms just a bit down the road.

So, who’s in the better position? The Democrats who want the government to lend a hand? Or the Republicans who oppose that notion, citing its expense?

Were I an American who has suffered grievous economic misery from the pandemic, I would be far less concerned about the expense of the measure than whether my government — which I finance with my money — is ready to step up and deliver for me when I need the help.

Thus, the Democrats in Congress appear to be listening more intently to American public that favors the COVID relief package. Indeed, polling data suggest it isn’t even close, with more than 60 percent of Americans wanting Congress to come to the people’s aid.

So, President Biden is now poised to achieve his first major legislative victory. More to the point, though, is that congressional Democrats will have more on which to run as they prepare to run for their next election.

It’s coming up. Quickly.

State news

Why not ‘open up’ but keep masks on?

By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott isn’t likely to take this bit of advice, but I am going to offer it nonetheless.

Abbott has declared that Texas businesses will open “100 percent” even though Texans are still getting infected by the COVID virus. Hey, no problem, said the governor.

He also has rescinded the statewide mask mandate he ordered in early 2020, the one that asks Texans to wear masks when they venture into public places, such as grocery stores, sporting events, churches, libraries … you know, anywhere.

Here’s my advice: Why not go ahead with the business reopening but maintain the mask-wearing order?

I know it’s too late now for the governor to rethink this nutty notion. He’s going to plow ahead with it, even though he made the call without consulting with his medical team of advisers on the best wa to proceed — allegedly.

Abbott has said over the weekend that “Texans know what they need to do” to protect themselves from the virus and they don’t need the state to tell them. Oh, really? Then how does he explain earlier efforts to pull back from these restrictions resulting in infection rate, hospitalization and death rate spikes?

I’ll explain it here. It happened because too many Texans ignored the best advice of medical professionals that masks and social distancing are the best ways to prevent infection and potential death from the COVID virus.

Yeah, Texans know what to do. The question of the day is: Will we follow that advice and do what we must to prevent infection from this disease?

I am not at all confident that we can … or will.

national news

Relief on its way

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By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

President Biden appears to be set to receive his first legislative triumph in the form of the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill that the U.S. Senate has just approved.

It has gone back to the House of Representatives, which will approve it once again, given its slim Democratic Party majority.

I want to stipulate a couple of points.

One is that the bill isn’t perfect. It contains some expenditures within the massive amount of money that really do not belong in legislation aimed at providing relief for Americans afflicted by the pandemic. It has killed more than 500,000 Americans and causing millions of others to lose their jobs.

Americans are hurting from this killer virus and the federal government needs to respond, given that every member of Congress as well as the president and vice president swear oaths to protect the citizens of this country.

As the saying goes and has been repeated all too often, it does no good to “let the perfect get in the way of the good.”

So, the legislation ain’t perfect, but it does do plenty of good.

It provides $300 a week in unemployment insurance for those who have lost their jobs; it provides $1,400 payments to individuals who earn less than a certain amount of money.

The bill that President Biden will sign — perhaps next week — lacks a $15 hourly minimum wage component, which is something congressional progressives insisted it contain. I figure the minimum range boost will end up eventually on Biden’s desk contained in another stack of legislation.

The most regrettable aspect of this legislation is that it is squeaking through Congress with just Democrats voting for it. The Senate vote was 50-49; Vice President Kamala Harris was poised to cast the tie-breaking vote, but one GOP senator, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, was absent from the roll call tally.

My own center-left philosophy hopes that Congress no longer will need to enact more measures to provide this kind of relief. I acknowledge that $1.9 trillion is a mighty hefty price tag and it gives me the nervous jerks to realize we are spending this kind of money that the government just doesn’t have in the bank.

But the president and most of Congress have answered the call. Those in Congress who have refused to lend aid to those who need it will have to deal with their consciences.

I am glad the COVID relief bill is heading toward the president’s desk. It isn’t perfect, but it does what it should be doing, which is to assist Americans who have fallen victim to the pandemic and the damage it has done.

State news

Beto in the hunt … again?

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By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

Texas Democrats’ hearts are fluttering again, thanks to reports of Beto O’Rourke’s latest barnstorming tour of the state.

You see, O’Rourke — a former congressman from El Paso who came within whisker stubble of beating Ted Cruz in 2018 — might be running for Texas governor in 2022.

Except that he says he isn’t “thinking about it.” Sure, Beto … whatever you say.

Actually, my gut and my trick knee tell me he is thinking about it.

Is the state’s current governor, Republican Greg Abbott, vulnerable to a challenge from a credible Democrat? I think so. I hope so. I am not sure I expect a serious challenge to emerge from the tall grass, even if it happens to be Beto O’Rourke.

O’Rourke ran for president in 2020, but didn’t make the grade — quite obviously. His 2018 near miss against Sen. Cruz, though, still has whetted the appetites of Texas Democrats who believe that O’Rourke can mount a serious challenge against Abbott.

Beto O’Rourke is criss-crossing Texas again, igniting Democratic hopes he’ll run for governor – CNNPolitics

Abbott’s recent decision to rescind his mask-wearing order has angered me. I am quite certain it has angered other Texans, too.

Does that act alone make him vulnerable? Not really. Unless, we see a serious spike in COVID cases arising from Abbott’s foolhardy (in my view) decision to lift the order.

Beto O’Rourke might not have played well on the national stage, but here in Texas it might be another matter altogether.

Or … he might flame out once he starts “thinking about” running for governor.

local news

Not moving? Me neither!

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By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

A social media friend — who’s an actual friend from the Texas Panhandle — posted a fascinating rebuke of those who are challenging his opposition to Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to rescind the state’s mask mandate.

He writes: I’m sorry that the mask wearing issue has been re-politicized and has become personal. It has been suggested that those of us who disagree with Gov. Abbott on this issue should move to a blue state. I do disagree. I agree to disagree. But I ain’t movin’.

Well, I ain’t movin’, either. Although I haven’t been criticized in a personal nature for the thoughts I have expressed on this blog about Abbott’s premature lifting of the mask-wearing order. I maintain that Abbott’s decision apparently wasn’t based on medical advice. Abbott must be listening to someone or something whispering sweet nothings into his ear, that the COVID virus isn’t that big of a deal. Well, we all know the truth about that.

I, too, simply hate the politicization of this entire issue. Wearing a mask should not become a Democrat vs. Republican matter, but it has, to the shame of those who attach politics to this issue.

I will disagree with the governor’s decision and will demonstrate my disagreement by continuing to wear a mask when I venture into public places with total strangers. How long will I do so? I haven’t a clue, other than to predict that I will not shuck the mask anytime in the near, or medium future.

local news, medical news, State news

Safety trumps personal liberty

By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is getting plenty of push back from critics of his decision to rescind the mask-wearing order he issued when the COVID pandemic broke out.

Others, though, are backing the governor’s decision. I hear it on the news, that they are relishing the notion of exercising “personal liberty” in choosing to go without a mask when they enter public places.

OK. I want to make a critical point.

I am all in favor of personal liberty. As an American citizen, I cherish it as much as the next red-blooded patriot. However, personal liberty should not trump community health and well-being. That is my way of saying that the mask mandate — along with social distancing and other activities — protect us all from the spread of a virus that is killing Americans to this day.

I want to be free of being told to wear a mask. I want a return to being able to stand next to strangers in the grocery line, or sitting next to someone at the movie theater, or going to an entertainment event and being able to yell at the top of my lungs without fogging up my glasses because of the mask.

But … first things first. We have to grab the virus with a stronger grip than we have at this time. More of us are getting vaccinated daily. We are getting closer each day to that thing they call “herd immunity.” But we ain’t there yet.

So, spare me the “personal liberty” canard. I don’t buy it when your liberty puts my family and me in potentially mortal danger.

media news

We all scream for ‘vaccine’

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By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

There is this weird phenomenon occurring on social media.

Well, at least I consider it weird. It is that folks around the nation are proclaiming their individual triumph at getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Hey, I did the same thing when my wife and I received our second and final vaccine doses.

I’m not yet sure what to think of this recurring phenomenon. It does seem strange to me.

The last time the nation received a breakthrough vaccine, I suppose, occurred in the 1950s with the polio vaccine developed by Dr. Jonas Salk. Then came the “sugar cube” vaccine developed later by Dr. Albert Sabin, which we consumed by swallowing it.

Was the nation overwhelmed by either vaccine? Did Americans get on the phone and call each other to boast about getting it? That was a long time ago and I do not remember it happening. Then again, I was just a kid when the Salk vaccine was injected into my arm.

We didn’t have “social media” in those days. Social media these days have become the messaging forum of choice for billions of human beings around the world. And a lot of us are using various social media platforms to declare a form of victory in the fight against the COVID pandemic.

I am interested only in knowing whether my actual friends on Facebook — which appears to be the primary social media platform folks are using — are obtaining the vaccine. The rest of my alleged “friends” on Facebook? I’ll be honest, I don’t much care on any sort of a personal level.

However, there is something worthwhile about knowing that more Americans are getting inoculated against this killer virus. Maybe it’s not as “weird” as I implied when I began this blog post.

national news

COVID relief stalled by obstructionist

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By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

Ron Johnson has joined the Ted Cruz Caucus of GOP Kooks.

Yes, the Republican U.S. senator from Wisconsin is stalling the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package because … well, I don’t know what he is basing his objection.

I guess the senator thinks it’s too expensive. But is it? Really?

Ron Johnson grinds Senate to halt, irritating many (msn.com)

The pandemic that the relief bill attacks has claimed more than 520,000 American lives. It has put millions of Americans out of work. It has caused untold misery, grief and mourning.

Sen. Johnson is stalling the bill because he wants senators to read it aloud, word for word. Why? Beats the hell out of me!

This man is nuts. He is an obstructionist extraordinaire in the mold of Sen. Ted Cruz, the Texas GOP moron who once stalled the government by reading “Green Eggs and Ham” on the floor of the Senate.

Oh, meanwhile, Americans continue to suffer. They continue to get sick. They keep dying. All the while, Ron Johnson is stalling a wildly popular relief bill that will put money in Americans’ pockets and ensure unemployment insurance for those Americans who need help while they seek new jobs.

Utterly disgraceful.

Uncategorized

What about small towns?

By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

A headline in the Texas Tribune speaks loudly about some mayors’ response to Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to pull back his mask-wearing mandate.

It said: Texas’ largest cities will keep requiring masks in municipal buildings even after statewide mandate ends

I have no problem with what those mayors are doing, saying and how they are reacting to what I believe is a premature decision by Gov. Abbott.

My question is this: What are small-town and smaller-city mayors doing? Are they going to have the same reaction?

I live in a small town. Princeton, Texas, is home to about 13,000 residents, give or take a few hundred. We are perched along U.S. Highway 380 between McKinney to the west (population 200,000) and Farmersville to the east (population 5,000). I am acquainted with the mayors of Princeton and Farmersville. My strongest hope is that they, too, will invoke mask mandates in municipally owned buildings.

The Texas Tribune reports: Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and El Paso’s leaders announced Wednesday and Thursday that masks will be required to enter city-owned indoor spaces like libraries, police and fire department headquarters, convention centers and transportation hubs.

“I am going to issue an order mandating masks at all city-owned buildings. We have to do what we are legally allowed to do to get people to wear masks,” Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said on Twitter Thursday morning. “We also still need to practice social distancing. And we still need to avoid taking unnecessary risks. The pandemic is not over.”

Texas’ largest cities will require masks in municipal buildings | The Texas Tribune

No. It is not over. It is not yet close to being over. I will acknowledge, though, that the arrival of a third vaccine — from Johnson & Johnson — means that the end of this horror might be approaching.

Given that our smaller communities don’t get the kind of media attention that the big cities get, I want there to be a significant push by those city halls to get the word out immediately to their constituents. They need to let them know through any means necessary.

Of course, this strategy should apply to small cities and towns all across our vast state. Gov. Abbott can declare, I suppose, that state-owned buildings need not carry “Mask Required” signs. A state governed by politicians who adhere to the “local control is best” mantra should have no trouble allowing city halls to set their own rules regarding the best way to battle the COVID virus.

Let us not forget that President Biden has ordered masks and social distancing in all federal buildings at least for the first 100 days of his administration. My gut tells me he likely will extend that mandate well beyond that artificial deadline.

I will await word from my mayor, Brianna Chacon, on what she intends to do. I hope she stays the mask-wearing course.

medical news, State news

Abbott taking deserved hits

(Bob Daemmrich/Pool Photo via AP)

By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

This needs to be said.

President Biden overreacted by declaring that the governors of Texas and Mississippi were engaging in “Neanderthal thinking” when they lifted mask-wearing orders while seeking to return their states’ business community to full occupancy status.

Yes, we’re fighting a pandemic. We need to maintain those orders. I agree that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision was ill-considered and, yes, he was one of the “Neanderthals” to whom the president referred.

Still, I wish that President Biden wouldn’t have used that particular description.

However, I’ll endorse the president’s view that Abbott shouldn’t have done what he did. Abbott has pulled back from previous orders, only to watch the infection, hospitalization and death rates from the COVID virus spike in Texas.

I am going to pray hard that we don’t see yet another repeat of those prior mistakes.