LETTER TO THE EDITOR
The following collection of op-eds were written by club members & published in local papers. They have been made available here to provide additional insights into some of the issues that affect our region.
Lack of Leadership during the Pandemic
Governors have been taking the lead in our fight against the coronavirus by filling the vacuum created by the lack of leadership by our President. The President had the opportunity to lead us through this crisis but he has shown himself to be incapable of performing this role. He missed his “Roosevelt moment”.
Just as Governors including New York’s Cuomo and California’s Newsom have shown they have the bravery, management skills and compassion to handle the unfolding human tragedy; Roosevelt was able to lead us through the Depression and World War II. With his “Fireside Chats”, Roosevelt was able to give us hope in the face of adversity. He assured us that the situation we found ourselves in was not our fault and that if we worked together we could come out stronger in the end. He was able to rally us to do amazing things by showing compassion. His message was, “I am with you. I am responsible for seeing us through this.”
Our current President is failing miserably in his response to the Covid-19 threat. He blames others for the mess we are in and will not take responsibility for his actions. He uses his daily press briefings to deride others for not doing enough; including Governors, the World Health Organization, China and the Democrats to name a few. Instead of listening to the experts he spreads misinformation. His erratic, self-promoting behavior is a clear and present danger to our country. It is unfortunate that at a time when we need to be working together as a country the states appear to be on their own.
Here are 10 key ways that Trump has let the coronavirus pandemic get out of control:
Refusing to take responsibility for his administration's response to the pandemic. Trump doesn't believe he's responsible for how he and his administration are dealing with the crisis. When asked by reporters about it, he said, "I don't take any responsibility at all.”
Shutting down the White House pandemic office. Trump closed the White House's National Security Council Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense in 2018—despite official briefings starting even before his inauguration about the threat posed by pandemics.
Ignoring intelligence warnings. Trump ignored dire warnings in January and February from U.S. intelligence agencies about the coronavirus pandemic, downplaying the threat and blocking necessary preparations.9 He also stonewalled inquiries from Congress starting in early February.
Failing to test. Trump failed to mobilize the government and private sector to establish testing early on to contain the spread of the virus. Dr. Fauci calls the lack of early testing "a failing" of the U.S. response. Now, we're left with lockdowns and intense social and economic disruptions to try to mitigate the harm.
Failing to procure medical supplies. Trump failed to marshal the powers of the federal government to procure the medical supplies and hospital beds needed to meet the scale of this public health crisis. For instance, if the Trump administration had reacted in February to the ventilator shortage, the shortage would have been resolved by mid-to-late April. Because the administration failed to react, we might have enough ventilators only in early June, at best.
Spreading lies and misinformation. Early in the crisis, Trump said that the coronavirus would simply disappear. "It's going to disappear. One day it's like a miracle—it will disappear." Then, he promoted a risky antimalarial drug as a treatment, with no evidence. He accused governors of not needing the personal protective equipment and ventilators they asked for, and he accused health care workers of stealing and selling masks. And he still continues to spread lies and advance his own political agenda, boasting about his poll numbers and television ratings.
Appointing Mike Pence to run the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Pence has a history of skepticism and denialism around science and a record of poor response to public health crises as governor of Indiana.
Blocking access to health care, which puts all of us at risk. Trump and his Republican lackeys in Congress refuse to pay for coronavirus and COVID-19 medical care—except for testing.19 But even the testing provision is full of loopholes, with reports that people are showing up at hospitals to get tested and then getting billed thousands of dollars because, while the tests are free, the emergency room visits are not.
Favoring governors who are political allies when distributing lifesaving medical supplies and pitting states against one another instead of distributing supplies based on most urgent need and fostering cooperation in this national emergency.
Failing to hire competent experts to manage this crisis. Trump and his administration are incompetent, and, as a result, people are needlessly dying. There is tremendous turnover in key administration positions, many positions are left unfilled, and people are often unqualified for their jobs. This results in horrifying incompetence in the best of times, and catastrophic inadequacy now.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg ...
Trump's political strategy is to falsely repeat over and over that the coronavirus is unprecedented, that no one saw it coming, and that his response has been "great."
And the American public believes him. It's up to us to get the truth out and hold Trump accountable as the pandemic continues to ravage our communities.
Coronavirus Relief Bill & Support for Kathy Ellis for Congress
Representative Jason Smith has actively worked against the best interests of the people and communities in the 8th Congressional District. He has voted repeatedly against legislation that would benefit his district and voted for legislation that benefited corporations and the wealthy. He's voted against healthcare access, against rural infrastructure, against unions, and against working people.
Smith was one of 40 Republicans who voted against the Coronavirus Relief Bill yet he took credit for the good the legislation did for his constituents. We now have an alternative to Smith for the hardworking people of the 8th District in Kathy Ellis. She is running for office because she grew up in the district, and has watched over the years as our infrastructure has crumbled, our jobs have left, and our healthcare access has become nearly obsolete. She is in this race to give a fighting chance to the thousands of working people in the district who deserve a fair shot. She is running to bring hope to this district who has been ignored and abused for too many years.
As a Social Worker Ellis has served people by empowering them to make positive life changes thereby strengthening the communities they live in. We need more public servants like Kathy Ellis and fewer politicians like Jason Smith. She is not in this race to gain power, prestige or money. She is in it for us.
Reopen Our School Act & Support for Kathy Ellis for Congress
As we near the beginning of the school year in the midst of a pandemic our priority must be the safety and health of students, teachers and their families. To accomplish a safe reopening we need capable leadership at the state and federal level with clear guidelines on how to keep our communities safe.
The Center for Disease Control( CDC) has different sets of guidelines for reopening schools based on the amount of community spread of the virus. Unfortunately our leaders have politicized the process and the President has said that following the CDC guidelines is too expensive and difficult to implement. Representative Jason Smith has co-sponsored the Reopen Our Schools Act that will withhold federal funding for K-12 schools that do not hold in person classes. While saying out of one side of his mouth that state and local communities should determine for themselves the safest way to reopen, he also says that he will take away your funding if you decide that online learning is safest for your students.
The surge of Covid-19 cases throughout our country is the result of us not following the CDC guidelines for reopening our economy. Let’s not make the same mistake with the reopening of our schools. It is time to replace Jason Smith with a responsible, compassionate leader whose priority is the health and safety of the people of the 8th Congressional District. Kathy Ellis is that leader.
Support for Raising the Minimum Wage
Many families are unable to make ends meet even though they work full-time. Wages have not kept up with the cost of living. A bill before Congress (H.R. 582/S.150) would raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Those benefiting the most would be those living below the poverty line who would see a 5.3 percent increase in wages.
According to the recent CBO (Congressional Budget Office) report:
Wages would increase for 27.3 million workers and 1.3 million Americans would rise out of poverty.
1.3 million Americans would lose their jobs mostly teenagers and part-time workers.
Consumers would pay around 0.3 percent more for goods and services.
Business owners would lose a trivial amount of total business income according to the government report.
States and communities who have raised the minimum wage found that there was no meaningful loss of jobs and businesses were not negatively affected by raising wages. In fact people spent more boosting the economy of the area.
The main benefit of raising the minimum wage was a decline in household poverty. The benefits to Americans appear to far outweigh the costs. Our current state and federal Members of Congress are opposed to raising the minimum wage indicating to me that they are more interested in listening to lobbyists than their constituents.
Support for Kathy Ellis for Congress & Medicaid Expansion
Five hospitals have closed in Representative Jason Smith’s 8th Congressional District since 2016. Smith described these closures as unacceptable in a recent Missourinet interview. He stated that as a result of these closures the mortality rate has increased in his 30 county district.
He has called for more funding for rural hospitals saying that they are inadequately funded compared to urban hospitals. The Missouri Hospital Association and the National Rural Hospital Association both blame lack of Medicaid Expansion for the closings.
Smith opposes Medicaid Expansion while his challenger, Kathy Ellis from Festus, supports it. Fifteen states that rejected expanding eligibility for Medicaid have seen rural hospital closings while those that expanded Medicaid have not. Jason Smith is against the number one measure that could improve healthcare for his constituents at a time when they need it the most. The truth is that state and federal funding cannot provide what is needed for rural healthcare without expanding Medicaid.
Jason Smith is good at identifying the problem but he cannot provide a solution. Constituents have the opportunity in the August primary to vote for Medicaid Expansion due to an initiative petition which put it on the ballot. Vote for Medicaid Expansion in August and Kathy Ellis in November so healthcare is accessible to Missourians in the 8th Congressional District.
Update: Medicaid Expansion passed in the State of Missouri on August 4, 2020.
Thank you to all those who cast their votes!
Support for Medicaid Expansion
The Covid-19 outbreak has highlighted the need for affordable, accessible healthcare in rural areas. Since Missouri chose not to participate in Medicaid expansion, a key part of Obamacare, five rural hospitals have closed in Missouri’s 8th Congressional District. Our state leaders have reduced Missourians access to healthcare and deprived the state of federal dollars which would have covered the majority of the costs to provide Medicaid to people with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level.
Now low-income families are facing the threat of the coronavirus without any coverage. Brock Slabach of the National Rural Hospital Association stated that expanding Medicaid is a "shovel-ready program for investing in the health care of the rural community," Fortunately Missourians have the power to affect change this November. Recently Healthcare for Missouri announced that a Medicaid Expansion petition initiative has obtained enough signatures to put the measure on the ballot this November. Volunteers across the state were able to exceed the number of signatures needed before the May 3 deadline. Nearly 350,000 signatures were submitted with only 172,000 needed.
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, it is more obvious than ever that working families need affordable healthcare. 352,000 more people will have insurance coverage if the measure passes. Your vote for Medicaid expansion this November will help hundreds of thousands of Missourians who desperately need accessible healthcare during this public health crisis.
Update: Medicaid Expansion passed in the State of Missouri on August 4, 2020.
Thank you to all those who cast their votes!