Welcome to Trumpistan

Welcome to Trumpistan 2020!

The United States, once the greatest country on planet Earth, is now behaving like a third-world country. We are being 'led,' and I use that term loosely, by an incompetent, uneducated man-child who considers the worldwide coronavirus pandemic to be a hoax perpetrated by the Democratic Party to ensure his defeat in the 2020 election.

He has told lie after lie about the availability of coronavirus test kits (There aren't enough available). He has compared the virus to the flu. He refuses to listen to medical experts who actually know what they are talking about, and he appointed his clueless vice president to head the government's response. His spokesperson has declared that the orange buffoon won't get sick from the coronavirus because he sleeps very little. 

The stock market has dropped several thousand points, something he blames on either former President Obama or on the Democrats. The Republican-led Senate has refused to pass legislation designed to help Americans most affected by the virus by providing free coronavirus testing and paid sick leave (something many American workers don't have), but the party seems very willing to pass legislation to help bail out Wall Street. People are in a panic. They are hoarding bottled water and toilet paper. It is impossible to buy hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol. Airlines are slashing flights. Cruise ships are canceling cruises.

I went grocery early yesterday morning, as I often do as I usually get up very early. I was shocked by how crowded the parking lot was. The store was filled with people pushing carts loaded to the brim. Everybody, it seemed, had packages of toilet paper and paper towels. Sections of the meat and cheese cases were totally empty. Canned soups and crackers were available, but there were many empty spaces on the shelves. Cold and flu medications, as well as pain relievers such as Tylenol, were in short supply. Gallon jugs of water were nearly gone. I was able to buy a gallon of distilled water for my CPAP machine, however, although there weren't many gallons on the shelf.

Schools and colleges in several states, including mine, are closed for two or three weeks, or more. People are advised to stay at home. Church services, sporting events and community gatherings have been canceled. Restaurants are barely staying afloat.

People are in full-blown panic mode. They are hoarding everything. The panic is contagious. One of the cashiers commented that she hadn't planned to stock up on groceries, but now that she sees everybody else stockpiling food, she wants to do the same thing. too. I completely understand her feeling. What if I don't hoard groceries and toilet paper, and then when I need these items, there aren't any available because everybody is hoarding them? When people see others hoarding groceries or toilet paper, they follow suit. Herd mentality takes over, and it becomes every man/woman for him/herself. People are stealing masks from hospitals, where they are needed by the medical staff. People are stealing hand sanitizer,or buying huge quantities and then selling it (or trying to) at vastly inflated prices on eBay.

Some psychologists believe that hoarding gives people a sense of control during times, such as the coronavirus outbreak, when they have no control. And the bigger the item -- large packages of toilet paper, for instance -- gives a great sense of control.

What this country needs -- and what it clearly will not get -- is calm reassurance from the government that everything possible is being done to contain the pandemic. What we need to hear is a call to pull together, to watch out for each other, to care about each other. We should not need a reminder, but we need to do whatever we can to help the elderly and those with chronic health problems. We should be offering to pick up groceries for those for whom a simple trip to the grocery store may be a life-threatening event. We need to heed the advice of the professionals to stay home if we feel sick, to keep a proper distance from others if we must go out in public, to wash our hands frequently, and to not panic and hoard food and other items. Just remember that the 72 rolls of toilet paper you are hoarding may well mean that people who want to buy one package many not be able to find even a single roll.

But instead of calm reassurance and a call to work together -- along with medical professionals and governments at all levels -- we get more lies, conflicting information, and blame-Obama-and-the Democrats statements. And let us not forget the plans to slash the CDC's budget and cut food benefits to about 700,000 Americans. In the meantime, our so-called leader gloats about a big jump in the stock markets.

The GOP seems to be working to get rid of as many elderly, poor and ill people as possible. Without these people being a 'drain' on society, there should be more money for the Republicans to send to their favorite corporations and lobbyists.

America, we are better than this. We are better than hoarders and opportunists. Yes, this pandemic is inconvenient for everybody. But together, we can, and we will, get through it. Let's show the world, and each other, than we really are better than so many of us are now acting. Let's be better than the president who, despite shaking hands with a diplomat who tested positive for the coronavirus and who continued to shake hands with many others, refuses to be tested or to self-quarantine. He refuses to lead by example. We must lead by example and do the right thing.