I'm Tired

You know what? I'm tired.

I'm not tired physically, but mentally and emotionally. I am tired of being under lockdown, of course, as are hundreds of millions of other people in the US and around the world. But I accept the need to be under lockdown, just as I accept the reasons why two of my spring trips have been canceled. We are in a public health crisis, and drastic actions must be taken.

What I am really tired of is the gross incompetence of the federal government that is supposedly leading the fight against this pandemic. I am tired of the fact the president ignored warnings of the coming pandemic. I am tired of knowing that he slashed the budget of the Centers for Disease Control. That he disbanded the high-level commission established by Barack Obama to deal with pandemics, and that he disbanded it solely because of his hatred and jealousy of Obama. 

I am tired of non-stop news coverage of the pandemic. I am tired of watching the nation's death toll climb every day, day after day. As I write this post, the US death toll is at 39,084. I am tired of public health officials and epidemiologists and other experts being ignored by a bunch of clueless politicians.I am tired of seeing healthcare providers without proper personal protective equipment. I am tired of stories about our most vulnerable, the frail and elderly, dying in nursing homes, their bodies piled into an extra room. I am tired of hearing about COVID-19 patients dying alone on hallway floors because there are no more hospital rooms available.

I am tired of Republican governors refusing to issue stay-at-home orders. I am tired of Republican governors opening beaches despite high numbers of people being diagnosed with Covid-19 in their states. I am tired of these same politicians putting money over human life. I am tired of comments by -- who else? -- Republicans that there is an acceptable number of deaths if it means the economy will return to normal. I am tired of the president encouraging civil disobedience by armed groups with his tweets to "Liberate Virginia!" or Michigan or Minnesota, all states with Democrat governors. 

I am tired of the federal government doling out essential medical supplies based on the party to which each state's governor belongs. I am tired of incompetent family members of the president being put in charge of critical decisions about this public health catastrophe.

I am tired of calls, and protest marches, demanding that governors rescind stay-at-home orders and that businesses be allowed to reopen. If we return to normal too quickly, there will be an uptick in cases of Covid-19, and more people will certainly die..

I am tired of how this pandemic has been turned into a political playground by the current administration. I am tired of the president-whose-name-I-will-not use use his daily briefings as campaign rallies to attack his opponents. Most of all, I am tired of the rampant greed and selfishness that has taken over so much of our country. 

So the economy can open or not open. I will continue to stay at home unless absolutely necessary. I will continue to wear a mask when I do venture out. I will continue to practice social distancing. And sadly, I will continue to be oh so tired of watching our federal government and far too many citizens ignore the call to do what is right and what is best for our country.