PROACTIVE TIMES

I have been highly critical of the Ontario Provincial Government recently regarding their "response" to the covid 19 pandemic. They haven't done much right over the last few weeks and months and I've been loud and eager to point out their shortcomings. I have also been expressing my wish for a government to become more "proactive" in their thinking, rather than "reactive", which is what we've been plagued with. I have also challenged many facebook friends with my views and have engaged in somewhat heated debates with them about this topic. Today, I challenged them to become more proactive and think ahead 6 months and come up with ideas to get us safely to the beginning of summer in these "pandemic" times. I have challenged myself as well, and this is my 6 month ( or longer ) proactive view.

1) In 6 months, the pandemic will still be with us. And I believe that we will be preparing for a third wave of covid 19. I can only hope the third wave will be less severe than the second wave, but we can't be certain of this. So, I am going to assume that, as we enter the summer 2021 and head towards fall, we need to plan for a third wave. And, even if a third wave doesn't materialize, we know that there will be a new pandemic just a few years ( decades ? ) away. So this alone makes me proactive. But there's more.

2) There is plenty of empty or even abandonned real estate in Ontario. If a third wave arrives, these spaces should be put to use. We know that Long Term Care ( LTC ) in Ontario has been a disaster ( more about this later ), so these empty buildings should be taken over NOW by the province and renovated/repaired to become new LTC facilities. We also know that our hospitals and especially their ICU's have been overwhelmed by covid patients. We should set aside some of these buildings as exclusively ICU hospitals dealing with covid patients. This will free up our existing hospital spaces for regular patients. Let's get at this NOW instead of waiting for the third wave.

3) LTC has been a gong show. We need to move NOW to remove LTC from private corporations and put them all directly under the control, ownership and supervision of the province. Make them an offshoot of the Ministry of Health. Make all workers at these facilities well trained, well paid professionals who work at ONE facility only. Make sure these workers have all the PPE they need to do their jobs. Remember, I'm thinking of 6 months down the road, but we should do these things NOW. We have failed our elders, and this is a stain on our society. We must fix it, regardless of cost. 

4) Six months from now, the weather will be warmer and the temptation to gather in larger groups for parties, and in bars and restaurants will be stronger. If our numbers of covid infection begin to decline, we still have much to worry about because not enough of these partiers will have been vaccinated against covid 19. Thus, the risk will still be there and the spread will happen, contributing to the third wave I discussed above. NOW is the time for the province to get serious about these large gatherings. Let's discuss enforcement and consequences for those who flagrantly disregard the established protocols. Let's talk about cottagers on the Canada Day weekend, or backyard barbeques, or bush parties. Let's establish tough penalties for those who attend these things. Let's throw people in jail and give them permanent criminal records for offenders. Let's raise fines of businesses who operate in contravention of provincial rules. Let's get tough NOW and then let everyone know what risks they run of they flaunt protocols .... and let's actually DO these tough measures instead of just talk about them.

5) We need to force people to get vaccinated against covid 19. No more talk of making it "optional" and "respecting people's rights" when they refuse the vaccine. We got rid of polio in the 50's and 60's because we forced people to get their children vaccinated. Let's do the same now. In six months, I want to see the majority of the province vaccinated, and those who refuse to vaccinate hit with severe fines and even jail time for this refusal. If they feel that their rights are being violated, they should be reminded that, with rights, comes repsonsibility. Also, if they feel that they are living in a Draconian society, we should encourage them to leave by making their names known so that they become ineligible for education or employment in Ontario. And we should deny them any health coverage under OHIP or other provincial medical insurance programmes. Time to get tough, people.

I humbly submit these for your consideration. These are my efforts at being proactive in the case of covid 19. Now, it's your turn. 

UMPTEEN ATTEMPTS

This is an attempt to see if the platform will conform to my wishes ….. mainly in regards to paragraphing.

I have been unable to create text in paragraphs. Let's see if this works.

COUP D'ETAT IN AMERICA

Donald Trump has successfully convinced 106 Republican members of Congress to support his bizarrely quixotic attempt to overturn the results of the recent US general election. This band of Trumpists are attempting to go back to the Supreme Court in an effort to nullify the election. There is no precedence for this in US history. Their chances of success are small, but the disturbing aspect in all of this is that they are trying to do this at all. American democracy used to be the envy of the world. Past elections were often hotly contested and the results have been disputed in some cases. But, after the disputes had been solved, the great tradition has always been the "peaceful transfer of power." Americans made a public display of this at the Inauguration: the outgoing President was always present to watch over the event and then was seen to gracefully leave the scene to the new incoming administration. Americans had always used this as proof that their democracy worked, and held it as an example to the less democratic corners of the world that this was how democracy was done. It was an impressive and important ceremony. Now, Trump seems bent of destroying this. He must not succeed. As imperfect as the American republican system is, it DOES work. And it works largely because it is SEEN to work. Optics count so much in politics. When the world sees outgoing and incoming Presidents on the same stage, participating in the same ceremony, with one leaving willingly and the other entering with the blessing of the assembled branches of government, they fully understand that a new administration is in charge. But Trump has thrown cold water on the whole proceeding. Other regimes around the world are now free to question the legitimacy of the Biden administration. Yes, the various states have certified his win. But without the ceremony of the "peaceful transfer of power", there will always be the nagging shred of doubt. This will be a nasty burr in the saddle for Biden as he attempts to restore order to the American chaos. It will be difficult for him to overcome this. Thus, Trump will accomplish another major disruption to the American way of life. And that is entirely what he sought to do when he launched his bid to become President back in 2015. He has no interest in actually governing or solving problems. His goal was the furtherance of the Trump brand. And, in defeat, he will continue to do this. To what end ? Nobody actually knows. Least of all, Trump himself. There is a strange personal benefit to him to simply be a headline, a public figure ( whether a significant or comic figure ) to massage his massive and sensitive ego. That's what this is all about. American democracy has survived so many significant things. It is sad that the single thing to completely undermine it, and perhaps destroy it, is a pathetic man's ego.

AMERICA THE BIZARRE

In the days since the election, we have seen the outgoing President bluster about election fraud, recounts, judicial challenges and remaining in office. He has refused to concede to the President-elect. He has refused to begin the process for a smooth transition of power. He has gone on twitter rampages. And his followers and sycophants have done his bidding, lauching lawsuits that have failed, blustering on TV and social media about the impending armageddon when the new administration is sworn in, and trying to physically halt vote counting and intimidate any state politicians who claim their supervision of the election was done properly. None of this is particularly surprising, given the track record of the Trump administration or their supporters. In fact, it was expected. What is surprising, though is the completely silent reaction to all of this on the part of the rest of the country. Trump's constant bombast against the legitimacy of the election results is having at least a small effect on many Americans. It is now being reported that the number of people who are beginning to question the election results is going up. It seems to prove the old axiom that if you tell a lie and then repeat it often enough, it begins to take on the aura of truth, even though it is a falsehood. Why are Americans allowing this to happen ? Why have they not taken to the streets around the White House protesting loudly and vigorously and demanding that the orange madman at least concede ? If there is such a large corps of Americans who truly hate Trump and who voted against him, why are they silently sitting this out ? It would seem that, by doing so, they are increasingly implying consent to the President's tactics. The United States is a strange and unpredictable country. The rest of the world held its breath on election night, and then for the next few days as the vote totals were counted and the Electoral College tallies ticked agonizingly but surely in Biden's favour. America got it right, the world must've thought as Biden finally eked out a win. But he hasn't really won yet. His transition is being held up. He is not getting essential official briefings on security, the economy and, most importantly, on covid-19. The lawsuits, while failing, are still nipping at his heels. He's being hamstrung before his administration has gotten started. It's stillborn. And that has dire consequences. Americans are undoubtedly fatigued by all of this. Trump's administration has been draining. The election was divisive. The pandemic is cutting a wide swath through the population and, once again, overwhelming their chaotic health-care "system." The racial divide, which was a huge factor in the voting, is still a raw wound that will not heal. Or, perhaps, there is something more sinister at work here. Americans have always been fascinated by the raw underbelly of society. They revel in the bizarre, the ugly, the perverse, the violent. They are mesmerized by gangsters, thugs, and fighters. Even when they know it's wrong to root for these creatures, they do it anyway. They love the anti-hero, the gunslinger, the punk. And, in this case, even if they didn't vote for him, they find Trump and his band of troublemakers compelling and entertaining. They don't want the freak-show to stop. They don't want the carnival to end. There's a part of their psychological make-up that is getting an immense jolly out of this. And it will destroy their democracy more surely than if Trump had actually won the election. It's no longer "America the Beautiful" .... it's "America the Bizarre." And it will unfold in all its sordid glory as certainly as the sun will come up tomorrow.

THE FAT LADY STILL SINGS

As of this writing, (Nov.4, 2020, 1:52 pm) the US presidential election is undetermined. Votes are still being counted in several key states. Biden clings to a slim lead in the Electoral College, while Trump blusters about having already won and warns about fraud due to the high number of mail-in votes, which seem to tilt towards Biden. Important races in the US Senate, House and many state Governorships also hang in the balance. The world holds its breath.

Lessons can be learned from this.

First, we should never put any real faith in pre-election polling. As in 2016, it seemed as though the Democratic candidates would achieve a solid victory. This year, Democrats were musing out loud about a "blue wave" that has, obviously, not materialized. Despite the advances in analytics, polling doesn't give anything close to an accurate reading in how an election will actually turn out. Polling only finds out what contacted persons MIGHT do on election day, and does not prevent people from lying, playing deliberate games of misinformation, or changing their minds. Do not put any faith in polls.

Second, we must now acknowledge that the "Trump" phenomenon is real. It is no longer just a "one-off." Four years ago, many pundits tried to explain his win as a sign of disaffection and anger in the political system. It's obviously more than that. Those two conditions still exist, but "Trumpism", more of an attitude than a coherent political philosophy, is a genuine entity that thrives now because its supporters have become emboldened by electoral success. Even if Trump ends up losing the Electoral College, he can point to the popular vote and claim that he has widespread support in all states. This is an undeniable fact. And, because of that, the grievances and values of Trump's supporters must be listened to. They are not merely a bunch of "cranks" or racists, although those things are part of the Trump package.

Third, we must continue to put faith in democratic institutions. The vote is being counted slowly because the Elections Commission is dedicated to getting the result right. There is no evidence of widespread fraud as Trump claims. When the final results are counted, we will know who the next President will be, not because Trump claims he has won. Democracy is still alive in the United States, at least for the present.

Fourth, as much as we know that Trump has millions of supporters, we also know that there are millions of Americans who reject the attitudes and values of the Trumpists. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote four years ago, and it seems that Biden will do so again. While that does not get the Presidency for the Democrats, it does show the world that decent people live in the United States, and these people have no time for racism, xenophobia, homophobia, mysogeny, ultra capitalism, and anti-intellectualism. We must applaud and support these Americans as they struggle for their ideals and beliefs.

The results will not be known for a while yet. Keep calm. Keep the faith. America is either in labour, giving birth to a new identity. It is a difficult labour. Or it could be the republic's death throes. Time will tell.