This story first appeared at ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
A situation no one could have predicted.
Sad!
Public/Private Partnerships in action.
They said there would be “Death Panels” and I didn’t believe them.
With key health experts cut out of the decision-making process, including the state epidemiologist and local officials who were stripped of their ability to issue their own restrictions, the governor and the commission quickly swept aside restrictions meant to slow the virus’s advance in Utah.
Well, now I’m shocked!
I just put my ancient runes and stones into a hat, and it’s telling me that God will protect them…if they wear masks, hire contact tracers, don’t assemble into large groups indoors, and obey the advice of medical professionals.
Otherwise, they are going to hell.
I grew up in the poor/minority neighborhood in Salt Lake City, and my dad and many friends still live there. Last time I checked, it had been hit the hardest, because a lot of essential workers live in the neighborhood. Friends of my father have been hit with it, and some of mine…and it’s frustrating listening to many of the other ones in the area who are either freaked out about what’s going on compared with others who are listening to the Republican propaganda. And, my dad keeps going out to see and do things, despite me (a scientist) telling him the real story…I wonder when I’ll have to go up and deal with the consequences of that.
It seemed like UT was on top of things, which shouldn’t have been a surprise…the Mormons dealt with severe conditions when they first moved there so preparing for disaster is part of the culture. Reading that the economic concerns were placed above the medical ones is actually surprising, I didn’t think the commercial Republicans had moved into a place where they could ignore the Mormon imperatives to prepare for disaster and take care of people. It’s why Trump isn’t popular in UT, but I guess the political and church interests have intertwined more than I realized.
UT is the conservative state that should have handled this best, if they are failing this badly then the other conservative states, where the tradition of taking care of people isn’t nearly as strong, are really screwed.
Totally brilliant. And well deserved…