Donald Trump has spent the last few weeks trying to stop the publication of books that reveal who he is. But he's also worked very hard to conceal data on the pandemic which is devastating the United States. Paul Krugman writes:
Nobody should be surprised that the Trump team is trying to suppress bad news about the pandemic. This was completely predictable given the Law of Obama Projection: Every right-wing conspiracy theory about President Barack Obama was an indication of what Republicans wanted to do themselves, and would do once they had the power.
The Trump administration recently ordered hospitals to stop reporting Covid-19 data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sending it to a private contractor instead. As a result, hospitalization data, a key pandemic indicator, disappeared from the C.D.C. website before being reinstated after a widespread outcry.
And some Republican-controlled states, notably Georgia, have for months been massaging coronavirus data, presenting it in misleading ways that understate the problem.
Trump keeps insisting, falsely, that the only reason we’re seeing so many cases is too much testing, so his aides are trying to mollify him by holding testing down.
Donald Trump doesn't know much. But he does know that knowledge is power. And that knowledge can -- and will -- be used against him.
Image: flickr.com
8 comments:
We've seen this all before, Owen.
Mar 2011. NRC Press privatized to Canadian Science Publishing, removing Open Access to many articles
Mar 2011. NSERC reduces funding for basic research...
It's just another front in the conservative war on science. Conservative policies have proven to be such failures in practice that the only way to maintain support is through faith-based magical thinking. Science is the enemy of that and must be destroyed.
Cutting off access to data through scrapping the long-form census, closing environmental libraries and programmes and defunding research that would undermine the interests of big business was a big part of the Harper agenda. It was shocking then but it's been SOP under Trump. Expect more of the same whenever the Cons get reelected here.
Cap
Thanks for the link, Cap. Conservatives have declared war on knowledge and education -- because both expose the myths that are at the core of what they stand for.
Because pols have shown that Republicans have been unable to hide what has happened because of their refusal to take science seriously, many seem now to be taking it more seriously. Perhaps this improved regard for science is one benefit arising from the Pandemic. People often learn from self-imposed suffering and injury regardless of their political stripes.
CED
And that is why political organizations such as those created and run by people like Harper and Kenney want to funnel more and more of Public Education monies to evangelical separate educational facilities, rather than to those that are free and open to all members of society.
When one takes a closer look at them, they more and more seem to be taking on the attributes of a cult, rather than an educational institution. How often do you hear many of these "concerned" parents blathering on that they don't want their children influenced by all those "left wing commy" teachers? They have no respect for any of the sciences or any other subject that encourages children to question the status quo (e.g. think for themselves).
The old adage continues to hold true, CED: Nothing concentrates the mind like the prospect of hanging in the morning.
For some folks, Lulymay, education means indoctrination.
.. 'loss of power' is a gutting phenomena (for most, but not all) Its often the ejection from the trough.. no longer can you slurp rudely at the head table.. thus the fountain of the public dime is denied you. The attendant law firms want you to 'show them the money' and you no longer have the taxpayer paying for your failures. In my view its why carpetbagging political animals became entrenched in Alberta.. and 97% of Canada's 'vast oil reserves' 'all that wealth in the ground' became 'ethical' aka holy moly blessed.. Well folks.. its Bitumen.. not Brent or West Texas Intermediate.. it aint even the offshore Newfie light sweet crude.. its just Bitumen.. and Canada will never remediate the tar sands.. just token tiny show pieces
The 'cling to power' of a Trump or Harper or a Jason Kenney will remain just that.. a 'cling' of a parasite.. and the gyrations of such political grifters and swindlers will go on as before.. naked greed, arrogance wrapped in situational 'ethics' or 'christianity' & holier than thou pedantics.. smartest guy in the room posturing.. They pretend its 'Governance'
It's interesting how these grifters claim to be public servants, sal. In reality, they know they're heading downhill -- and they're going to grab as much as they can before the ride comes to an end.
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