by Dorothy Marie Kucera

Created on: May 12, 2009

Yes, the media was unfair to criticize because Vice President Biden was trying to prevent people from dying and prevent companies from shutting down if all workers were sick. He was simply thinking through preventive ways to address this crisis. The media and other groups who pressured him should have been grateful for a reminder that traveling in close confinement spreads disease very fast. The media could have been more helpful by reminding people that if they had other health issues, this would be the time to find a creative alternative instead of using public transportation. The media could have remembered an earlier government warning a few years ago, i.e., that they wanted all businesses to start setting up employees to work from home so entire companies would not be closed with everyone sick at the same time. Yet another opportunity to inform the public properly was lost as they quickly shut our Vice-President down. It would be wise to remember that he is a grandfather, so uppermost in his mind, he could have been trying to protect children who seem to be most vulnerable to this flu.

The Swine Flu was and still is serious and at the time he spoke publicly, it was well known how contagious it was in character. He knew from public reports that it was following the 1918 Pandemic in how fast it was spreading to other countries of the world and to our U.S.A. cities, starting mild in the Spring but coming back with a vengeance in the Fall, as our national health director explained in interviews. He was merely following up on other public health warnings to avoid public places...didn't the media think public transportation falls under that category?

Let's be honest. What was really happening was fear that the economy would suffer if people avoided public transportation. Instead of finding creative alternatives to keep businesses functioning, everyone went into denial, pretending that the Vice President's comments were unwarranted. Why are people so ignorant today, unable to be analytical at all? Why is everyone in such a hurry to find "quick answers" instead of addressing the situation as it needs to be treated?

It seems to me that Vice-President Biden did a very good thing in trying to help people move from denial or panic into more productive analysis of how to protect themselves. Thank you! It was refreshing to hear the truth for a change, reality, instead of watching everyone fall off the cliff of denial as they prefer to "wing it" and ignore all precautions.

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