If Everything Is A Crisis . . .

What do all of these have in common?

Global Cooling
H1N1
Swine Flu
Killer Bees
Avian Flu
Y2K
SARS
Global Warming a.k.a. Man-Made Climate Change a.k.a. Climate Change a.k.a. Climate Crisis
2012 (Mayan Calendar)
MERS
Donald Trump and the 2016 Presidential Election

Ready? Oh, this is so easy that you're gonna kick yourself if you missed it: According to the media (and our political "leaders"), we were all GONNA DIE!!

That's right. The above list is just a sampling of the things that the media cried over. And to show just how intellectual the elite media are, they would use (and still use) a word coined in 1475 to label anyone who would not whole-hardheartedly agree with them: denier.

Today we are in the midst of a real pandemic. One not seen here in the United States since 1918. And it may actually be serious. Oh, I'm not being a "denier" of the coronavirus. Not in the least. But, I'm wondering HOW serious it might actually be. As of today, the stats are as follows:

The first case reported in the US: 1/22/2020
February 1: 8
March 1: 42 (2 deaths)
April 1: 212,747 (4,746 deaths)
April 18: 724,895 (34,178 deaths)

As an Ohioan, the first three cases were reported on 3/9/2020
April 1: 2,547 (65 deaths)
April 18: 10,222 (451 deaths)

Looking at the stats, things seem quite grim. The numbers are exponentially rising when it comes to confirmed cases and especially deaths. And yet, both President Trump and Governor DeWine (and I'm sure many others) are looking at slowly lifting the quarantines that have been slowing the spread of the disease. I can't talk about the impact upon the economy at an individual level, as my wife is a public school teacher working from home and I work in a company that supports the telecommunications industry (therefore, "essential"), so we are both working (thank you Lord). However, on the macro level, the impact has been substantial. Yet, after only about a month of quarantine (here in Ohio), is it really advisable to start lifting it? Can the hospitals handle the possible increase in cases? Do we have the supplies? Are people willing to keep their distance and wear masks? How serious is this?

Now, the media has been ever vigilant in their reporting of how terrible a job President Trump has done when it comes to this. Mainly, because he was a "denier" initially. To be honest, I don't blame him.

Please scroll back to the top and review that list.

Now, take a deep breath.

Let it out slowly.

I blame the media. It is their fault and they should be held responsible for every occurrence and EVERY DEATH from this pandemic. And here's why:

I'm a big fan of two Microsoft Office Suite products: OneNote and Outlook (the desktop version). When writing an email in Outlook, you can choose the priority of the message as High, Normal, and Low. All emails are Normal by default. I had a coworker that would send every email as High priority. Do you know what happens when all emails are sent as High priority? NONE of them are High priority.

That's our media. Everything is a crisis and we should pay attention to them because they are more knowledgeable than you and therefore are the arbiters of truth. Horsepuckies!

To be more accurate, they are more like the "The Boy Who Cried Wolf".

They have always been more concerned with selling advertising dollars than reporting the news. And because everything has been a crisis, nothing is a crisis. And they are surprised when people are not listening when there is a REAL "wolf"?!?

I'm no expert. This is nothing but My Humble But Accurate Opinion. And yet, maybe, just maybe, we should keep our distance for a bit longer.

And stop listening to the media when they cry, "Wolf!"

©Emittravel 2020

The President's Novel Idea

President Obama has a unique plan to handle the financial crisis, but it will only work if Republicans will get off of their high horses and embrace it. For every $1 in tax revenue (a.k.a. "increases"), there will be $2 in spending cuts. Novel! And it will work! The solution to the growing debt has been found. President Obama has shown his incredible, breathtaking intellect at work.

Not so quite. Here is what I want to tell Republicans (and fiscally-minded Democrats - and I know you are out there!):

Ronald Reagan was offered the same plan. He found that the only way to get significant spending cuts would be to accept this and raise taxes.

George H.W. Bush was offered the same plan. Mr. "read my lips: no new taxes" embraced this plan as the only way to get significant spending cuts.

How did that work out? They both accepted tax increases (hurting Reagan's reputation of limited government and literally eliminating Bush's chances for re-election). The promised spending cuts? NEVER HAPPENED. And what did you get? The Democrats trumpeting how the non-tax-increase Republicans LIED and increased taxes when election time came around. They don't care about the debt: they only care about getting votes (and unfortunately, so do you Republicans.) The ruse? "Compromise." In order for the media to show that you are willing to compromise, you need to accept what the Democrats are dishing out. If you don't, you are obstructionists to progress.

If I were you, I would demand to see those cuts put into action FIRST, and THEN allow the tax increase. You know, "show me the cuts, and then I'll show you the money".

Hurt me once, shame on you. Hurt me twice, shame on me. Hurt me three times??

© Emittravel 2012

Stuff My Brain Says #52

You have to understand, the media can't help but give their opinions. 9/11 has changed news in a profound way. Gone are the days of morning, 6 pm and 11 pm news broadcasts. Now you have 24-hour news. Really? There are enough things happening to provide 24-hour news? Of course not. And the repetition would be mind numbing. So, they speculate, postulate, and opinionate. There are discussions with "experts" - usually via a lopsided panel. Human-interest stories to give you the "heart" of the matter at hand. And on and on.

Also, being owned by the entertainment industry doesn't exactly help either.

© Emittravel 2012

Stuff My Brain Says #48

You know, the debates are way overrated. The moderators are "esteemed members of the press" and not REAL debate moderators. These folks are "owned" by the entertainment industry and their focus is ratings - not news. They thrive on conflict, because conflict increases viewership - and viewership, through advertising dollars, pays the bills. 

What is needed are REAL debate moderators. You know, the ones that moderate debate clubs in high schools and colleges. Sure, bias will still be an issue, but have you ever watched one of those debates? They are time sticklers. They don't allow people to have open, interrupting-each-other arguments. There are rules that have to be followed, or time is deducted, as well as points. 

When they finally get around to leaving these media bozos out of the debates and bring in REAL moderators I'll watch. Until then? There are always old "Cheers" episodes on Netflix . . .

© Emittravel 2012

Stuff My Brain Says #27

One of the more current events in this election cycle is the amount of money Mitt Romney makes, the amount of taxes he pays, and the amount he is worth. This is being pushed by the media as a negative to Romney, and I find it parroted by people who apparently have difficulty producing anything resembling an original thought. Here's one for you: name me the last presidential candidate that had a gross income of $30k or less (in today's dollars), and STILL became President. That's right: the office of the President is deemed for the wealthy; the, dare I say, "evil one percenters". So, Romney's wealth is NOT news. If he DID make only $30k/yr, THAT would be news. Move along folks. Nothing to see here.

© Emittravel 2012

Stuff My Brain Says #18

I'm no member, but I do like the Tea Party movement. Why? Anything that the media and politicians hate so much HAS to be a good thing.

Sort of reminds me of an episode of Hogan's Heroes: There was a bomb that fell in the compound that did not detonate. In the scene Hogan has to choose between two colored wires to cut. He asks Klink, "Which would you cut?" and Klink replies with one of the colors. At that point Hogan cuts the other wire. When questioned he responds, "I wasn't sure which was the right one, but I was certain you'd pick the wrong one."

Again, anything the media and politicians hate so much HAS to be a good thing.

© Emittravel 2011