Monthly Archives: October 2014

Politicians pandering to New Yorkers Ebola hysteria

Governatorial candidate Rob Astorino calls for a ban on travelers from the African nations battling the Ebola epidemic (Times Union, 10/21/2014). In doing so Mr. Astorino reveals itself for qualities not desirable in an elected civil servant, let alone an elected Governor of the Empire State of New York. Mr. Astorino and those who support his candidature, including those expecting to vote for him, need to clarify to fellow New Yorkers whether Mr. Astorino call for the travelling ban manifests either pandering, ignorance, insensitivity or lack of confidence in the State’s health and medical personnel and organizations, or is it all of the above? Is Mr. Astorino pandering to those gripped in the current Ebola hysteria (usually triggered by ignorance)? In this regard, we might take heed of the warning against the ban by Shikha Dalmia in The Week (mentioned in Times Union, 10/21/2014). Or is he revealing a Governor likely to proposed policies or exercise leadership based on ignorance of the facts and of the harmful consequences? For instance, is Mr. Astorino proposing to deny entry to US citizens from such countries and further is he proposing to deny such citizens access to Ebola treatment in the United States? Is he proposing to abandon to their fate, the black citizens of the Ebola affected countries, impoverish as they are and struggling not only to contain but to survive the ravaging epidemic? Is Mr. Astorino, in his pandering, intimating a lack of confidence in the ability of New York medical and health professionals and organizations, including state’s health civil servants to protect fellow New Yorkers from an Ebola epidemic? In this regard, what does Dr. Steven Beutler mean by asserting the “US health care system is ill-equipped? … to handle an infectious disease, say like Ebola? (Mentioned in the Times Union 10/21/2014). Is he referring also, to the US readiness to contain and eradicate the Enterovirus epidemic that has killed or harmed hundreds of people? Or is Dr. Beutler joining Mr. Astorino in the pandering of the Ebola hysteria?

As I said, we need clarification from Gubernatorial candidate Astorino. And not hearing otherwise, we are entitled to surmise that the answer to our anxious queries is an unequivocal YES.

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