Cause
Before Science, treating the symptoms of an illness was all we had. Along our way, using trial and error, we found a few things that worked. The big breakthroughs came when we started to look for the causes of an illness. The association of an illness with toxins was deducible. Then, as we knew more and could see farther, we found that most of our physical illnesses were caused by such other things as bacteria, and viruses.
Still and yet, we see attempts to treat illnesses symptomatically. It wasn’t that long ago President Ford wanted to the nation to deal with the swine flu by treating the symptoms. Only yesterday, President Trump wanted us to treat the symptoms of COVID-19 with whatever occurred to him. At first look, it might seem that this approach could be cost effective. That look was 300,000 dead wrong. The most proximate cause of all these deaths was a Corona Virus, COVID-19. The cause next proximate was the refusal to acknowledge the first. The President didn’t want to acknowledge the reality of the pandemic. The people didn’t want to make the necessary changes to their lifestyles. Those 300,000 and more unnecessary deaths could have been prevented by acknowledging and addressing the pandemic, the cause.
Economics was the reason most often given for not addressing the cause of these unnecessary deaths. But good economics would have mandated the expenditures necessary to quickly produce one-billion N95 face masks, and install needed workplace safeguards. Just as good economics would mandate looking to the cause of our inequities and disparities in income and wealth.
Politics is another area where looking to the cause is of utmost importance. With such matters as the electoral college, the inherently unrepresentative Senate, and qualifications for the office of President; treating the symptoms of these flaws in the constitution isn’t even a short term solution. The Senate impeachment vote is a case in point: 34 GOP senators representing 34% of the Senate votes but just 14.5% of population could have blocked the conviction of a president who tried to violently overthrow American democracy. The flaws in the electoral college, not the people, selected Donald Trump in 2016.
The treating of social ills seems to bring out the worst in us. We are want to treat the consequences, the symptoms, of poverty, disparity, and injustice with increased policing, incarceration, …, when we should be looking to the causes.
If we are to successfully deal with climate change, we must address the causes of climate change.
Hmmm:
50 Dem Senators + 7 Repub Senators voted for impeachment. I believe this leaves 43 Repub Senators voting for acquittal. Reversed numbers?
Mo betta? Thanks.
Ken:
I juts read Prof. Heather’s commentary like I do every day. At the very bottom a tweet says 34 also. I am guessing you just excepted that numeric along with the percentage.
Also per MoJo: “On Tuesday, senators representing 153 million Americans outvoted senators representing 168 million Americans.” This relates to ~48% rejecting impeachment (slightly less).
Ken:
It is 43 Repub Senators representing 43% of the Senate voted against impeachment. Am I wrong on this numeric?
34 GOP senators representing 34% of the Senate votes but just 14.5% of population could have blocked the conviction of a president who tried to violently overthrow American democracy.
Ken:
Ok, I see the point now.
deductible => deducible. able to be deduced? not sure what we would subtract it from..
If we are to successfully deal with climate change, we must address the causes of climate change.
—
The utility of liquid fuels.
Compact energy, stable at room temperature, easy topship, and stores easily in a metal tank. How useful? After the 2008 recession we became the second OPEC,one of the two largest producers of fossil fuels. So useful, we will export more oil to pay for the green new jobs, in fact the next green deal depends on oil production, it is our surplus.
Escaping the trap requires solar to artificial liquid fuel. We have to decompose h20 or co2 at efficiency close to 10%, less than solar electric, but more efficient than solar to lithium.
“Just as good economics would mandate looking to the cause of our inequities and disparities in income and wealth.”Dropping from 35% unions (50% + sector wide bargaining agreements would have been better) to 5% (and dropping) is 90% of the palpable cause of our inequities and disparities. Federal labor law mandating regularly scheduled cert/recert/decert union elections at every private workplace — forget (trying to) organize (trying not to get fired) — just vote for what you want is the easily instituted remedy.https://onlabor.org/why-not-hold-union-representation-elections-on-a-regular-schedule/The Donald attracted his supporters by giving them a power fantasy. In a fully organized America (say German level union density) they would not need a power fantasy. Obama won these people by promising them something better.How the Obama Coalition Crumbled, Leaving an Opening for Trumphttps://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/23/upshot/how-the-obama-coalition-crumbled-leaving-an-opening-for-trump.html”He [Trump] didn’t merely run to protect the remnants of the industrial economy; he promised to restore it and ‘make America great again.'””… pinning Mrs. Clinton’s loss on low black turnout would probably be a mistake. Mr. Obama would have easily won both his elections with this level of black turnout and support. (He would have won Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin each time even if Detroit, Cleveland and Milwaukee had been severed from their states and cast adrift into the Great Lakes.)”Give them their union power back — let them have their 35%-50+% union density back without being fired for trying — inoculate America from the crazy right wing — and actually straighten out most of what needs to be straightened out while we are at it; not just promise.
February 14, 2021
Coronavirus
US
Cases ( 28,209,776)Deaths ( 496,208)
I am meticulously careful in posting, but the spacing is almost always wrong.
There are now 496,208 American coronavirus deaths, rather than 300,000. There was a momentous failure of the American public health system.
I tried, my posts are gone.
A useful point that might have been made is that with the recognition of disease causation came a revolution in public health–clean water and sanitary sewers–that has saved more lives than drugs or vaccines.
I always look forward to the writing of Ken Melvin, and this is intended with complete respect, but this essay is seriously flawed and needs rewriting.
Regarding covid deaths, we are well into the 1/2 million when considering excess deaths. A few years from now, I believe we will be taken back by the final numbers…if anyone is caring in 3 or 4 years.
Could be into a new pandemic by then.
It has been the experience of my lifetime, by far. Watching the understanding, the science, develop; the adaptation, however reluctant and slow, by the populace, …; still with little knowledge of the long term effects, …
Being reminded of the role of adaptation in our survival.
A useful point that might have been made is that with the recognition of disease causation came a revolution in public health–clean water and sanitary sewers…
[ Important, indeed. ]
Indeed, indeed.
“Just as good economics would mandate looking to the cause of our inequities and disparities in income and wealth.”
Dropping from 35% unions (50% + sector wide bargaining agreements would have been better) to 5% (and dropping) is 90% of the palpable cause of our inequities and disparities. Federal labor law mandating regularly scheduled cert/recert/decert union elections at every private workplace — forget (trying to) organize (trying not to get fired) — just vote for what you want is the easily instituted remedy.
https://onlabor.org/why-not-hold-union-representation-elections-on-a-regular-schedule/
The Donald attracted his supporters by giving them a power fantasy. In a fully organized America (say German level union density) they would not need a power fantasy. Obama won these people by promising them something better.
How the Obama Coalition Crumbled, Leaving an Opening for Trump
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/23/upshot/how-the-obama-coalition-crumbled-leaving-an-opening-for-trump.html
“He [Trump] didn’t merely run to protect the remnants of the industrial economy; he promised to restore it and ‘make America great again.’”
”… pinning Mrs. Clinton’s loss on low black turnout would probably be a mistake. Mr. Obama would have easily won both his elections with this level of black turnout and support. (He would have won Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin each time even if Detroit, Cleveland and Milwaukee had been severed from their states and cast adrift into the Great Lakes.)”
Give them their union power back — let them have their 35%-50+% union density back without being fired for trying — inoculate America from the crazy right wing — and actually straighten out most of what needs to be straightened out while we are at it; not just promise.
[second try — typed elsewhere and pasted here on first try — wish I could stick my links directly to my cites without an empty line in between]