COVID-19 and The Election

As I am sure you are aware, we are in the midst of a global pandemic that, as of writing this, has killed over a million people worldwide and almost a quarter of a million here in the United States. We are living in an unprecedented and uncertain time. Many people are working from home, and many students are learning from home. So many people are losing their jobs, losing their loved ones, and losing their lives. There are also people who need to go into work every day to keep the country going; these people risk their lives every day for others.

Throughout this pandemic, as people face unprecedented challenges, Donald Trump has done virtually nothing to help stop the spread of the virus. He has been dishonest with the American people about the seriousness of the virus and what should be done to stop the spread. He has consistently ignored scientists, at times even mocking them. He has not worn a mask, and he and of his family and the White House staff have become infected. While he was treated with the best medical care in the country, others were still dying. He has created so much division, that wearing a mask, which should be an issue of public health, has now turned into a political issue.

If Donald Trump had been proactive and up front with the American people, countless lives could have been saved. If Donald Trump listened to scientists, countless lives could have been saved. If Donald Trump was not holding rallies, which are known to be super spreader events, many fewer people would have contracted COVID.

I want to go back to school. I want to hug my friends. I want to go to camp. I want to travel. When I go to college, I want to be able to fully enjoy the experience. I want to have a normal life again. While my problems are insignificant compared to those losing jobs, losing loved ones, or not knowing where their next meal will come from, I can not return to my regularly scheduled programming until people start taking the virus seriously and there is an effective, widespread vaccine. The economy can not get back to where it was before COVID if people do not take the virus seriously. People can not go back to school full time until the virus is taken seriously. People will not stop dying at an obscene rate until the virus is taken seriously by all Americans.

This is not a political issue, this is a public health issue, and unlike Donald Trump, Joe Biden knows that. Joe Biden will take action to stop the spread of the virus instead of saying “it is what it is.” He knows that this virus is not a hoax and is something to be taken seriously. He will listen to scientists. Joe Biden will lead our country forward, while Donald Trump’s complacency will lead to the loss of countless more American lives.