Politics vs. health

Yes…the COVID crisis is now worse than before. I’d like to remind everyone, this is exactly what health care professionals told us last spring it would be like. So I find it so very interesting the disparity of views between politicians and the health care professionals regarding Gov. Inslee’s decisive action to protect people first.

It’s clear to me that Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Nadine Woodward and most of the other politicos aligned with the GOP are chiefly concerned about the economic effects and advocate the business-as-usual approach. They artfully sidestep addressing the real cost in human lives.

Health care workers, on the other hand, are unified in their approach to saving lives and trying to prevent the tragedy inflicted upon the loved ones left. At this current rate of spread, area hospitals are days away from overflow capacity. The need to make difficult sacrifices to prevent the spread of COVID is urgently upon us.

I hate the idea of people losing their jobs, but I hate the idea they are essentially held hostage to taking a real risk with their lives by elected officials more concerned with money than the lives of all their constituents. So the old playbook says attack the opposition, and that is what gets them re-elected. Ask Donald Trump how that’s working for him.

Follow money or follow your empathy and concern for those who will be here long after all that glitters is gone. Economies can be re-built; people cannot.

Len Hershman

Spokane