Swine flu?
Posted by blackramfarm on April 29, 2009
Obama asks Congress for $1.5 billion to combat swine flu…..
According to the Federal Times , our President did indeed go to congress yesterday and asked for more money. Now who is going to argue against money for something as scary as a Pandemic? But really are we about to be in one or is this just hype?
I am sorry to be a bit suspicious about this, but there has been a flu like bug here in Vermont kicking people’s butts for at least 2 weeks. Linda and Judy got it week before last. Matt and Lili’s whole family got it last week. All of Matt’s symptoms were identical to swine flu and he has not been to Mexico recently. Jess over in Maine got it this past week and Bub says a bunch of folks at the hospital have been out with it.
| Epidemics (avail. data) | Year | Infected | Deaths | Mortality % | Death rate/1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish flu (worldwide) | 1918-19 | 500 million | 50 million | 10% | 100 |
| Asian flu (U.S.) | 1957 | 45 million | 70,000 | .16% | 1.6 |
| Hong Kong flu (U.S.) | 1968-69 | 50 million | 33,000 | .07% | .7 |
| Avian flu (worldwide) | 1990-today | 421 | 257 | 61% | 610 |
| SARS (worldwide) | 2002-03 | 8,096 | 774 | 9.6% | 96 |
| General flu (U.S.)[1] | yearly average | 50 million | 36,000 | .08% | .8 |
| Swine flu (worldwide) “confirmed” | as of 4/29/2009[2] | 273 | 7 | 2.6% | 26 |
Remember the Avian flu scare? High death rate if you got the bug, but less then 500 cases between 1990 and today. Take a look at the general flu information 36 thousand people are reported to die from it yearly.
So I gotta wonder about the severity of this new “outbreak” and the reaction by President Obama.
1.5 Billion no matter how I write it, it is still a lot of money that needs to come from somewhere. According to the national census there are about 304,059,724 Americans.
That translates to rougly 50 bucks per person.
So where is the money going to come from? Either the government will have to take money from some program or perhaps they will just print some more or perhaps they will bond it out to our buddies in China? And who do you throw the money at to fix this?
I am starting to feel sick to my stomach.
Lewis Lukens said
You go girl! Don’t let Ms. Dee with her silliness get to you. Nice response – very diplomatic of you – I may have a career in mind for you
blackramfarm said
Well Mr. Lukens,
Nice to see you here! I think that cutting my diplomatic teeth on the Solid Waste board is good practice for now.
Becky Chapman said
I feel sick to my stomach, too.
dee said
So what are you feeling ’sick to your stomach about’?
The cost, of $50 per person?
What an idiot you must be. When is the last time you bought prescription meds? I have paid $80 for 4 antibiotic pills. Praise the pharmaceutical industry!! Why don’t you blab about things that count? If you had ever had a deathly illness you would know a little more about life. What are you, about 23 years old??
Get some experience before you write…
blackramfarm said
HI Dee,
Thanks for the comment and your opinion. I hope you come back to my blog and read other posts to learn more about me. Remember that blogs are the creative output of the writer and you are not, by any means, forced to agree with anything you read.
I appreciate your comment and hope you continue to drop by the blog every once and a while.
Alexandra
blackramfarm said
yes, there certainly is a lot of talk about it. I certainly hope that it does not spread to where 25% of the population is affected or that more people die from it.
I am traveling to DC this weekend and I must say that I am certainly wondering what my risk will be.
themadblonde said
Weirdly, I had two homeless guys talk to me about it today on the street. Whatever the reality, the perception of it as a threat is INTENSE.