Letter to the editor: Incompetence meets a pandemic

Some countries are responding to covid-19 with competent leadership. Germany and New Zealand took action with early, aggressive testing and quarantining. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern communicate with consistency and honesty, explaining to the public the magnitude of the threat, and, like Winston Churchill during World War II, preaching resolve and sacrifice for the common good.

What you don’t want during a pandemic is incompetence, but unfortunately, with President Trump, that’s what we got. Though he was warned in January, Trump dismissed the virus as a minor issue that would go away “like a miracle.” In February, Trump did almost nothing to prepare for a possible pandemic: no preparation of tests, ventilators or personal protective equipment. Instead, Trump prioritized golf and campaign rallies, and this lost month allowed cases to grow by a factor of over 1,000. Consequently, the United States now has one of the highest covid-19 death rates. Tens of thousands of American lives are being lost.

The coming months will bring more waves of covid-19, and sadly, Trump’s demented sermon of selfishness, impatience and blame is leaving us more vulnerable. If only we had a competent leader.

Paul S. Heckbert

Edgewood