The difference between them and us

Editor:

Leaders of the European Common Market and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have several things in common that leave them, and the current condition of their countries, in stark contrast to President Trump. They have had national requirements for wearing face masks and have enforced social distancing. They instituted economic recovery plans that kept people employed and they enjoyed universal health care that paid medical bills. They have the trust and respect of a majority of their citizens while they work together to defeat a common enemy. Finally, they invest in, believe in, and work with science.

President Trump said he believes face masks are not important and encouraged people in several states to protest social distancing. The $2 trillion U.S. economic recovery plan encouraged extended unemployment and Trump has consistently attempted to gut the Affordable Care Act which provides health care for millions of Americans.

Trump is a “nationalist” and has refused to work with other countries to defeat COVID-19, first defunding the World Health Organization and then withdrawing from it. He abolished the National Security Council’s Pandemic Response Team in 2018, cut funding to the Center for Disease Control by $690 million, and has never relied on science to help fight COVID -19.

The result of these differences and more is the Canadian and European economies are opening back up while ours is closing down. Coronavirus transmission rates in Canada and Europe are less than 20/100,000 while in the U.S. they are greater than 120/100,000. We are still fighting over face masks, enduring an increase in daily deaths and are a nation divided with our economy in chaos with no recovery plan while much of the industrialized world is slowly moving forward.

COVID-19 is out of control, our economy is a disaster, and both are due in large part to a terrible lack of leadership by President Trump.

Darlene & Dennis Bucheger

Greenwood