Day 1164, Ideology and Science 

 

You have a deadly problem when your ideology

Might keep you from accepting epidemiology.

Your understanding may be hindered by long-held belief,

While ignorance, poor education also compound grief.

 

It’s pretty clear from all Trump’s statements, he can’t comprehend

The charts and data showing COVID’s exponential trend.

But, “can’t” or “won’t” is not so clear, since Donald trusts his gut.

His lack of science education slammed his thinking shut.

 

Though Donald thinks he understands, nobody else thinks so.

Trump told us this would go away; meanwhile, we watched it grow.

The COVID 19 epidemic, exponential still:

Trump tells us, “be appreciative,” as ICU beds fill. (1)

 

You have to take expert advice to lead effectively.

If you resist that, as Trump does, you lead defectively.

Resisting science tends to cluster in religious folks

And, some conservatives have claimed the whole thing is a hoax.

 

And Trump himself has made that claim and not too long ago.

A hundred thousand cases dealt the “hoax” a fatal blow.

A hundred thousand cases: many times that yet to come,

Show that resisting science, based on your beliefs, is dumb.

 

But, worse than that, it’s fatal, for delays to intervene,

By social distancing and testing, even quarantine,

Mean more disease, more deaths in overwhelmed facilities.

And that is where we find ourselves with this world-wide disease.

 

(1)  Friday, March 27, 2020, in his coronavirus briefing, the president said that governors needed to be “appreciative” of the aid he was sending them.  Insufficient praise leads to being passed over for aid.