Many hospitals are full with patients in intensive care, have some patients in trucks in their parking lots, and are short of doctors and nurses since there aren’t enough of them. It isn’t possible to help all of the people all of the time. Dr. Joseph Varone is chief of staff at a hospital in Houston. He has worked for 349 consecutive days. It is about a year since the pandemic began. The time when an improvement might occur in all states could occur in late summer or all. Everything is subject to change and revisions.
There were three major events in 2020. All three are inter-connected. COVID-19 began early in the year. The virus caused a downturn in the economy. Joe Biden won the election by a wide margin. It took a long time for the results to be certified. Trump said when the coronavirus became a major story that it would be over soon. He changed that soon, but said it was a problem for the states, not for him. All is personal with Trump. Federal mishandling of the crises is a major reason why Biden won. The governors of individual states had a variety of approaches. States took in less revenue because of the crises and paid out more to their struggling residents. Even after the election a large part of the responsibility for the mob in the Capitol building on January 6 lies at the doorstep of Trump. Partisan politics still prevails. Senator Mitch McConnell contradicted himself. He said that Biden won the election fair and square and had a share of the blame for January 6. Then he voted not to impeach him and enthusiastically endorsed Trump as a candidate for 2024 along with many of his conservative Republican colleagues.
Bill Gates lives in Del Mar. He began for forty years with Microsoft, and as a leader in data processing and computer. Versatile Gates became a recognized authority on the virus. He has gone beyond that in the last few months by beginning to speak out about climate change. Gates says that,”We need to transform the way we do almost everything. Bill Gates and actor Robert Downey Jr. are among the backers of a new electric vehicle company TurnTide Electronics. Gates advocates switching to other forms of energy for the electrical grid than coal, and natural gas as fast as possible. He says that not just motor vehicles, airplanes, boats, and manufacturing plants use carbon dioxide. Even many tall buildings use carbon based energy. Reports from The Washington Post say that a 490 square mile glacier has broken off from Antarctica. It is larger than New York City.
Himalayan glaciers around the world are melting faster. It is also true of the ice shelf on Greenland. Congress will pass a bill in Congress despite stalling by Republicans soon. Biden may need another big bill to pass later in the year. Major challenges face the world which are fraught with complications. We shall see what will be.
Deuel Woodward resides in Chula Vista.
