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We deserve better than this. America, we deserve better than this. This is the United States of America, the most advanced nation in the whole history of humankind. The United States of America has the most robust economy in the world. Since World War II until now, the United States of America has led the world in scientific advancement. Even so, today the United States of America is leading the world in the number of COVID-19 cases. Let me get this straight, this most advanced nation in the history of the world, leads 188 nations in COVID-19 deaths! Is that bizarre or what?

How can it be that this most advanced nation is the leader in COVID deaths? We have the best science, right? Until now, the United States Center for Disease Control led the world in bringing the deadliest diseases under control. In 2014, the Obama administration took the lead to head off an Ebola outbreak. There were 22,500 cases of Ebola in West Africa, with almost 9000 deaths. Here in America, U. S. medical teams treated 12 Ebola patients, all but two recovered. More than that, the Obama administration actually did a pandemic gaming for the Trump presidency during the transition.

The nearly 6,000,000 cases of COVID-19 along with the more accurate count being over 200,000 deaths are the highest numbers of the infection in the world! As shown by the Obama approach to Ebola, It did not have to be this way. The United States of America is suffering more of this calamity than any other nation on this planet. How can that be in this America?

As Americans we deserve better. We are accustomed to being the best not the worst. When we think of those high standards, it applies to everything we do, whether its sports or the race to the moon. When it comes to freedom and democracy, the United States is the world leader. Yet, here we are dead last when it comes to our existence vis--vis COVID-19.

The major problem when it come to our president and this deadly virus is that President Donald Trump is severely challenged in several ways, intellectually and morally.

Intellectually, the President has labeled himself to be a very stable genius. He deludes himself. Nothing could be further from the truth. Of all of the presidents who preceded him, it would be a stretch to find any of our presidents being less informed than President Donald Trump. On a trip to Pearl Harbor, Chief of Staff General John Kelly reports that the President wanted to know what was the significance of Pearl Harbor? He has elevated and legitimized ignorance.

More recently, he inquired of some of his scientists, whether or not we could inject disinfectant to clean the inside like it does on the outside. His niece, Mary Trump, Ph.D., from her inside the family tell all, informs us that he paid a friend to take exams for him. While the President was an undergraduate student at the prestigious Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania, one of his professors reported that Donald Trump was the dumbest student he ever taught. More recently, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has described the President as being a moron.

While these reports provide examples of Trump being intellectually challenged, more directly related to the pandemic we face, Donald Trump is a science-denier. He believes in conspiracy theories. As he says, One day this virus will just fade away. That shows no understanding or respect for how the virus behaves. Because of his ignorance on the subject, he sends mixed messages when it come to policies and practices to combat COVID. The mixed messages have put us all in danger. Clearly, our being number one in cases and deaths are the result of this presidents leadership or lack thereof.

On an interview on CNN, an Indian scholar was asked how is it that the numbers in Asian nations were so much better than ours. Even in India the numbers when it came to cases and deaths, our numbers pale in comparison. New Zealand had no cases, no deaths. Yet, our numbers continue to be outrageous. How could that happen?

The scholar from India said it was simple. Many of the Asian and other developing nations know that to solve their problems, they need government. And to learn how to make government effective, they were trained right here in the United States. They believe in government and they make government work.

What we have here is leadership from a White Nationalist Tea Party that is largely libertarian, funded by libertarians who do not believe in government and an inept president. Between Donald Trumps ignorance of the problem as a science-denier and his party have no commitment to making government work. Consequently, we are the losers in the COVID race. Most of these Tea Party Republicans have signed the Grover Norquist pledge, in which he argues that he wants government so small you can drown it in a bathtub.

Ineptitude and ideology are what we face in this president and we have yet to address the corruption and the threat to steal the election by sabotaging the Post office.

Robert Newby is professor emeritus in the department of sociology, anthropology, and social work at Central Michigan University.

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Column: It didnt have to be this way - The Morning Sun