Swine Flu: a national emergency? or a distraction?

The Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel headline for Sunday, October 25th screams:  "Swine flu a national emergency." 

Oh, really. 

Looks like President Obama has gone ahead and declared that the swine flu outbreak is indeed a national emergency.  And we know that Obama's Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel,  has stated in the past that "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste."   Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius now has more power and authority to bypass federal rules regarding the operations of hospitals and alternative care sites.   And the government has taken another step towards grabbing more power in controlling the population of America because of Obama's declaration.

However, the real questions that need to be asked are: is swine flu a REAL crisis?  or a distraction?

I think the "real crisis" is the Obama presidency.  Obama & Co. know they are in trouble - big time.  Obama is sinking in the polls as many Americans are against his socialist policies and plans for America.  Obamacare is on life support, as people are protesting against socialized medicine and more government intrusion into our day-to-day lives.  We see the president putting our country in debt, the likes of which we have never seen before and may never recover from.  Trillions upon trillions of dollars being spent - and owed.  People continue to lose jobs.  Businesses are closing, or leaving America.  We see Obama waffling for weeks on Afghanistan, unable to make a simple decision:    send more troops as requested by his own hand-picked general in order to win?  or refuse to send more troops and lose.   Which will it be?   Instead of focusing on the war in Afghanistan,  Obama sure seems to have enough time on his hands to wage his own war on Fox News....go figure.  So, with people disgusted with the White House, Obama, and the Dems in Congress and the Senate, what to do?  2010 is shaping up to be a disaster for the Democratic party.   Seems like a distraction is needed. The attention of the American people needs to be diverted -away from the bumbling incompetence, lies,  and misdeeds of the president and the White House.  The current "crisis of the day" - Global Warming -  has run its course.  More people are realizing  the hype about global warming may not exactly be true and that  there is no dire catastrophe looming on the horizon....

So, next up, Swine Flu.  The "crisis du jour."

But is swine flu a "crisis?"  Every year 36,000 people die from flu-related symptoms from the seasonal flu.  200,000 are hospitalized.  Contrast this to the latest H1N1 numbers:  from August 30, 2009 until October 10, 2009 - there have been 292 H1N1 deaths.  Two hundred and ninety two.   Now, in no way am I making light of those figures - it is sad that some have died from H1N1.  In most of these cases, the deaths from H1N1 occurred in people who already had some pre-existing health problems.  Yet, is this an epidemic?  Time to panic?  Remember, every year in our country, over 30,000 people die from the flu!  Yet, every year, the president has not declared a "state of emergency."  Because the flu is a fact of life.  Many people get sick, some die.  Year after year.    Regarding the Swine Flu,  the Center for Disease Control issued this statement:    "Most people are just getting mild flu symptoms and a few days later they are fine."  National emergency?  No.

On a personal note, several weeks ago our middle child was ill.  She had body aches, chills, a slight fever, and just felt horrible.  Looking on the website which described "swine flu" symptoms, I immediately called our family physician and got her an appointment a few hours later.  Upon arriving at the clinic, she was asked to don a surgical mask, and we waited in a room to see the doctor.  Prior to the doctor's visit, a nurse came in - decked out in scrubs, a face mask, face shield, and surgical gloves.  Guess that is standard procedure when one could be exposed to "swine flu" (however, I sat there completely unprotected, no mask, etc.  The health professionals must figure anyone in the same household is probably already exposed?).  Anyhow, the nurse did most of the exam up front.  Our child had a fever, but we were told it was not consistent with swine flu - it was below 100 degrees.  We were also told several interesting things:  people with swine flu usually have sore throats for some time,   they also have a fever over 100 degrees for several days, and the usual flu symptoms are common, too.  They concluded right off the bat that our child did not have swine flu. She did not even need to be tested.  They also said that many people are getting the usual flu -as is common every year.  The symptoms are quite close to swine flu.   And there are also various strains of swine flu - some people may have a mild case and not even realize they had it.  For some it is more severe, but goes away after a period of time.  Our daughter was fine after a couple of days.   There are so many strains of flu out there, it is difficult to pinpoint what type anyone has at any given moment.  And no one in our family has gotten a flu vaccine - except my husband who was required to, since he works in a hospital.

This leads to another key point.  Everyone in America is aware that Obama & the Obama government want to take over the health care system.  One of the biggest power grabs imaginable.  Yet, with the "swine flu" epidemic in the forefront, we are witnessing various cities either seeing people refusing to be vaccinated (Milwaukee public health workers had 1,200 doses sitting unused after two days of "free clinics" to vaccinate anyone who wanted it), or shortages.    Clinics in Chicago ran out quickly and had to turn people away.  In other areas, people waited in line for hours - in the cold or freezing rain.  Yet, not enough vaccines available.  What a great example of what government-run health care in our country will look like - waiting, long lines, and not enough services for everyone. And those who are refusing to be vaccinated may not have a choice.  In the future they may be forced to by Big Brother (oops, I mean our government!) - whether they want the vaccine or not. With Obama's declaration of an emergency comes more authority for the government.  One of the items included in that authority is the power to force mandatory swine flu vaccinations on the entire population!  Watch closely, people!  The swine flu "epidemic" is giving us all a glimpse of how inept our government is at running things that they have no business sticking their noses in.  It will also demonstrate how the government can grab more power simply by declaring something a "national emergency." 

Of course not all "national emergencies" are a power grab or meant to be a distraction.  9/11 WAS a real national emergency -no debate there.  As was Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Charlie, and other storms that areas of our country experience throughout the years.  The wildfires we often see out west which destroy millions of acres, kill people, and leave many without homes ARE national emergencies.  Flooding in many states results, with good reason,  in national emergencies being declared.    And in those cases,  the government does step in - with benevolent intentions to really help out those in need. 

 So why, oh why, is swine flu suddenly a "national emergency?'  Simple.  Obama and Co. desperately need a distraction.  And that distraction is:   Swine  "don't let a serious crisis - even if it's phony - go to waste"  Flu. 

Many people who voted for Obama now realized they were fooled. Bamboozled.  They were distracted.  Their attention was diverted from the facts and realities of Obama's true beliefs and plans for America.   Now they know that Obama's "hope" and "change" simply translates into socialism.  Don't get fooled again.  Don't be "distracted."  Continue to focus on what is going on in Washington, D.C. rather than ringing your hands in panic about the swine flu.  Instead, wring your hands in panic about the direction that Obama is taking America - and continue to speak out!