US national flags representing the 200,000 lives lost to COVID-19 in the United States are placed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Sep 22, 2020. US COVID-19 deaths surpassed 200,000 on Tuesday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.Photo:Xinhua
For many Americans, they seem to embrace living with the novel coronavirus. Parties are a necessity for them.
Hundreds packed into a celebration party of former president Barack Obama’s 60th birthday in Martha’s Vineyard on Saturday, despite rising concerns about the fast-spreading Delta variant. Only a few were spotted wearing face masks.
And, even more people are expected to attend the 10-day Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota starting Friday. Many did not wear masks, as there is no mask mandate from the authorities there.
All these took place against the backdrop of a spike in US COVID-19 cases over the last three weeks. The COVID-19 outbreak crossed the 100,000 newly confirmed daily infections on Saturday. This is a milestone that is even higher than last winter’s surge. Chief White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Wednesday the country could see up to 200,000 daily cases in coming months.
The core defect of the US’ virus fight is that it is driven by politics, not science.
At the international level, the US views the pandemic through the lens of major power competition rather than global governance and the health of the mankind.
Domestically, it is all about partisan politics and political future of politicians rather than public health.
The utter failure of the US in fighting the pandemic and the recent surge of cases are an inevitable result of individualism and liberalism that are endorsed by the entire US society going to extremes.
For the US, its primary goal is to maintain its hegemony on the world stage. This is why it will not admit its mistakes in fighting the pandemic. For US politicians, they only care about how many votes they will get in the next round of election.
Even before the latest spread of the more contagious Delta variant, with the best cards in hand (the world’s first-class medical resources and technology), the US became one of the most awful anti-virus players.
In a sense, this reflects the governance failure of the US government. To put it more broadly, it mirrors the failure of the governance model of 21st-century American neo-liberalism.
Shen Yi, a professor at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs of Fudan University, told the Global Times on Sunday that the logic behind the anti-virus performance of the US government and the reaction of its public is clear, simply because the politicians in Washington don’t care about the health crisis. No one wants to sacrifice their own interests for public good. Before the politicians are willing to undertake due political costs, there will not be any actual improvement in the US in fighting the pandemic.
The US could be breeding virus variants. A large number of people will be exposed to the threat of the coronavirus, making the virus mutate without limits. What the US can do about it? Just gamble and nothing else.
The previous Trump administration betted the virus would just “disappear.” Some European countries have adopted herd immunity, betting that a sufficient percentage of a population would become immune to the virus. The Biden administration has pinned its hope on vaccinations.
But a considerable chunk of Americans still refuse to take shots in the arm.
After losing more than 610,000 lives, the US saw the most human deaths among nations, largely thanks to Trump administration’s failed measures in terms of combating COVID-19. However, Bloomberg’s pandemic resilience ranking published in middle July favored the US. This allegedly “comprehensive index” measured some 50 countries, but is largely a farce. Lockdown measures, which are effective in containing the virus spread, should be considered as a positive element that gives extra points. However, they were instead considered negative in the ranking.
In a more recent ranking done in late July, the US still managed to stay in fifth place. Such “resilience” came at the cost of hundreds of thousands of human lives. Isn’t it ironic?
The virus cares nothing about politics. The ones who pay for it are the ones who neglect it. This is the bitterest experience the world has learnt since the outbreak. Unfortunately, the US did not call to its mind. It instead has bred tragedies one after another – and continues to do so.
The author is an editor with the Global Times. wangwenwen@globaltimes.com.cn
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
