Iowa Not Ready To Open With Peak Still 2-3 Weeks Away

Posted on April 29, 2020 by Trish Nelson

COVID-19: Is Now the Right Time to Open the State? 

Governor Reynolds started to loosen the public health measures being used to stop the spread of COVID-19 this week. Even though we all want to re-open our economy and get life back to normal, I’m disappointed the Governor did not provide the information or data to demonstrate to Iowans that it is safe to loosen those measures designed to keep us safe and healthy.

According to Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, three criteria points need to be met prior to reopening a state:

  1. Downward trajectory of influenza-like illnesses and COVID-like syndromic cases reported within a 14-day period
  2. Downward trajectory of documented cases or positive cases as % of total tests within a 14-day period
  3. Treat all patients without crisis care and robust testing for at-risk healthcare workers

Last week we saw a record number of positive coronavirus cases and deaths. State officials also confirmed Iowa won’t reach its peak for another 2-3 weeks, one of the last in the nation. A new report out last weekend found Iowa had the fastest growing rate of positive coronavirus cases in the country.

In addition to those new record highs, Iowa is still under the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Shortage Order declared by the Governor as some front-line workers still struggle with shortages. Iowans are also seeing more outbreaks at long-term care facilities, manufacturing facilities, and meat processing facilities.

Iowa doesn’t even come close to meeting the criteria outlined by the CDC to begin re-opening either. Hospitalizations and positive cases are still going up and the new testing initiative isn’t up and running at full speed yet.

We all want to re-open our economy and get life back to normal as quickly as possible, however we may end up prolonging the pain and doing more damage to the health and welfare of Iowans.

77 Iowa Counties Can Start to Re-Open on Friday 

On Monday it was announced by the Governor that some businesses and establishments can reopen in 77 of Iowa’s 99 counties.

The following counties remain closed until May 15: Allamakee, Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Dallas, Des Moines, Dubuque, Fayette, Henry, Iowa, Jasper, Johnson, Linn, Louisa, Marshall, Muscatine, Polk, Poweshiek, Scott, Tama, Washington, and Woodbury.


In the other 77 counties, the below establishments may open beginning at 5:00 a.m. on Friday, May 1, 2020:

  • Restaurants with the following requirements:
    • The restaurant must limit the number of customers present at indoor or outdoor spaces to 50% of its normal operating capacity to ensure adequate spacing of groups
    • No groups of more than 6 people
    • Distance of 6 feet must be maintained between separate groups
    • No self-service of food or drink allowed
  • Fitness Centers with the following requirements:
    • Must limit the number of customers present to 50% of its maximum legal occupancy capacity
    • Must ensure all equipment is at least 6 feet apart
    • Any group activity is limited to 10 people or fewer, and all must be at least 6 feet apart
  • Malls with the following requirements:
    • Mall must limit the number of customers present to 50% of its maximum legal occupancy capacity
    • Common seating areas (food courts) are to remain closed
    • Play areas are to remain closed
  • Libraries with the following requirements:
    • Limits the number of patrons present to 50% of its maximum legal occupancy capacity
    • Ensure social distancing of employees and patrons
  • Racetracks (does not include horse or dog races) can only operate if there are no spectators at the event
  • Other retail establishments that were previously ordered closed may reopen as long as they limit the number of customers to 50% of their capacity and continues to implement social distancing

Continued Statewide Closures: The Governor’s proclamation also extends the statewide closures for the following until 11:59 pm on May 15th:

  • Bars- Carry out and drive through services still allowed
  • Theaters
  • Casino and Gaming Facilities
  • Social and Fraternal Clubs
  • Senior citizen centers and adult day care facilities
  • Bingo halls, bowling alleys, pool halls, arcades, and amusement parks
  • Museums, aquariums, and zoos
  • Skating rinks and skate parks
  • Playgrounds- indoor and outdoor and children’s playground centers
  • Campgrounds- does not include long term or permanent residents. Includes cabins and yurts
  • Swimming pools
  • Salons and barbershops
  • Medical spas
  • Tattoo establishments
  • Tanning facilities
  • Massage therapy
  • Door-to-door sales.

Statewide Mass Gatherings: The following mass gatherings can take place statewide, even if there are more than 10 people present:

  • Spiritual and religious gatherings. Must implement reasonable accommodations to ensure social distancing standards. Weddings and funerals are not covered under this.
  • Farmer’s Markets. Only vendors that are allowed to sell food or farm products are permitted. All entertainment activities such as musical performances are prohibited. All common seating is prohibited. All vendor spacing accommodations must be made to ensure social distancing requirements are met.

Continue to Practice Social Distance

As we see parts of the state open up, it’s important to remember to continue to practice social distancing and stay home as much as possible. Limiting contact with others, or wearing a mask when in public is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones. Again, I am very grateful to our essential workers, including health care workers, delivery drivers, grocery store workers, and emergency personnel for being on the front lines keeping Iowans safe and healthy.

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Republicans Want Their Party Back And Trump Gone

Posted on April 28, 2020 by Trish Nelson

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Bill Maher Takes It To Big Ag And It’s Not Funny

Posted on April 27, 2020 by Trish Nelson

Warning: This is hard to watch.

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Current Administration Trying To Destroy Civil Service

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Dave Bradley
Trumpian apocalyse

tip of the hat to allhatnocattle.blogspot.com

Once again I turn to Heather Cox Richardson for a story and background that has pretty much evaded the mainstream press as they cover the Republican corona virus disaster. Richardson goes behind the scenes of the shocking demotion of Dr. Rick Bright from director of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA. Bright claims he was demoted because he disagreed with the president over the effectiveness of the presidentially hyped hydroxychloroquine.

“On its surface, the story doesn’t seem terribly important. A number of congressional committees have asked the Office of Personnel Management for updates on how the OPM is handling working conditions for federal employees during the coronavirus crisis. OPM is declining to answer the requests. “It has always been difficult to get information from this administration, but the refusal to provide Congress with a basic briefing during a pandemic is especially egregious,” said a Democratic Senate aide to Politico reporter Daniel Lippman. “We’ve never been denied a briefing like this before.”

But the story is actually very significant. The OPM oversees the 2 million workers in the federal government. In mid-February, after Republican Senators acquitted him in his impeachment trial, Trump set out to purge the federal workforce of civil servants, whom he sees as “snakes,” and replace them with political appointees loyal to him.

To head the Presidential Personnel Office, which recruits candidates for the executive branch, Trump brought in John McEntee, who had been fired from a former position in the White House by former chief of staff John Kelly over a security clearance. On March 17, McEntee forced the director of the Office of Personnel Management, Dale Cabaniss, who had significant personnel experience, to resign. Michael Rigas, formerly of the right-wing Heritage Foundation, took his place. (Phew. I know… but this is going somewhere important.)

The change from Cabaniss to Rigas at the head of OPM transpired just as the novel coronavirus pandemic hit the nation hard.

Rigas has said he believes the 1883 Pendleton Act is unconstitutional. Congress passed the Pendleton Act, also known as the Civil Service Act, after a mentally-ill office seeker shot President James Garfield in 1881. Until then, government positions had been handed out to political loyalists, regardless of their capacity to do the job, but the assassination created a public outcry. Charles Guiteau shot Garfield with the expectation that, once elevated to the presidency, Garfield’s vice president would give Guiteau the position his delusions made him think he deserved. The assassination built momentum behind the idea that government should be non-partisan, and that positions should be filled by people actually equipped to do the job. This sentiment has ruled the nation ever since.”

Civil Service professionalized the government bureaucracy and made it much more efficient. It has not been messed with much since its implementation nearly 137 years ago. The Bush 2 administration tried to screw with it by making political appointees protected under the law so that the Obama Administration could not fire Bush political appointees. I am not sure, but I believe that attempt was voided by the courts.

Here again is another instance where the current administration has simply decided that existing law that has withstood the test of time simply doesn’t apply to them. Now the current administration wants to remove qualified civil servants and load the system up with Trump loyalists. This will deeply damage the government bureaucracy which we depend on to function smoothly for things like Social Security, agricultural information and disbursement of funds to states and cities under various laws. Just imagine if some low level bureaucrat can now decide to hold up your Social Security check because she has decided she thinks the law is unconstitutional.

There are still 9 months for Trump and his party to destroy what in January of 2017 was a well functioning government.

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Sunday Funday: Reopen America Week Edition

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Dave Bradley

Look who’s on top of the latest news story! 3 minutes:

Listening to Governor Reynolds has been a bit surreal this week. She is putting a big bet on her new Test Iowa program. At a pace of 5000 a day, it will take @ 600 days or 1 and 2/3rds years to do all Iowans. Since it takes some time to schedule the test and some lag time for results it is not exactly real time. Not being close to real time seems to make it a poor basis to bet peoples lives on. Yet that appears to be her premise that Iowa businesses should be re-opened.

Reynolds went out of her way to keep meat packing operations open with disastrous results. It feels like she is doubling down on those results. This is especially questionable at a time when Iowa’s cases are skyrocketing. As many know in comparison to our neighbor to the north, Minnesota we look like a disease infested mess. We passed Minnesota in total cases about 2 weeks ago and have left them in the dirt. Last I looked we had about 1200 more cases than Minnesota which has a population nearly twice that of Iowa.

The other really odd thing is that Reynolds shows a real affinity for Republican governors to our west while ignoring Democratic governors to our north and east. Almost feels like those of us in eastern Iowa are an afterthought.

But apparently the bottom line for Republican governors is to get businesses to reopen so that workers will no longer be able to claim they are unemployed. As Reynolds put it in her presser Friday, if a worker refuses to return to work when a business reopens, that is a voluntary quit. As a voluntary quit a worker is no longer eligible for unemployment. 

So you can return to work and risk getting a deadly disease or starve. That is a Republican win-win. Or alternative 3 as presented by the current president, Donny Corona, you can drink Lysol or stick a UV bulb up your ass.

Oy Vey!

  1. So far how many cases of Covid-19 in Wisconsin can be traced back to the forced in person voting for the Wisconsin Supreme Court seat?
  1. Oil had a rough week. Early in the week, oil was trading at what incredible low?
  1. A bad idea during these times of staying at home has seniors posting pictures of what that may give scammers information to scam these seniors?
  1. Donny Corona claimed Friday that he was being “sarcastic” in talking about using what to treat corona virus patients?
  1. The Navy announced Friday that the number of ships with corona virus outbreaks increased to how many?
  1. Events now cancelled for this summer include what weeklong moving celebration that brings folks from around the world to Iowa?
  1. Tyson Foods finally closed their plant in Waterloo after much pressure from the county while they slowly reopened their plant in what southeast Iowa town?
  1. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said states should do what rather than be “bailed out” by the federal government?
  1. HHS Secretary Alex Azar tapped Brent Harrison to run the department’s response to the day-to-day Covid-19 pandemic in January. What was Harrison’s previous job?
  1. The oldest brother of what recent presidential candidate died last week of the corona virus in Oklahoma?
  1. What national restaurant chain was fined $25 million for selling tainted food from 2015 to 2018 in a Los Angeles court?
  1. The Iowa Legislature will be reopening also, on what date?
  1. The Governor of Maryland used some inside help (his Korean wife) to obtain 500,000 Covid-19 testing kits from South Korea. What national figure attacked him for this?
  1. Apparently a domestic dispute set off a 22 person killing rampage last weekend in what Canadian province?
  1. What secretive dictator has been the subject of speculation that he is near death or possibly totally fine?
  1. April 30, 1789. George Washington becomes what?
  1. On Tuesday Donny Corona supported Georgia Gov. Kemp for doing what, which he (Donny) then admonished him (Kemp) for on Wednesday?
  1. What country announced it would hold its Parliament via Zoom?
  1. Investigation now shows that the first Covid-19 death took place in what state as much as 3 weeks before the first death in Washington took place?
  1. How many claims for unemployment insurance have been processed (there is a backlog) in the past 5 weeks?

Answers:

  1. 19 was the last number I saw – update 40 in Milwaukee County alone as reported on wuwm radio late Friday.
  1. -$37 (and change) an barrel
  1. Pictures of their high school graduating classes
  1. Internally taking Lysol or disinfectants and UV light. He has no sense of humor, so it was unlikely a joke.
  1. 27 – with a new one added Friday.
  1. RAGBRAI
  1. Columbus Junction
  1. Declare bankruptcy – which is illegal for them to do
  1. He was a dog breeder who bred labradoodles. Great experience!
  1. Elizabeth Warren’s brother Don Reed Herring died in Oklahoma of the corona virus
  1. Chipotle
  1. May 1st
  1. Donny Corona
  1. Nova Scotia
  1. North Korea’s Kim Jung Un
  1. The first president of the United States
  1. Planning to open Kemp’s state (Georgia) for business Friday
  1. The UK 
  1. California on Feb 6th. Even at that early date the current administration had been warned at least a month previous.
  1. 26 million. Unemployment rate is nearing 20%

Recent photo of Kim Jung Un snuck out of the PRNK: (people’s republic of North Korea)

recent picture of Kim Jung Un

tip of the hat to demmiblue on democraticunderground.com

Posted in #trumpresistance, 2020 election campaign, Blog for Iowa, Humor | Comments Off on Sunday Funday: Reopen America Week Edition

After This Crisis, We Need Serious investigations

Posted on April 25, 2020 by Dave Bradley
rich uncle bodybags

tip of the hat to democraticuderground.com

As I write this we are nearing 50,000 deaths due to the corona virus. As many have noted sometime early next week, certainly by the May 1st deadline set by the current president for “reopening” America, we will surpass the death toll in the Viet Nam war. What took over 10 years to amass in Viet Nam will take about 7 weeks during the pandemic.

This is the deaths that we are know are directly related to the corona virus. There are a large number of deaths in this country that have simply not been checked to verify that the death was due to the corona virus. Particularly in the east, people have been dying in their homes and apartments. These folks are often not checked for to see if they were killed by the virus. The focus is to remove the body and have it taken care of as quickly as possible.

This is a massive amount of deaths in a short time. As most know, the US has by for the largest amount of deaths of any country in the world. In proportion to our population, the number of deaths in this country is massively out of sync. We have 4% of the worlds population and over a quarter of the world’s deaths due to the virus. That means we have about 7 times more deaths than we should according to our population.

That is a staggering number. Another staggering number is that the US has nearly 1/3 of the total number of cases of corona virus infection. Once again a number that is way out of line with our proportion of the world’s population. This number – the number of infected – is huge despite the fact that we have tested (as of Thursday) only about 4.5 million citizens. That is far less than 2% of our citizens.

How did these numbers get so huge so quickly? Make no doubt the single biggest reason is the current administrations refusal to deal with reality. Instead the administration’s seemingly two pronged  concern was to cover up the extent of the problem so the current president didn’t look bad and to make huge money out of the crisis for his family and his friends.

We know what he and his cohorts are doing. He is refusing to do what nearly any other American would do, which would be to shut down the country as much as could be done and then to bring the full power of the federal government to bear in beating the pandemics quickly and thoroughly as possible. Previous leaders in somewhat similar situations have done this in recent years quite successfully.

We also know that beside the late start on confronting the virus itself, the current president and his administration have in many cases stood four square against logical strategic moves to help rein in the disease. He and his administration have stopped shipments of PPE. They have stepped in and seized PPE from destinations. They have put PPE on the open markets causing the prices of equipment to skyrocket to several times their real prices. This has cause doctors and nurses to work in very unsafe conditions. They have also blocked shipments of test materials.

What we don’t know is why the current president is doing what he is doing. We need to know the exact reasons why the current president has chosen to act more as if he is at war with his own country. For some 225 years between laws and norms and political pressures, our chief executives have had some boundaries that when crossed would signal the end of that presidency. This president refuses to follow laws or any precedent as he has made himself the law.

Therefore as we go to the ballot box this fall keep in the back of your mind that we need to elect senators and representatives that will help initiate investigations into not only all aspects of the response to the corona virus, but also investigations into the dismantling of a government infrastructure that has taken decades and in some case (such as FDA) over a century to build. We need to understand the mindset behind the arrogance of an administration that is an outlaw –  that is, refuses to follow the law.

Congress will also need to create laws that will put teeth into enforcing these laws. The current president has thumbed his nose at the laws and then dared anyone to do anything about it. So far nothing has been done. Thus when a life and death crisis reared its head in this country, the president once again did whatever he felt like with little fear of reprisal.

Also remember that one reason that the president has been able to thumb his nose at the law is because his party in Congress has acted more like his servants than like those who have a vested interest in good government. That has also been true of judges appointed to the judiciary during his term. He has known that if any charges brought against him, his party in congress and in the judiciary will act for his well being over the well being of the country.

Those elected to the next congress must be willing to create parameters within which the president can operate. They must be willing to to investigate and let the evidence lead the way. As the real holders of power in this country, the electorate, we must demand that the senators and representatives that we vote for will once again put the good of the country first. To do that they must be willing to open investigations that will ferret out all that went wrong in response to the corona virus and other laws and regulations that this administration dismantled.

To fail to do this will guarantee it will all happen again.

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Iowa Democratic Senatorial Forum

Posted on April 25, 2020 by Dave Bradley

The Potluck Insurgency Forum

From April 19th, 2020. Video is One hour 14 minutes. A great chance to pick the one to beat Joni Ernst this fall:

The actual candidate presentations begin about 7 minutes in.

This is an extremely informative hour and change and well worth your time to watch and listen to.

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Watch The Moment Dr. Birx Gets It About Trump

Posted on April 24, 2020 by Trish Nelson

To borrow a phrase from a friend who used to be my boss, Donald Trump is one sick puppy.

So Trump suggested yesterday that maybe they could check into people drinking or injecting disinfectant into the body as a cleansing because disinfectant kills the COVID-19 virus in “less than a minute” or if we could somehow get radiant light into the body because it also kills the virus. Watch this power play that he is engaged in here with Dr. Birx. Reminiscent of when he stalked Hillary around the debate stage.

Like all abusers, Trump is a power addict (in addition to possibly some other drugs according to some). Once people are all in with him they can’t figure out how to get away safely. My suggestion to Dr. Birx is to announce her retirement so she can “spend more time with her family,” i.e., run away as fast as you can!

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Fox Propaganda Plants Pro-Death Ideas

Posted on April 23, 2020 by Trish Nelson

If this isn’t propaganda, I don’t know what is. Watch Fox News repeatedly planting the idea that you may want to sacrifice your life for…. for what exactly?  Trump’s America?

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Virtual Town Hall: Bracing for Impact – Rural Iowa Faces The Coronavirus

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Trish Nelson

Thursday, April 23 AT 7:00 PM*

Virtual Town Hall: Bracing for Impact – Rural Iowa Faces The Coronavirus 

WHO:
Former Lt. Gov. Patty Judge
Iowa Senator Pam Jochum
Iowa Representative Timi Brown-Powers

WHERE: 
Broadcast on Facebook Live and Zoom

Click here to register for the Zoom Conference: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iVFhoD0HSb–oFtzd26X0Q

WHEN:
Thursday, April 23, 7:00 PM

New report highlights how the ACA and Medicaid is supporting Iowans in rural communities, and ensuring that hospitals have the resources needed to combat the spread of the virus

Des Moines, Iowa — As the U.S. grapples with the spread of COVID-19, Iowans will speak out in a virtual town hall and release a new report that highlights the threat the virus represents in rural communities, and how Medicaid expansion in Iowa is ensuring access to care, and supporting struggling rural hospitals. The report, entitled Bracing for Impact: Rural Iowa Faces the Coronavirus, describes how rural Iowans face particular challenges when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic due to higher prevalence of pre-existing conditions, lower coverage rates, and other barriers to accessing health care. Though access to care is more important than ever before, the Trump administration and Republicans like Gov. Reynolds and Senators Ernst and Grassley continue to attack the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid, leaving rural Iowans especially vulnerable.

Progress Iowa, Protect Our Care Iowa, Focus on Rural America, and Iowa Voices will host a virtual town hall with former and current elected officials to discuss the critical role of Medicaid in supporting rural Iowa’s response to COVID-19, and highlight how Republican health care sabotage puts Iowans and millions of Americans in grave danger.

CONTACT:
Matt Sinovic
matt@progressiowa.org

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