I think my train is back on the track after a quick injection of caffeine. I am now processing the 'administration's' latest assault on science.
I think Kayleigh McEnany's statement yesterday about not letting science stand in the way of school reopening says it all. This administration, and the Republican party in general, could not be any less friendly to science if they tried. This might be another case of patiently waiting for the pendulum to swing back the other way if the consequences of time weren't so significant. It is hard to be patient and wait for a new and considerably more enlightened administration to arrive when the clock is ticking on issues that have a dire impact on the health, welfare, and development of the country.
The administration's wanton disregard for environmental issues in favor of the industrial polluters is only fueling (excuse the play on words), of our continuing path to more climate catastrophes in the future. The administration's intent to block California's more stringent vehicle emission standards, restricting the public's access to climate change research, and reckless promotion of the fossil fuel industry are just a few examples of the priority, or lack thereof, they place on their role as stewards of the future.
The list of actions hostile to science is frightening for those committed to better living through science. Budgets cuts to the EPA, CDC, FDA, Interior Department, etc. will have a long lasting effect that extends well beyond this administration. Our withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord is another visible examples of how we view the threat of climate change, and sends a chilling message to the rest of the world looking for a smidgen of leadership from the U.S.
So, am I surprised about Kayleigh's statement yesterday? Not a bit. Until we recognize that Trump's hostility, as well as the rest of his party, to science is setting us up for a very rocky road going forth, and we should grow accustomed to more asinine statements from the White House. The thought that science would actually play a role in our continuing battle with the Coaronavirus should probably be put in the category of sheer heresy along with wearing face masks.
On that note I am having more java this morning.