Prepare: What? Swine Flu Again?

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius offers a warning after a special panel presented a grim report, saying among other things that a "plausible scenario" for the United States later this year is wide-scale infections, possibly 30,000 to 90,000 deaths, mostly among young children and young adults, and perhaps as many as 300,000 sick enough to require intensive care unit treatment at hospitals. - news this morning.

In the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), the government has to come up with a way to remove the local population from possibly witnessing the aliens landing. They concoct a horrible nerve gas release as the cause which naturally results in panic and pandemonium and the desired effect. Everybody scammed, aliens arrived, no press.

I can't help but wonder what reason the government has for trying so hard to scare us with swine flu this year. No, I don't think the government has our best interests at heart and is trying to prevent another 1918 Spanish Influenza outbreak. If the government was so concerned about our health and safety, the TSA would be profiling every potential terrorist based upon past perpetrators and would leave grandma in her wheelchair alone.

Nope, swine flu scare tactics are another classic "Hey look! It's Elvis!" distraction courtesy of Uncle Sam. They have a lot to distract us from..

- 10 trillion dollars plus in debt in 10 years or less. Even the most conservative economic commentators warn that the United States government spending debt will be 75-80% of our Gross Domestic Product. Soon, the U.S. will owe more than its worth. I can hear Mr. Potter now, "You're worth more dead than alive! Ha-ha-ha!".


- 10 percent unemployment, and growing. Many job seekers have given up. They are off the unemployment rolls. Many out of work have exhausted their benefits and they too are now off the unemployment rolls. Many who have jobs have either had their hours cut or their pay or both. They don't count in any employment survey. Many new jobs are contract only (1099), have no benefits or only pay if the employee brings the company revenue - I received a call like that five minutes ago. These "workers" are considered the same as the employee with two paychecks a month, full benefits and a 401K to the government.

I think there is closer to 15-17% unemployment when everything is taken into consideration. And like I said, it is going to get worse. The word "jobless recovery" has entered the room. Everyone stand up and introduce themselves.

- Unaccountable government. Whether it be unelected czars (where are we? 19th century Russia) running every department in the federal government or representatives ignoring their constituents on health care, immigration and jobs, the government has given their bosses (us) the finger and will do what they think is best regardless of the outcome to the people who pay their salaries. Thank goodness we are all losing our jobs. We won't have the taxes any longer to support their hair brained schemes.


But forget about the distractions. What about this swine flu? Is it for real? Yes and no. Yes there is a swine flu virus, but there are also dozens of other flu bugs out there which thousands of people get each year and some actually die from.

Is there a real threat from swine flu? Sure, there is from every flu bug. However, this one already surfaced this past spring and while there were some fatalities, there was not a pandemic that the UN, WHO and government wanted us to believe.

Is there a possibility the swine flu will have mutated and come back stronger and different than in the spring? Of course, which raises the question: Why does the government want us to take their new, rushed to market vaccine, if the bug may be worse than before? Won't the vaccine be less effective?

Is there a possibility that the swine flu could make more people sick and effect everything in our lives? Work, services, school and so on? Sure, but again, do you really think the government cares that much about grandma getting the flu, kids going to school or parents staying home and not on the roads going to work? Elderly health care, public schools and roads cost money, don't they?

A crisis like swine flu is good for government. Cities and states can declare disasters and get lots of federal emergency funding. Enough to prop up their starved governments and pass out some raises to unionized government workers. The federal government can finally push some unpopular pet projects like mandatory health screening, travel restrictions, national ID, and restrictions on pesky Constitutional liberties.

Swine flu is good for government. Fear of the unknown is good for government. Fear of a little flu bug is good for a whole bunch of people, just not you or me.

If there is swine flu pandemic, do the usual. Get the supplies and make plans you need from Preparing for Swine Flu posted this past spring. Wash hands, stay home from school and work if sick, keep the kids away from sick kids, etc.

But most of all, read between the lines. Why the panic over swine flu from the government? Hmmmm...