In this week’s letters (3/26), Brian Palmer demonstrated just how fast the lame excuses of Trump supporters become obsolete. He called COVID-19 fake, saying that “only” 170 people have died. As I write this, the death toll is 10 times that: more than 100,000 confirmed infections, and that number is probably low because testing is so inadequate thanks to the sheer incompetence of Palmer’s hero, Donald Trump. At the rate we’re going, that number will probably be over a million by Trump’s Easter “no problem” fantasy, and yes, deaths will be over 100,000.
Trump’s cuts to CDC, the U.S. Public Health Service and the National Security Council’s pandemic response team have led to this disaster. The Obama administration left him a detailed pandemic playbook which apparently got lost on a shelf somewhere after 20 January 2017, and gathered dust.
This disaster could have been mitigated, if not for Trump’s obsession with destroying all things Obama out of pure spite.
Gary Frazier
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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