Two Trump-imitating Rethuglican Governors are in a race to the bottom to be the most reckless and dangerous state officials who are resisting efforts to curb the Delta variant in their states. While Floriduh's despicable Gov. Ron "One Glove" DeSantis is trying to take the lead by mocking President Biden's call to "get out of the way" in blocking the virus, Texas' equally despicable Gov. Greg "Abbadabba" Abbott is giving him a run for it by blocking mask mandates. Now the fool, fresh from mismanaging last winter's state electric grid crisis, wants hospitals to stop non-emergency procedures because his "freedumb from masks" policies have caused a surge in Delta variant hospitalizations:
"Abbott said his request for hospitals to voluntarily scale back procedures 'for which a delay will not result in loss of life or the deterioration of a patient’s condition' is meant to ensure that the state’s hospitals and residents 'have the resources and support they need to mitigate the virus.'
It’s a retreat to the measures Abbott and other governors took in the early months of the pandemic, before coronavirus vaccines were widely available. In June 2020, Abbott ordered a similar stop on non-emergency procedures amid an increase in cases." (our emphasis)
It's like calling the fire department after the house is nearly burned to the ground. He's gutless in facing the members of the former guy's cult, but has no problem passing the crisis off to overworked and stressed health care workers who are supposed to "mitigate the virus" in the overloaded hospitals. From the WaPo article:
"....[M]edical experts and local leaders from across the state have said that Abbott’s executive order last month — which barred government entities including cities, counties and public schools from mandating masks or vaccines — has left communities vulnerable to the onslaught of infections brought by the more contagious delta variant."
In a cynical move, he's also asking for health care workers from out-of-state to come and bail him out of his self-made crisis. They'll come of course, because the virus doesn't respect state boundaries, and it's what they do. But the deaths caused by this surge in Texas are on the head of their sociopathic governor.
(photo: Bob Daemmich / Nexstar)
