Tuesday This and That ...

Greetings all on this chilly, but sunny Tuesday morning. Just a couple of pics from Mother's Day ...

Sunday we visited the moms and gave them flowers, candy and cards.

Of course, my mom had to have a pic with her canine kid, Brandi. lol

My MIL with Tulip.

Just a cool little mug I picked up for my mom as well ... says it all.

Oddly enough, we had been trying to get a stool sample for a couple of days from Butterscotch for the vet as we are still trying to get to the bottom of what is going on with him and as fate would have it, he gave me a little Mommy's Day gift in his litter box on Sunday morning! I dropped it off at the vet's office yesterday before work. He had a urinalysis last week and they found nothing. He gets his shots and blood work next Monday and the following week he is scheduled for his surgery on his back leg.

We continue to keep him out in the catio because he is still growling and getting aggressive with the other cats which is completely out of character in regards to him - especially since he has gotten along with all of them wonderfully from the day he was taken in our home a year ago.

Some more pics from the day ...

Ginger

Merlin

In other news, we are in a lot of turmoil here as our esteemed "dictator" of our State, Governor Tom Wolf and his unelected, unqualified so-called Secretary for the Department of Health, has caused a lot of problems for us and has upset (anger does not even begin to describe it) many Pennsylvanian's (my husband and myself included!) with his very wrong and messy handling of things here in our Counties. Although I seldom, if ever, post anything political, I feel that this is something that EVERYONE needs to think about as it is something that could happen to any citizen. It has gotten so bad here that some of the other County Commissioner's have actually written a letter to ALL Pennsylvanian's after "Herr" Wolf' extended yet again the stay at home/shut down the State order which was previously mandated by him ordering everyone and everything other than what he considers "essential" businesses/workers (although he allowed his former cabinet business to remain open while other businesses had to force their employees to file for unemployment, mind you - like my husband has now had to do). To better understand where I and others who live here in PA are coming from, I have attached the link to this letter. All I ask is that before commenting on this subject, PLEASE READ THIS COMMISSIONER'S LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF PENNSYLVANIA CAREFULLY! 

A Message to the People of Pennsylvania from Dauphin County Board Chairman Jeff Haste

 May 8, 2020 

To the People of Pennsylvania:

Enough is enough. It is time to reopen the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and return our state to the people (as prescribed by our Constitution) and not run it as a dictatorship.

When COVID-19 first entered our state, we needed to take quick and decisive action to minimize its impact. The state was closed so that we could flatten the curve and ensure that our health care systems and hospitals were able to function within their resources. Pennsylvanians complied. 

COVID-19 was an unknown foe. We had a lot to learn and have since gained a better understanding. Make no mistake, to those with impaired immune systems, certain medical conditions and the elderly, COVID-19 is dangerous and can be deadly. Now our citizens understand what is needed to protect themselves and others. We see how to implement these procedures as we go to the grocery store or big box stores. Our smaller businesses, restaurants, realtors, dentists, doctors and more have seen and learned what needs to be done. Data shows that COVID-19 is a critical issue in confined living areas and with our elderly and immunity-impaired populations. The general population can continue to work and function within the “new normal.” Our businesses and citizens have learned this; however, the governor and his health secretary have not, thus part of the reason for the Wall Street Journal giving our governor a failing grade.

In Dauphin County, our health care systems and hospitals sprang into action and prepared for the worst. Overall, the worst did not come. Some of our facilities had more than 40% of their beds empty, not performing routine procedures. As of this writing, 48% of our 141 ventilators are in use; six (4%) are in use for COVID-19-related cases; 62 (44%) for non-COVID-19 cases; and 73 (52%) are not in use. Clearly, our ventilators are not maxed out.

Let's put some of the numbers in perspective, since Gov. Wolf and Health Secretary Levine say decisions will be “data-driven.” As of this writing, Pennsylvania has a total of 54,238 cases, or 0.4% of the state's population. Dauphin County has 764 cases, or 0.274% of our population. Pennsylvania has 3,616 deaths, or 0.028% of the population. Dauphin County has 29 deaths, or 0.0105% of our county’s population. 

Here in Dauphin County, 192 (25%) of the 764 cases are in nursing homes, while 24 (65%) of our coronavirus deaths are in nursing homes.  If you remove the nursing home cases from the equation, 0.2% of the county’s general population has tested positive. Not 20%, not 2%, but 0.2%.

Since Gov. Wolf closed the state to minimize the 54,238 positive cases, more than 1,793,200 Pennsylvanians have lost their jobs. This decision has ruined the livelihood of millions of hard-working Pennsylvanians in exchange for 0.4% of our population. I have great sympathy for those who have lost loved ones to COVID-19. I also have great concern for the families that now have to struggle with financial concerns, mental health stress, addiction and more because of the shutdown. Again, our governor has pitted groups of Pennsylvanians against one another.

And he has not included county commissioners in this process.

This need not happen — enough is enough. We should focus our efforts on making sure our nursing homes have the supplies, staff, testing and whatever else they need to protect their residents and staff. Our health care systems and hospitals have shown they can handle the pressures of COVID-19 and have capacity to spare.

Allow our businesses and communities to reopen. For centuries, our people and businesses have shown they can adapt to changes to survive and prosper. They cannot, however, do a thing when a dictator and an unelected secretary place them in lockdown.

I trust and have faith in the great people and businesses of Pennsylvania to operate in a manner that protects those of our population in harm's way and allows our residents to go back to work, enjoy their communities and have a quality of life. I, however, have no faith in Gov. Wolf and Secretary Levine's ability to do the right thing.

Open the state and return our Commonwealth to the people.

Enough is enough.

Sincerely, 

Jeff Haste
Chairman
Dauphin County Board of Commissioners