Nichols: GOP Fought Pandemic Preparedness

As the world health authorities contend with halting the Swine flu, John Nichols points to the almost pathological disdain that Republicans have for the government's promoting public health, and specifically stopping pandemics in his GOP Know-Nothings Fought Pandemic Preparedness (The Nation).

When House Appropriations Committee chairman David Obey, the Wisconsin Democrat who has long championed investment in pandemic preparation, included roughly $900 million for that purpose in this year's emergency stimulus bill, he was ridiculed by conservative operatives and congressional Republicans.

With a major political party actually hostile to the idea of public health, not a good idea to be reading Daniel Kalla bio-terror novels like Pandemic, in case anyone brought some of this genre of books for their girlfriend last Valentines Day.