Posted on 05/10/2008 12:11:30 PM PDT by Dawnsblood
The United States is offering to help China in its fight against a viral infection that has killed 34 children, including two reported Friday, and sickened thousands of others.
Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt is making a previously scheduled trip to Beijing next week and plans to discuss health issues with Chinese officials, with the outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease expected to feature prominently, U.S. Embassy spokesman Susan Stevenson said.
The scope and volume of infections brings to mind the SARS epidemic of 2003, when China was criticized internationally for trying to conceal the emergence of the disease. American health experts have previously helped study and control infectious diseases like SARS.
Chinese officials have said the outbreaks will not affect the Beijing Olympics in August. Preparations already have been marred by unrest in Tibet and demonstrations against China's human rights record during the Olympic torch relay around the world.
The latest deaths occurred in the hardest-hit central province of Anhui, where 22 children have died of hand, foot and mouth disease, the provincial health bureau said on its Web site.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Here we go again!
It is only yours and my tax money.
If there is so much of our money laying around, give it back to us.
I no longer care about China or any other country outside the U.S. of A. I care about we the people.
Except for the fact that what happens in the rest of the world impacts the U.S.
Controlling pestilence isn’t liberal do-goodism. It’s not our place to ensure their mommies eat enough folic acid or their babies sleep in the right position, but this can spread and kill other children, including our own.
Consider it self-preservation, at least.
Yes, it's "for the children" but we get WAY too worked up about diseases. Like bird flu - sure, 50 people in China have died from it - but compared to a population of over 1 billion, more people die from being run over by city buses than bird flu. In fact, we've had more deaths from train-only accidents in the US over the last 4 years than China has from bird flu!
We should be thankful that modern medicine can worry about such tiny numbers anymore, and that for the most part death by disease is really a non-issue.
“Except for the fact that what happens in the rest of the world impacts the U.S.”
What happens in the rest of the world when it impacts on other nations who don’t give away their people’s tax money?
Nothing.
Nations rarely act out of compassion or conscience. There are almost always strings attached to money spent.
China is now dumping huge amounts of money into Africa — do you suppose they are doing this out of the goodness of their hearts?
“Nations rarely act out of compassion or conscience. There are almost always strings attached to money spent.”
You are absolutely correct. I agree with you. There is no such thing as a free lunch.
“China is now dumping huge amounts of money into Africa — do you suppose they are doing this out of the goodness of their hearts?”
You are correct again. Absolutely not.
So let China feed the world for awhile (Oh yes, and poison them while they are at it as they did in the Rep of Panama).
Let China feed the world. They can barely feed their own. I’ve been there…It does not make me an expert though…just an observation on my part.
Speaking for myself, I am sick of saving the world on my tax money, and we are hated for every minute of it. Never any thank yous or gracias.
All the crooks stay with our tax dimes which never filters down to the needy. The only ones we are punishing are the rich and not the poor who receive nothing from us.
China can’t feed the world — they’re in the midst of a 21st century “industrial revolution.”
However, America shouldn’t become more closed to the world as China becomes more open. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.
What we should be doing is constantly re-evaluating, debating and analyzing our strategy.
“However, America shouldn’t become more closed to the world as China becomes more open. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.”
Please, I am not being snotty. China IS a disaster contrary what we read.
Last night it was shown on TV that the USSR and their May Day parades in the past paraded phony armaments to scare the West. They were cardboard copies or something which never the less left every ediot shaking in their boots.
China is the same today.
So let them feed and “arm” the world. They can’t do it. But I am not going to tell them that.
Give me back my tax money for these ingrate gifts on my dime which just make the crooked rich in these countries become richer.
“What we should be doing is constantly re-evaluating, debating and analyzing our strategy.”
Maybe after I am dead.
It seems to me the Chinese leaders are looking 50 and 100 years into the future. Today the country may be a mess, but it won’t be a mess for very long.
“It seems to me the Chinese leaders are looking 50 and 100 years into the future. Today the country may be a mess, but it won’t be a mess for very long.”
Yes, but you forget about global warming!!! : )
Overall, with our great conversation back and forth, I am reminded of the following quote for some reason…because I love it:
“Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!”
I don’t worry about lurking evil — it’s the non-lurking variety that bothers me.
How nice you are with other people’s money.
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