Editor: I continue to be opposed to a majority of the types of tax cuts put forth by the Bush Administration, as the approach eerily resembles Voodoo Economics. Last time that policy was in place, from where I stood, the ‘trickle down’ wasn’t trickling down very far or very fast.
However, my recent experience, combined with the just-released news that the Bush Administration has increased federal spending by 27% in its three-year tenure, leads me to the conclusion that a new tax cut is in order.
This past autumn, I for the first time, and my wife and children paid for and received flu shots. Unfortunately, each of us caught the flu last month. The kids were hit hard. If we were for some reason unable to care for them there could have been big trouble.
The flu this season has reached epidemic proportions. Of the flu viruses in circulation this season, roughly 25% are the Panama strain of Influenza A contained in this year’s vaccine. However 75% are the Fujian strain of Influenza A, which according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is not contained in the vaccine. It’s a nasty strain that can result in very high fever, and possibly pneumonia. Many have died as a result of this disease this year, and many of those were children. Our experience and statistics belie that children are particularly vulnerable to this strain. During the week ending December 27, 2003, 9.0% of all deaths reported by the vital statistics offices of 122 U.S. cities were due to pneumonia and influenza. This percentage is above the epidemic threshold of 7.9% for that week.
In addition to the ineffectiveness of this vaccine, it is running in short supply. Complaining about running short of something relatively worthless however seems pointless. On the other hand, health workers are also facing a shortage of test kits to diagnose the flu. It would appear that the CDC has fallen short well of its goal.
The reason for the tax cut… well, the CDC in its infinite wisdom, knew of the existence of the Fujian strain, but decided against controversial procedures to create a serum to deal with this strain for this year’s vaccine. Instead, last year’s recipe was used. Didn’t do much good in our case, and likely many others have experienced a similar failure by their government to protect them. Clearly those that died and their families did not receive the protection they deserve, and paid for – with their taxes and their flu shot fees, not to mention their lives. I didn’t get much protection either. Fortunately, my loved ones and I did not pay nearly as much as some.
We did pay 20 bucks each for the shot, though. And since we each got the flu, I am of the opinion that we should be able to not only write this off as a medical expense, but also get a tax credit for each instance of the CDC’s gross and negligent failure to protect us. Furthermore, this tax cut should be paid for directly out of the CDC’s budget. Then we’ll see who’s motivated to get the recipe right.
Daniel Wells
Tracy