Janet Rowland, a repeat candidate for Mesa County Commissioner in District 3 (the east side of the valley), continues to misunderstand how epidemiology works, and as a result is continuing to buck public health authorities’ desperate efforts to reduce the spread of the deadly Coronavirus in Mesa County.
Rowland has been agitating against the ongoing physical distancing measures and temporary shutdown of non-essential businesses that is the only tool available to check the spread of the new and highly communicable virus.
Today Rowland changed the profile picture on one of her Facebook pages to the following:
Currently there is no prevention, no immunization, no treatment and no cure for COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel Coronavirus. The United States was caught unprepared for the pandemic, and currently leads the world in deaths from the virus, at 31,590 deaths, 290 of which are in Colorado. Widespread testing for the disease remains unavailable, so there is no way to tell where the virus has spread within the general population.
Ignorance can cause death
Rowland posted the following message on her campaign Facebook page yesterday, suggesting her followers join an “action oriented group” that promotes rebellion against the social distancing measures and shut down of non-essential businesses where people congregate and spread the disease:
Rowland also ironically today posted statistics showing how successful the current containment measures have been in reducing the spread of the virus in Mesa County, and then comes to exactly the wrong conclusion, saying this means we should end the very measures that are actually working to control the virus:
Janet Rowland is giving only superficial thought to the problem at hand, and the results of her thinking, if carried out, could prove deadly. She has no training in medicine and no background in epidemiology, virology, microbiology, public health or any other subject that would qualify her to make decisions on how to best control a dangerous virus, yet she continues to make others think she knows the best way to manage it in our community.
Her woefully uninformed opinions and dangerous lapses of judgment could cost many lives in Mesa County and prolong the shutdown for everyone if followed.
The first thing a real leader must be able to do is admit they don’t know enough about a subject to make accurate, helpful public pronouncements about it, particularly if the subject is something life or death. Such a leader would seek out experts to inform their opinions, but Rowland has made no such effort.
Rowland’s thoughtless statements and misinformed ideology prove she is a highly dangerous candidate for any elected position.
It’s when the local government uses the safety measures to backdoor wacky unpopular makeshift laws…that’s when the people should protest…and when the President says ” liberate” it’s not from the safeguarding…it’s from the over reach of the Democrats who are pushing for their agenda of crazy over reaching laws…and capitalizing on the crises
What “crazy, overreaching laws”?
Rowland is your typical GOP, Pol. They do not believe in science because it clashes outright with their religious beliefs. They will welcome people who willingly expose themselves to a dangerous virus because, they believe “faith in God”, will protect them. When someone who joined an “exposure” event, gets sick they will proclaim it is, “God’s will”.
Science will never win, with them. We are going to see many, many, innocent people die because of this ignorant stance politicians take. Politicians used to be trusted. Those who trust the GOP, these days will be participating in dangerous adventures.
We are far past the days of Separation of Church and State. The GOP caters to the Religious Right, the Religious Right is an active participant in writing legislation. That type of legislation will steer more of our laws to benefit the religions of our country. They also write legislation to remove laws in conflict with their religious beliefs. When you have religious organizations writing laws for the GOP to push through, we have weakened the separation, guaranteed in the First Amendment.
It’s when the local government uses the safety measures to backdoor wacky unpopular makeshift laws…that’s when the people should protest…and when the President says ” liberate” it’s not from the safeguarding…it’s from the over reach of the Democrats who are pushing for their agenda of crazy over reaching laws…and capitalizing on the crises
Doesn’t it take up a lot of your time, constantly having to explain what the President “really meant” when he says something stupid or unAmerican?
Anne, you need to send this to the Sentinel. Maybe they’ll even publish it! I agree that she is bonkers. Too bad that term limits don’t extend to lifetime limits! Keep up your blog.
Don’t get your hopes up. Jay Seaton doesn’t let the Sentinel report on anything that isn’t approved by the Mesa County GOP and their lackeys.