Politicians Try to Make Ebola a Partisan Issue for the Upcoming Election … But BOTH Parties Droped the Ball

The Dallas Morning News notes:

The political blame game over the deadly Ebola virus is in full swing just weeks before the November elections — with each side ignoring the facts.

In reality, both sides have dropped the ball.

Democrats

For example, Democrats are trying to blame Republicans for budget cuts to the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC has had its budget slashed.

But Huffington Post notes that Obama also pushed for CDC cuts. And McClatchy points out that both parties cut budgets for health.

Obama also largely ignored CDC’s recommendations for setting up Ebola centers around the world.

In addition, the health agencies have squandered money. For example, the Federalist notes:

A 2012 report on federal spending including the following nuggets about how NIH spends its supposedly tight funds:

a $702,558 grant for the study of the impact of televisions and gas generators on villages in Vietnam.

$175,587 to the University of Kentucky to study the impact of cocaine on the sex drive of Japanese quail.

$55,382 to study hookah smoking in Jordan.

$592,527 to study why chimpanzees throw objects.

Last year there were news reports about a $509,840 grant from NIH to pay for a study that will send text messages in “gay lingo” to meth-heads. There are many other shake-your-head examples of misguided spending that are easy to find.

The Daily Mail adds:

The NIH budget included $2.4 million for a new condom design whose inventor is now being investigated for fraud [The article explains: " 'Origami Condom' creator Daniel Resnic is accused of spending NIH grant dollars on cosmetic surgery, a Playboy Mansion party and exotic trips, and using his friends as informal research subjects instead of holding a controlled human trial"]
Another $939,000 taught scientists that male fruit flies prefer younger females
$257,000 went to create a companion website for first lady Michelle Obama’s White House garden
It cost $592,000 to determine that chimpanzees with the best poop-flinging skills are also the best communicators, and another $117,000 to learn that most chimps are right-handed

Indeed, some worry that the head of the Centers for Disease Control is more focused on stopping soda than deadly diseases.

This is very similar to all of the wasted defense spending.

Republicans

Republicans blame the Democratic president and his Democratic CDC director for their failure to stop Ebola. And they have been doing an absolutely horrible job.

However, private healthcare – championed by Republicans – has been a train wreck in dealing with Ebola.

Moreover, health experts say that local governments have the ultimate authority to make decisions on handling Ebola and overseeing hospitals in their area. The CDC can set protocols – which are widely followed. But it is the local governments which have the power to actually issue orders.

Conservatives are against big government, and think that power should devolve to state and local governments. But so far – at least in dealing with Ebola – local governments like Dallas have done a horrible job.

Updates: STUDY: 3-Week Quarantine Period Not Long Enough...