*By Vincent Cavaleri
I’m quite sure when you read the title, you thought I was writing about the incompetent duo of Jay Inslee or Gavin (about to be recalled) Newsome of California. These two couldn’t find gas in a gas station. Normally you would be correct in your assumptions, but one of the more despicable people of our time has pulled ahead in the race for incompetence and ineptness.
Having grown up in New York, I had the honor of meeting; and campaigning as a young man, fresh out of the military for then New York Governor Mario Cuomo. Governor Mario Cuomo (D) was an incredible man that understood the needs of the people he served; and was re-elected in 1986 and 1990 by the largest margins ever recorded in New York’s history. He inspired everyone that came within his gravitational pull; and it was an honor to shake his hand in 1984. Dropping campaign flyers on my neighbors’ doorsteps was an honor for me at the time, and my first foray into politics.
Roughly 25-30 years later, the offspring of this great man emerged on the New York political scene and was subsequently elected governor due to name recognition alone. Sadly, for my brothers and sisters in New York, the acorn does fall far from the tree in this case. His son, Andrew Cuomo has been leading the empire state through the COVID campaign with an abysmal record of leadership. I often write regarding abhorrent leaders in the governor’s mansions, but Andrew Cuomo has now set the bar at its lowest pitch recorded in history.
On March 25th of 2020, Gov Cuomo ordered our senior patients that had tested positive for COVID 19, back into the nursing homes from which they came. Using Cuomo’s words, “it was like pouring hot coals on dry grass”. By the fourth week of March it was almost commonplace knowledge that seniors, and those with compromised immune systems were in harm’s way with this infectious virus. Despite having hundreds of experts at his disposal, the incompetent democrat governor carried out his version of the death march.
It’s now been widely reported that New York’s Department of Health (NYDOH) has now more than doubled its count of senior living facility COVID deaths from just a week ago. The NYDOH website provided 8,740 senior living deaths just days before the most recent audit by the state and its attorney general’s office. That number has since been removed from the site and is no longer available. The fatality number has now eclipsed 17,000 nursing home deaths and counting. Sadly, we will probably never have an accurate accounting and recognition of our lost loved ones in nursing homes; or anywhere else for that matter. These blue state governors and mayors continue to skew and hide actual data from the victims and the families that love them. This story continues to unfold; and Andrew Cuomo continues to blame others, including President Donald Trump for the decisions that he (Cuomo Jr) in fact made.
Cuomo’s degree of malevolence is further exacerbated when you calculate the President’s deployment of the USS Mercy and the retrofit of the Jacob Javits center in New York City for direct COVID patient care. According to records, the two facilities saw almost zero patients. Meaning this, he had options for care and containment, but chose otherwise.
Cuomo Jr continues to blame everyone else except himself and the poor decisions he made regarding our vulnerable senior population. His decisions were based on politics and optics, not health.
To make matters worse, if that were possible; on March 27th of 2020, Gov Andrew Cuomo signed legislation granting immunity to nursing homes and their executives from prosecution. The indemnification of these facilities and the agents thereof add insult to injury; and the surviving victims will never have justice for their lost loved ones. Meaning you can’t even sue if there was negligence. Think about that for a moment, commit the crime and then create rules to protect the criminal. If there were ever crimes against humanity, here they are.
If not for the New York Post and Fox News, this story would have; and probably will be buried. The mainstream media bears much of the blame or their reckless indifference and unwillingness to cover human tragedy stories such as this; and those that affect blue state leaders and their political careers. Regardless how you feel about COVID and the pandemic, our senior citizens and loved ones deserved a whole lot better. How can a society and culture turn its back on those that came first? These blue state elected leaders decided those that matter most to us, matter least to them. I hope you understand how much you and your loved one’s matter to them.
Shame on them, now and forever. Peace and blessings always. Vincent
