Ebola? 'What, me worry?'

Alfred E. Neuman, the boy with the misaligned eyes, gap-toothed smile and the perennial motto, "What, me worry?" appeared in MAD, the comic book and later magazine in the 1950s and 60s. Nothing was too outrageous and fun was poked at everything from parents to presidents. Skepticism was the order of the day.

Two generations grew up reading MAD. No one took it seriously. It was a comic book turned magazine. The crazy things could not come true.

Today, the people of America elected a man who grew up attending a Muslim school, associated with bomb throwers, never held a job, went to church where the pastor made scathing and scurrilous assaults on America, using the Lord's name in vain while doing so.

This same man was awarded the Nobel Prize for what he might do. To prepare himself for this office, he appointed every extremist radical he could find. Not one appointee was what one would call "normal," "experienced" and/or "capable."

Our present leader has now dethroned President Jimmy Carter as the worst President in our lifetime. Carter was in over his head but he was not someone who wanted to substantially transform America. Who gave President Obama the green light to "transform" our nation?

In my subjective judgment, this President would appear on the surface to be the most inept and incompetent president ever, at least I hope that is what he is and not someone bent on destroying the country.

Lest anyone reading sit back and say right on, President Obama could not be where he is without the willing cooperation and support of a substantial number of citizens. The President's fellow travelers also bear a measure of responsibility here. By any measure, the economy has not recovered - at best, it is on hold until the 2016 elections. The Affordable Health Care Act will be viewed as an abomination when its costs are truly discerned and medical care, as we know it, has been downgraded.

Now, we have a truly horrific disease erupting in Africa. Read up on hemorrhagic fevers of which the rare Ebola Strain is now making its biggest known outbreak. If you have a strong stomach, go online and view some of the symptoms. In the later stages, some have described it as having the blood boiling and erupting through the skin.

Why is it when the White House Spokesman and the appointees of this administration speak of how they have the situation in hand that I do not feel comforted? I would feel so much better if we had competent, accomplished, intelligent, knowledgeable leaders in place.

I am sure that this Ebola outbreak is going to go down in history as the great moment of this President. His leadership and that of his appointees will see us all through this.

Back in the day, when this nation had men who could do the necessary jobs, no matter how tough, an immigrant arriving at Ellis Island was turned back to their homeland if they had a disease.

Every day, airliners arrive in the U.S. from Africa. There is not time to see if the individual traveler has symptoms of the disease, as these outward signs may not be present for a week or more. We could require people from infected countries to come by boat, allowing time for the disease to show. In that manner, we would not be stopping movement cold, but giving the nation time to protect itself.

Today, we can take an individual and isolate him. We can observe 50 people and not be strained resource wise. When the numbers get bigger, we will have to put armed guards and barbed wire around entire neighborhoods.

If Ebola gets a sizeable toehold in American, the President may have to forfeit his Nobel Peace Prize. Isolating entire countries until they solve their medical crisis is not something that builds popularity and this administration will not take potentially unpopular actions unless it involves bowing to a king of a 15th century country.

What do I have to worry about? Monday Night Football is back.

Robert Hunt is a Post Falls resident.