"It's a cynical barbaric strategy. Open the red states, where the GOP has great information control, and then spin and depress numbers and hope for the best. The way they lose is if things get really, obviously bad. Then the GOP will rotate a daily spotlight on whichever states are not taking a virus beating. If things go as anticipated, the GOP will eventually become an extension of the Montana chamber of commerce." Bob Dietz (May 8, 2020)
Well, that didn't take very long. I say it; the GOP does it. Like clockwork. If there were betting lines on this stuff, I'd be dangerous.
Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon reported for Florida Today that scientist Rebekah Jones was fired May 18 for refusing to manipulate COVID-19 data for the Florida Department of Health. The dismissal of Jones, who designed the data-tracking portal, highlights Governor Ron DeSantis' drive to create the impression that re-opening was less risky than the data actually suggested. The response from the Department of Health was a non-response. It didn't dispute the facts; it merely attempted to downplay Jones' importance as the person who not only oversaw but wrote all of the code for the project. She was cited as someone who had been guilty of repeated "insubordination," although none of her direct statements about refusing to manipulate data were refuted. This could very well turn into a he said/she said event between DeSantis and Jones.
Previously, Florida had been flagged the last week in April for trying to massage medical examiners' reports. At the time, the state was trying to remove cause-of-death statements from the reports. As a result, the state coronavirus death numbers had been running 10% behind the medical examiners' totals.
Meanwhile, Georgia's Department of Public Health was caught publishing a graph that made it appear virus case totals were steadily declining. The only catch -- they didn't arrange the dates in chronological order. They arranged them in declining order. That would get a helluva grade in a college stat class, one would think.
Good to know that the well being of Floridians and Georgians is in such trustworthy hands.
Bob Dietz
May 19, 2020
