Arizona District Five Congressional House Representative Andy Biggs has been on a roll of mostly fake news the last couple of days on Twitter and Fox News.
Appearing on Fox Business on Tuesday (please click here to access the video link,) Mr. Biggs said he would not support any additional stimulus for the United States economy (he did not support the other measures) because it would:
- Add to Debt (says the person who voted for the 2017 Trump Tax Cut)
- Not be necessary because the fundamentals of the economy are there (remember when John McCain said that in 2008? How did that work out for him?)
- incentivize the unemployed to stay out of work (he and Sylvia Allen must share the same brain.)
In the interview on Fox and Twitter, Mr. Biggs maintains that a lockdown in Arizona is not necessary because hospitalizations and death rates are down. He also said the number of positive tests collates with the number of new cases.
None of that is true.
AZ Central reported that a new record in hospitalizations was set yesterday. In an article by Alison Steinbach, she noted:
“Emergency department visits and counts of inpatient beds, ICU beds and ventilators in use for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients hit their highest-ever numbers Tuesday, according to hospital data.”
“The highest jump came in emergency department visits, with 1,093 suspected COVID-19 patients treated Tuesday, compared to 956 Monday.”
“All those hospital metrics, posted on the state website Wednesday, surpassed previous records reported on Monday. As of Tuesday, 85% of current inpatient beds and 83% of ICU beds were in use for COVID-19 and other patients.”
“Wednesday’s report of 1,827 new cases was the second-highest number of cases reported in a single day, following Tuesday’s 2,392 new cases reported. Before that, the record was 1,654 new cases reported June 12.”
20 more people died on Wednesday as well.
To be fair, Mr. Biggs is correct to point out that a lockdown may cause lapses in medical treatment like chemotherapy and increases in domestic, child(although there are no firm numbers because children are not in school,) and alcohol and drug abuse.
It should also be pointed out that Mr. Biggs is probably not going to do anything to help victims of abuse or people in need of medical treatment anyway whether or not there is a lockdown.
Joan Greene, the 2018 Arizona Congressional District Five Democratic Nominee, and 2020 candidate responded to Mr. Biggs claims via Twitter:
Let us examine what we do know.
We know masks, social distancing, and contact tracing work.
We know Biggs fighting against doing bare minimum has cost us lives, damaged our livelihoods, given us medical bankruptcy and increased debt.#HireJoan #Science #Data #Facts #AZ05 https://t.co/3ROZPN6Lum
— Joan Greene (@joangreeneaz) June 17, 2020
Matt Grodsky, the spokesperson of the Arizona Democratic Party, issued a statement which read in part:
“Instead of working on ways to save American lives or provide relief to struggling families, Rep. Biggs is sticking to his inane talking points. It’s clear to Arizonans that Biggs is beyond clueless on the realities of this crisis.”
Andy Biggs is not good for Arizona Congressional District Five.
His Know Nothing views on economics and the course of COVID 19 do not serve the people.
He is not good for Arizona.
He is not good for the United States.
Vote him out in November. You will live longer and prosper more that way.
Please remember:
- Primary Election Day is on August 4, 2020, and General Election Day is on November 3. 2020. Please see the below graphic for all-important voting dates.
- Please check your voter registration at vote.
- Register/sign up for the Permanent Early Voting List (PEVL) in Arizona or any state that allows early or absentee balloting and mail. Arizona residents can sign up at vote.
- Arizona residents, mail your General Election ballot by October 28, 2020, for the November 3, 2020 election.
- Check-in with the Secretary of State’s office where you live to verify your mail-in ballot was received, processed, verified, and counted.
- Know the voter ID requirements in your state.
- If you can, support Clean Election Candidates with a small contribution.
- Also, please remember to stay informed on all the candidates and vote for all the offices on the ballot.
- Also, remember to research all the ballot initiatives, sign to get them on the ballot if you support the measure, and vote on them as well.
Discover more from Blog for Arizona
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.