As states across the country have pleaded for critical medical equipment from a key national stockpile, Florida has promptly received 100 percent of its first two requests — with President Trump and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis both touting their close relationship.

States including Oklahoma and Kentucky have received more of some equipment than they requested, while others such as Illinois, Massachusetts and Maine have secured only a fraction of their requests.

Now is it just it me? Or is there a pattern to what we’re reading above? The pattern goes unaddressed.

It might be that the Washington Post knows that it is both impolite and entirely unnecessary to say that Trump is going to decide who lives and dies, and you’re far better off in a big red or purple state. Not only is it obvious, and somewhat redundant, it might light-off a small civil war. The WaPo doesn’t have to say it, so they don’t.

I will.

There is a pattern, and Trump’s abusing this for his political benefit.

Some of it is pure government incompetence mixed-in:

Evers told FEMA on Friday that Wisconsin still needs 190,000 nonsurgical masks, adding that he thought some of the supplies were stuck in a bureaucratic queue. Oklahoma received 120,000 face shields despite requesting only 16,000, according to the state’s health department. North Carolina, by contrast, requested 500,000 medical coveralls and received 306, state records show.

Reminds me of a story a friend told me about how he golfed his way through the Vietnam War. He was a phlebotomist ina hospital on a base in the Philippines, and the base needed four more phlebotomists. The hospital commander put in a request for four additional phlebotomists each month. The requests went unanswered for three months when out of the blue, the government filled all three requests at the same time and twelve new phlebotomists showed-up. Having been shorthanded so long the hospital commander said nothing about the mistake and told all the phlebotomists to not say a word, busy themselves with something else. My friend golfed three days for every one that he worked. Sick way to get through an awful war, but he didn’t put himself ahead, the system did.

So some of this is just inherent clunks that always accompany a system with massive logistics. Some of it, though, is Trump’s “system.”

Trump has long long long demonstrated his preference for “his” Amerika, not once showing any interest in using his “charm” to draw over independents and Democrats. It shouldn’t be surprising that the same guy who caused a lot of these shortages is using them to bestow political favors.

DeSantis and Miami will get whatever the fck they order. They will have twelve phlebotomists, or ventilators, and play a lot of golf at Doral. If you live in Chicago, it might feel a bit more like Vietnam.

I can’t believe we’re in such a place, but changes have to be made, fast. Or this is going to get much worse, and I don’t just mean with ventilators. Someone has to “say it,” because history shows that when states are fighting, things don’t end well. And there’s no damn Lincoln around the corner, either.

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Peace, y’all

Jason

[email protected] and @MiciakZoom