Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo: Competence in a sea of willful incompetence. COVID-19 is not political.

Texas’ Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is the county’s top political executive. She has received but headwinds from the governor of Texas as she tries to keep the county safe from COVID-19.

Lina Hidalgo a fresh dispatch from the old guard

As COVID-19 was ravaging New York, Lina Hidalgo saw the writing on the wall. She was determined to let the science and data lead the way. In that light, she mandated that masks be used in Harris County.

While many Harris County residents agreed with her order, there are many who for several reasons were hateful and vocal in their opposition. It did not help that an incompetent president was sending mixed messages, from the ludicrous to the dangerous.

We should also be cognizant that while many are hesitant to straight talk, I am not. In a patriarchal society, many are hesitant to allow and acquiesce to the leadership of women, let alone a young Latina. Thankfully she has proven to be one of the most studied and competent leaders in the county bar none, young, old, female, male, POC, or other. It is a mental deficiency when for ideological or cultural reasons one puts the health of a community, a country at risk.

Greg Abbott, the Texas governor’s orders which superseded that of local political executives, invalidated the County Judge’s mandate. With the rate of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations increasing beyond the purported testing rate increase, the willfully incompetent Trump-sycophant, our governor, has back down and given the authority back to the local jurisdictions to protect the people in their counties.

Of course, the governor claims the local leaders had the authority all along in the way the mandates have been rejiggered to fine businesses instead of individuals. The claim is disingenuous. Worse his incompetence has likely caused the unnecessary deaths and sickness of Texans.

Many still believe COVID-19 is just a type of flu. Yes, that is what our President would like you to believe. I have relatives who have “recovered” from COVID-19. Even after recovery, there is persistent damage, some that may last for the rest of one’s life. In a country run by a legally fraudulent healthcare system that is simply a transport mechanism to transfer the wealth of most Americans to the few, we should hope that we would have a responsible government that tries to minimize illness let alone conditions that would not lead to increased pre-existing conditions.

COVID-19 is a real-life example of the need for Medicare for All. There will be a lot of bankrupt Americans, some due directly to the incompetence of their government in dealing with COVID-19.

If Judge Lina Hidalgo‘s orders were in effect since April, Harris County would likely be in better shape health-wise now. When one goes to the polls one hopes that all willfully incompetent politicians following ideologies that hurt citizens are sent packing. Likewise, one must make sure those voted in will create policies to protect us all and mitigate the destructive ones they replace. Incompetence willful or otherwise must be extricated. Competence matters.