Original post by BakerStreet@JoeUser
Although I disagree with some of his parting comments and the basic insinuation that there would be no AIDS today if people practiced more responsible/moral lifestyles, since the 'lack' of AIDS initiative under Reagan has been a frequently-cited criticism of the man I thought that this was worth putting out there.
Phaedrus
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>
President Reagan took office in January 1981. Up to that time it is estimated a total of 31 people had died of AIDS, total. It had no name, and was not publicized to any extent. During his first year in office, Aids killed 128 people, of which many were not diagnosed until much later. The disease was still not named nor was there a reliable test.
In 1982, the CDC named the disease AIDS, and publicly linked it to the transfer of blood. Less than 500 people die of the disease that year, and 8 million dollars is devoted to it by the US government. In 1983 the virus is finally found and the CDC warns of possible dangers to the blood supply. It won't be until 1985 that there is a reliable test for HIV. This is well into Ronald Reagan's second term.
During President Reagan's first term AIDS kills less than 6000 people. Far more people died of “common” diseases like influenza, but the Reagan administration still devoted 157 million dollars to AIDS in the first four years of office, before much was even known about it.
Here is a rundown of the mortality rates for 1985:
1. Diseases of heart - 771,169
2. Malignant neoplasms - 461,563
3. Cerebrovascular diseases - 153,050
4. Accidents and adverse effects - 93,457
5. Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases - 74,662
6. Pneumonia and influenza - 67,615
7. Diabetes mellitus - 36,969
8. Suicide - 29,453
9. Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis - 26,767
10. Atherosclerosis - 23,926
11. Nephritis,nephrotic syndrome,and nephrosis - 21,349
12. Homicide and legal intervention - 19,893
13. Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period - 19,246
14. Septicemia - 17,182
15. Congenital anomalies - 12,783
Aids killed 6,972 in 1985.
6,972 is a lot of people, but looking at the list, one might easily see how AIDS might not draw as much attention as other, more common and less preventable diseases. Now imagine fighting Congress to allocate funds to AIDS in Reagan's early first term when it was undiagnosable and killing only a few dozen people. It is the President’s job to suggest spending, but the budget is a cooperative effort with the Congress. Even with this contentious relationship, billions were devoted to AIDS during the Reagan years.
By 1989, 5.7 billion dollars had been spent, guidelines for safe habits were well announced, and billions more had been spent by the private sector. AIDS cases increased exponentially, spread by people who ignored the information available to them. Ronald Reagan is condemned for not seeing the future, and yet 8 years later it was still too early for the citizens most at risk, watching their peers die, to change their habits? Quite the double standard.
Ronald Reagan is the antithesis of what promotes the spread of AIDS in the US. His morality was old fashioned, and “Just say no” was a joke for people who imagine that promiscuity and drug use are a “given”. Oddly, though, “Just say no” is a pretty great way to prevent the spread of the AIDS virus. During the last years of Reagan’s office AIDS was almost 100% preventable. It was apathy on the part of people who either didn’t think they could contract the virus, or didn’t care that they were spreading it.
It is easy to brandish AIDS in the face of a moral conservative like Ronald Reagan. He didn’t agree with the practice of homosexuality or drug use, so the knee-jerk reaction is to think he didn’t care for the folks losing their lives. The statistics don’t bear this out, though. Billions were spent on a disease that was way down the mortality list in the US, and unprecedented efforts were made to educate an apathetic public.
AIDS clinics are still filled with people who refuse to change their lifestyles and continue to spread a disease that could be easily eradicated through a change in personal habits. Lets not blame a man that was the antithesis of the problem, not even when it makes us appear edgy and smart.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Although I disagree with some of his parting comments and the basic insinuation that there would be no AIDS today if people practiced more responsible/moral lifestyles, since the 'lack' of AIDS initiative under Reagan has been a frequently-cited criticism of the man I thought that this was worth putting out there.
Phaedrus
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>
President Reagan took office in January 1981. Up to that time it is estimated a total of 31 people had died of AIDS, total. It had no name, and was not publicized to any extent. During his first year in office, Aids killed 128 people, of which many were not diagnosed until much later. The disease was still not named nor was there a reliable test.
In 1982, the CDC named the disease AIDS, and publicly linked it to the transfer of blood. Less than 500 people die of the disease that year, and 8 million dollars is devoted to it by the US government. In 1983 the virus is finally found and the CDC warns of possible dangers to the blood supply. It won't be until 1985 that there is a reliable test for HIV. This is well into Ronald Reagan's second term.
During President Reagan's first term AIDS kills less than 6000 people. Far more people died of “common” diseases like influenza, but the Reagan administration still devoted 157 million dollars to AIDS in the first four years of office, before much was even known about it.
Here is a rundown of the mortality rates for 1985:
1. Diseases of heart - 771,169
2. Malignant neoplasms - 461,563
3. Cerebrovascular diseases - 153,050
4. Accidents and adverse effects - 93,457
5. Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases - 74,662
6. Pneumonia and influenza - 67,615
7. Diabetes mellitus - 36,969
8. Suicide - 29,453
9. Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis - 26,767
10. Atherosclerosis - 23,926
11. Nephritis,nephrotic syndrome,and nephrosis - 21,349
12. Homicide and legal intervention - 19,893
13. Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period - 19,246
14. Septicemia - 17,182
15. Congenital anomalies - 12,783
Aids killed 6,972 in 1985.
6,972 is a lot of people, but looking at the list, one might easily see how AIDS might not draw as much attention as other, more common and less preventable diseases. Now imagine fighting Congress to allocate funds to AIDS in Reagan's early first term when it was undiagnosable and killing only a few dozen people. It is the President’s job to suggest spending, but the budget is a cooperative effort with the Congress. Even with this contentious relationship, billions were devoted to AIDS during the Reagan years.
By 1989, 5.7 billion dollars had been spent, guidelines for safe habits were well announced, and billions more had been spent by the private sector. AIDS cases increased exponentially, spread by people who ignored the information available to them. Ronald Reagan is condemned for not seeing the future, and yet 8 years later it was still too early for the citizens most at risk, watching their peers die, to change their habits? Quite the double standard.
Ronald Reagan is the antithesis of what promotes the spread of AIDS in the US. His morality was old fashioned, and “Just say no” was a joke for people who imagine that promiscuity and drug use are a “given”. Oddly, though, “Just say no” is a pretty great way to prevent the spread of the AIDS virus. During the last years of Reagan’s office AIDS was almost 100% preventable. It was apathy on the part of people who either didn’t think they could contract the virus, or didn’t care that they were spreading it.
It is easy to brandish AIDS in the face of a moral conservative like Ronald Reagan. He didn’t agree with the practice of homosexuality or drug use, so the knee-jerk reaction is to think he didn’t care for the folks losing their lives. The statistics don’t bear this out, though. Billions were spent on a disease that was way down the mortality list in the US, and unprecedented efforts were made to educate an apathetic public.
AIDS clinics are still filled with people who refuse to change their lifestyles and continue to spread a disease that could be easily eradicated through a change in personal habits. Lets not blame a man that was the antithesis of the problem, not even when it makes us appear edgy and smart.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
