Letter to the Editor: Simple Facts

• U.S. population: 5 percent of the world’s population

• U.S. confirmed coronavirus exposure: 30 percent of all of those exposed

• U.S. coronavirus deaths: 19 percent of the world’s coronavirus deaths

(You can confirm these facts on the Johns Hopkins interactive map on the internet.)

The coronavirus started in China, then went to Japan and South Korea, then to Italy, Iran and the remainder of Europe, and last to the USA, which had the most warning of any developed country in the world. And the U.S. intelligence services knew that. And the USA arguably has the world’s best health infrastructure.

How did this happen? Who is at fault? President Harry Truman had the answer for that 70 years ago: “The buck stops here.” He was referring to himself as president. Our current president would never acknowledge that, but it is a fact: There is only one reason, and that is the failure of Trump to act forcefully and in a timely way.

Jim Riead

Egg Harbor, Wisconsin