Just be prepared: There is no need for panic, but there is need for preparation

Although some people might be unreasonably scared, the reality is, most Americans are not really worried about an Ebola pandemic that wipes out the populations of major U.S. cities.

But that doesn't mean the response of the U.S. government, and the uncertainty of the new round of rogue militant Islamists, are not giving a lot of people pause.

What we want is simple. We want a reasonable certainty that this nation is taking the possibility of an Ebola infection seriously, and that steps are being taken to make sure we know what to do in case there is such a crisis.

And right now, few people have that confidence.

It is about more than knowing what to do if a doctor who is treating patients in West Africa contracts the disease. It is about more than understanding the symptoms that accompany Ebola and having the resources available to treat those symptoms safely.

It is about realizing that it would not take much for someone with the disease to sneak across a border, mix with the local population and cause a serious problem.

It is about realizing that we have enemies who know our weaknesses -- and one of them is being too politically correct, sometimes to our own detriment.

We need a treatment plan and a prevention plan. And, by the way, running around like headless chickens is not a plan.

That is why Ebola is an issue.

Truth is, Americans are not really sure that Washington is not just that -- a coop of confused and unprepared poultry. And they do not want to entrust it with their lives and those of their loved ones.

Published in Editorials on October 24, 2014 2:30 PM