Clint Ratkovich saw firsthand how fragile football can be last season as virtually all his running back teammates were felled by injuries and mishaps at one point or another.

“It’s football, it’s part of the game,” Ratkovich told Prairie State Pigskin in February. “It’s terrible that it happened to some of the guys, that they had to fight through those injuries.”

But all that pales in comparison to what the world is facing with COVID-19. And while our interview with the WIU senior came prior to what the virus has spawned, there’s no doubt Ratkovich is concerned with far more than football.

The Crete-Monee High School graduate proved to be the solid constant in the Western Illinois running back room. Playing in all 12 games, Ratkovich wound up leading the Leathernecks in both rushing yards and receptions.

Clint Ratkovich

Following a disappointing season that produced just one win last fall, Ratkovich was preparing for his final spring practices — something that never happened in a traditional sense.

“Looking back on it, time really flies,” he said. “I remember coming in here as a freshman. It felt like yesterday. Now I have one last go-around, one spring left, one fall camp and one more season.”

A first team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection at fullback last fall, Ratkovich continues to be one of the key leaders for head coach Jared Elliott’s Leathernecks. After all, Ratkovich was first voted as a team captain his sophomore year.

“That doesn’t happen very often in Division I football,” Elliott said. “It speaks volumes of who he is as a young man, as a player and as a teammate. He was never given that platform, he earned it.”

With his players back in their hometowns waiting out the coronavirus, Elliott has held off naming this coming season’s captains with one exception.

“He’s going to be a three-time team captain,” the third-year head coach said. “He’s earned the respect of every single person that touches our program. He does all the little things. He does everything right. He’s a tremendous leader. He’s very passionate about Leatherneck football. We’re very blessed to have him here.”

Ratkovich sees leadership as a two-way street.

“We (the veteran players) need to step up and keep pushing the younger guys, but they have to do the same to us — hold us accountable too,” he said. “That makes us all better in the end.”

‘A true Swiss Army knife’

“We actually started him here as a safety his redshirt year,” Elliott said. “We quickly figured out that wasn’t the ideal position for him. We made the decision after that first fall to flip him over to offense.

“Very rarely have I seen a young man almost create his own position within an offense. Clint did that here. He did that for us. He’s really almost changed the landscape of how we recruit in terms of that position. Clint’s that true Swiss Army knife. He does everything. He plays running back, wildcat quarterback, fullback, receiver, tight end. We do so many different jobs with him.”

Crete-Monee graduate Clint Ratkovich has excelled both on and off the field for Western Illinois. (photo by Barry Bottino, Prairie State Pigskin)

Elliott praised not only Ratkovich’s skill set, but added, “He’s just so smart. He can handle everything that we give to him.

“There’s so much that this kid does that the average fan might not see. He might not be getting that carry on a particular play or catching the ball on that route, but this kid does so much that makes us go. He’s so selfless. Anything you ask him to do, he’s going to do it. He takes so much pride in doing it right. I wish I could clone 1,000 of Clint Ratkovich.”

Much like baseball’s preseason training, hope springs eternal in college football camps. A 1-11 season wasn’t all doom and gloom in Macomb.

“If you were in the locker room, say week 11 (last fall) and seeing the energy we had, you’d feel we’d be an undefeated team,” Ratkovich said. “No one was getting down. Everyone was still coming to work every day. That’s really encouraging coming into this season. We’ve just got to find a way to get it done.”

Forward focus

With the onset of the coronavirus, WIU did not hold spring practice. Classes were moved to online learning.

Yet, Ratkovich remains focused on the tasks at hand. He prepares much the same as he has since he first started playing as a young boy.

“While we’re tearing apart the playbook, nothing drastic is going on,” he said. “It’s back to basics. Time to get back to it, nothing too crazy is in place.”

Ratkovich had planned to spend his summer in Macomb, completing an internship required for his degree and preparing for his final season. Certainly those plans have been altered.

One thing he won’t do is worry about injuries spoiling his senior year the way it did for teammates the likes of Max Norris and Deontez Thompson a year ago.

“Personally, I don’t think about things like that,” he said. “I play the way I normally do. Whatever happens, happens. I’m going to give it my all.”

Like everyone associated with college football, Elliott looks forward to the day when the game returns — especially with Ratkovich in mind.

“I know he’s going to have a special senior year because he’s worked really hard for it,” Elliott said.

Coaching changes

Elliott recently announced that his staff hiring is complete and in place for the 2020 season.

“Defensive coordinator Cam Clark joins us for Lamar, he was there the last three years. He’s been at several different places: Auburn, Arkansas State, Faulkner in Alabama. I’m very excited about him,” Elliott said.

Jacques Washington has been brought on as WIU secondary coach.

“He was at UCLA, played at Iowa State, coached there for a little bit, was at a D2 school in Oklahoma. Our players have really responded to his voice and leadership,” Elliott said.

Doug Patterson is the Leathernecks’ offensive line coach.

“Doug comes to us from St. Cloud State,” Elliott said. “He’s a 30-year veteran in terms of O-line play, a great teacher and technician. He’ll bring a lot of credibility and that veteran voice.”

Rounding out the hew hires is running backs coach Zach Grant.

“Zach comes to us from Illinois where he was a graduate assistant with Lovie Smith,” Elliott said.

Grant is a native of Springfield and played three seasons for the Illini. Grant helped Rochester High School to IHSA Class 4A State Championships in 2010 and 2011 along with former Illini quarterback Wes Lunt.

Finally, Elliott announced that Patrick Shepard has been elevated to assistant head coach. Additionally, Shepard will continue to serve as Western’s special teams coordinator while also overseeing the Leathernecks’ tight ends. Shepard joined the staff two seasons ago and served as running backs coach.

“It’s good to have everyone here given the circumstances we’re in now,” Elliott said. “We still do daily staff meetings, they just look a little bit different in terms of being remote.”

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day, and NASA is making it easier for everyone to join in the festivities with its #EarthDayatHome with NASA virtual celebration. Meant as a day to raise awareness and education, the global celebration is the perfect excuse to learn about all the NASA programs and missions that study and benefit our home planet.

NASA makes it easy to learn about and explore our planet from the safety of our homes, and this year they’ve piled on the Earth Day activities and actions you can do online, in the home, or from your backyard.

Families with children can begin by exploring the Earth Day 2020 50th anniversary toolkit HERE.

Everyone is encouraged to share photos of yourself celebrating Earth Day from home across social media using the hashtag #EarthDayatHome.

Visit the agencies YouTube channel to learn all about the missions and research that NASA does off the Earth with special videos made featuring astronauts and scientists. Watch NASA HERE.

Astronaut Chris Cassidy will answer questions from users on social media in a special LIVE Earth Day Q & A (12:10 EDT) that will broadcast on NASA TV and the agency’s YouTube channel. You can watch HERE.

For the entire list of NASA planned activities and resources, visit the #EarthDayatHome resource page HERE.

National Park Week with the National Park Service

In addition to Earth Day, the NPS celebrates National Park Week and have a Junior Ranger collaboration with NASA. As part of the digital Earth Day celebrations, kids can earn a special Junior Ranger Spaceflight Explorer badge as they explore our planets place in the Solar System! Start your badge HERE.

A few more ways to celebrate Earth Day online:

EarthFest at Home with the American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History has organized a day of activities including an online watch party with speakers, demos, and activities to do from home. Explore EarthFest HERE.

MSI Chicago Earth Day Film Night and Hands On Science Activities at Home

The Museum of Science and Industry has several hands on science activities to do from home that are perfect for celebrating Earth Day.  You can find those HERE.

Later in the evening (7:00 PM – 9:00 PM CDT) the museum will host a livestream group viewing of The Human Element, a documentary about Americans working on the front lines of climate change, and a Q & A with the photographer. Register for the event HERE.

Spot is a handsome, tri-color smooth-coat, one-year-old, male guinea pig looking for loving guardian.

This boy was housed alone in a household full of guinea pigs where the males were not getting along. But with people, he is chill, sweet and easy to handle.

Guinea pigs eat a diet of unlimited Timothy hay (or Orchard hay if you have allergies), limited pellets, and fresh greens including romaine, red leaf and green leaf lettuces, cilantro, etc. And, since guinea pigs, like humans, can’t manufacture their own vitamin C, guinea pigs need daily Vitamin C in the form of red pepper or Vitamin C tablets, etc.

Please read up on guinea pig care and diet before adopting by visiting this excellent web site http://www.guinealynx.info/.

He would love a home with a family who will handle him daily, keep him well fed, and keep his habitat nice and clean.

If you’re interested in meeting and possibly adopting Spot, please contact [email protected].

He is being fostered in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood.

His adoption fee of $30 benefits the Friends of Petraits Rescue. For an additional $50, we’ll include a starter kit of everything you need to care for him including cage, hay, litter, food, hidey hut and water bottle.

Not that it matters to Pritzker and the herd of sheep that constitute the Illinois Legislature.

But here’s the deal:  The Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act empowers the governor, when the state is in a “public health emergency,” to issue “all lawful necessary orders, rules and regulations”  to protect  lives and property and protect the public’s “peace, health, and safety.”

But the law’s section 7 limits those emergency powers to 30 days from the date of his proclamation. Pritzker issued his proclamation  on March 9, which should have ended his emergency powers then.

Concludes Michael Ciesla, a longtime Illinois litigator and Northbrook attorney:

Governor Pritzker arguably had the authority to issue the initial executive orders to close businesses and order residents to stay at home.  The Governor also, arguably, had the authority to extend the orders but only through April 8 as his authority, and the executive orders, expired on that date. (Disclosure: Ciesla is a relative.)

So, what is to be done?

Illinois Atty. Gen. Kwame Raoul. Does anyone want to bet that he’ll enforce the law?

The responsibility for enforcing the state law is Illinois Attorney General What’s His Name? You know, the guy Illinois voters put their trust in to be the state’s independent law enforcement official.

Yes, that’d be Kwame Raoul, just one of the lesser cogs in the Democratic Party’s machine that runs the state–into the ground.

Ciesla says that Raoul’s obligation is to challenge Pritzker’s “breach of law” by asking a court for a  “writ of mandamus terminating all COVID-19 executive orders as of April 8, 2020.”

Ha. And ha.  I’m taking bets that he’ll sit on his duff. 

Failing that, a private citizen could challenge the governor’s illegal action, as long as that citizen has legal standing. Considering the disruption and costs of the shutdown, such a person wouldn’t be hard to find.

But, considering the costs and delays built into the legal system, that might not work either. Is there a judge anywhere in Illinois who would even issue a temporary restraining order to consider the issue on an emergency basis?

The other recourse would be for the Legislature to extend that power, which if this were to become an issue it probably would. In a heartbeat. An ex post facto law perhaps, but who cares?

So, once again, has the Democratic establishment screwed the people of Illinois? You bet it has.

[email protected]

www.dennisbyrne.net 

My historical novel: Madness: The War of 1812

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William Safire, the great language columnist who defended and described the English language so well in his columns and books, could sometimes slip up and use a word badly. Even in his books, such as “On Language,” he was wise and humble enough to use his own errors to explain how he’d erred and counsel his readers not to do as he had done.

One of the early examples of this in “On Language” is headed “alternate/alternative” and explains the usage of each word. Safire wrote that he had told the word “not to use ‘centers around’ when it meant ‘centers on,’ ” then added that he had written “The confusion stems from the alternate phrase ‘revolves around.’ ” He admitted that while he made the correct point, he’d used the adjective “alternate” incorrectly.

As Safire explained, “A reader in England makes this correction: ‘To use “alternate”  as a synonym for “alternative” is considered to be a sign of semiliteracy outside the U.S.A. Unfortunately, Webster’s Third Unabridged allows this (misuse). The two words really do have quite separate and distinct meanings: “alternate” implies the taking of turns, and “alternative” implies a choice.'”

Safire called his English reader’s point a “nice distinction,” a phrase I appreciate. Webster’s Third is right for “those who believe that usage determines ‘correctness.'” Safire wrote, and “a century ago, ‘alternative’ meant ‘by turns,’ and was even then synonymous with ‘alternate.’ But if you like to use words that split hairs and make meaning more precise, then you will tell common usage it is befogging a useful difference by merging ‘alternate’ with ‘alternative.’ Sometimes it is worth putting up a scrap.”

I like this entry in “On Language” because it strikes what Safire calls “a blow for precision.” He adds something that’s been behind my Words Worth Defending category from the beginning: “A worthy distinction deserves all the protection it can get.”

After all, is there any alternative?

Margaret Serious has a page on Facebook.

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No, not me. By Steven Pearlstein, a Washington Post business and economics columnist. In “The right way to reopen the economy, “Pearlstein makes a balanced and reasonable argument for going back to work.

Recommended reading.

Julius Lucks of Northwestern University. Picture courtesy of Chicago Tribune.

As a long-time practicing pathologist certified by the American Board of Pathology in Clinical and Anatomic Pathology and the current Medical Director of a large physician’s office laboratory, I have been intimately involved in introducing a variety of testing to patients throughout Chicagoland for the last 40 years. Usually, it is a slow, meticulous project. Decisions need to be made on proper instrumentation and proper chemical reagents. Adequate lab space needs to be set-up with appropriate temperature and humidity control. For the newest tests we are introducing, even the air pressure needs to be monitored.  Proper training for our technicians and technologists includes verification of competency for each new test we introduce.

And tests must be validated. We must show that test results are reproducible and precise–testing a specimen multiple times must yield the same result. We need to ensure that for the population of patients that we are testing, the test is sensitive–those with the condition we are testing for should have a positive result, and specific–those without the conditions should test negative. Our lab should get the same results as other labs doing the same test on the same specimen with the same instrument. In short, we don’t just flip a switch and hope for the best. And this is all AFTER the FDA has already approved the test.

That’s is what worries me about some of the products that are on the market for COVID-19 testing. We lack a gold standard for the “best” test and we don’t really know what the best specimen type (nasal swab, sputum, saliva) will turn out to be. And because of the (necessary) rush to market, some manufacturers and the FDA are short-cutting approval processes. When there is talk of having the thousands of small commercial labs around the country getting involved in using these unregulated tests, I shudder.

For example, this week I was contacted by the owner of one of those small labs, a businessman who didn’t seem to have any knowledge of good laboratory practice. He needed a Medical Director of his lab so that the lab could run a cheap, non-FDA approved test for COVID-19 antibodies. I made my pitch for good laboratory practice, detailing lots of things he had never heard of or considered. It became clear by the end of our 15-minute conversation that I was not the pathologist for him.

But not all is dire. There are many excellent labs, large and small, around the country. And I have hope that the brilliant minds around the country will be developing the tests we need. I particularly noticed an article about Northwestern (Go Cats!) University professor Julius Lucks at the Center for Synthetic Biology who, with his colleagues and the assistance of a National Science Foundation rapid research grant, is working on a new methodology for identifying the SARS-CoV-2 virus. I wish Lucks and his team success in developing the test, and I hope that it can be properly vetted and utilized.

Our testing needs to be better than flipping a coin. I’ve made a career out of that belief.

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When you live in the city, a hatchback is one of the more perfect vehicles you can buy because of the flexibility and functionality. Though the hatch segment is starting to dwindle, you do still have a solid option with the 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback.

It’s refreshed for this model year, ditches one big fat annoying feature and adds a winning redesigned cup holder.

The Hits

I complain about cup holders a lot because they rarely seem to hold my 24-ounce glass bottle, which I always carry with me. So, I figure it’s worth pointing out when an automaker gets it right, too. 

Honda took a two-tiered approach with its new holder, keeping space for two smaller bottles on a sliding tray. When you move the tray back, you can either store stuff below or (gasp) fit an actual-sized water bottle in the lower holder.

Another huge win: Honda added back the volume knob. If you don’t remember the touch-screen volume slider Honda tried a few years ago (the big fat annoying feature alluded to in the beginning), just know it was awful. You had to touch it just right to get the volume to change, and if your fingers were cold (which mine are most of the time), it didn’t work. 

The redesigned cup holders in the 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback offer a two-tiered solution with smaller holders on a top sliding tray, and one large one below. (Photo by Jill Ciminillo)

Outside of these two key changes, there’s a lot to love about the Honda Civic Hatchback. The test vehicle was a top-tier Sport Touring model, which came equipped with nice leather seating surfaces, navigation, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and a comfortable ride.

As a Sport model, though it has the same 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine in the non-sport models, it adds a little more power (very little), bumping horsepower up by 6 and torque up by 15 pound-feet. 

2020 Honda Civic Hatchback (Photo by Jill Ciminillo)

The best thing about the Civic Hatchback, though, is it combines the wide-open cargo space of an SUV yet maintains the sporty-ish handling of a sedan.

One last interesting hit to note: The Sport and Sport Touring versions of the hatchback come equipped with a standard manual transmission. Unfortunately, the test vehicle added the continuously variable transmission ($800). 

The Misses

Living in the city, I find one of the biggest misses to be the location of the front USB ports. They’re awkwardly placed beneath the display screen in an open cubby hole near your knee. To plug-in/unplug, you have to perform a yoga-like twist and contort your body to reach the ports. 

Honda will argue that there’s a hole leading from the cubby to the tray that can hold your phone, and owners will only plug in the cord once and leave it.  However, If you’ve ever lived in a city, you know the first rule about parking your car on the street is: Don’t leave anything visible when you leave your car. 

The second rule: Don’t leave anything visible when you leave your car.

That means you have to unplug any phone-connecting cord and stow it away when you park, then plug it back in again again to drive. Yes, there is a USB port in that slick new cupholder, but it’s charge only. If you want to use CarPlay or Auto, you have to plug in underneath.

Though the 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback offers navigation, it’s not very attractive, and I’d rather use the Waze integration offered on Apple CarPlay. (Photo by Jill Ciminillo)

And you will want to use CarPlay or Auto if only for the Waze integration. Yes, you can get navigation on the Honda Civic Hatchback, but the graphics are outdated and the map is small and ugly. 

Oh, and while we’re on the CarPlay/Auto topic: It’s not standard on the base trim. It kicks in one level up at the Sport model.

Last on the miss side of the spectrum, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the road and wind noise that creeps into the cabin. It’s not a dealbreaker in my book, but it is noticeable.

The open space near the driver’s knee is where you have to plug in a USB cord to connect your phone in the 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback. (Photo by Jill Ciminillo)

The Trims

LX ($22,705): Equipped with Honda Sensing, standard CVT, a multi-angle rear camera, Bluetooth phone connectivity, automatic climate control, automatic high-beam headlights and a 5-inch color LCD screen.

Sport ($23,850): Adds Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, remote start engine, base manual transmission (CVT +$800), passive entry, push-button start, 7-inch audio display, fog lights and Honda Link.

EX ($25,205): Adds heated front seats, standard CVT, one-touch power moonroof, dual-zone climate control, Honda LaneWatch, leather-wrapped steering wheel, 17-inch wheels, SiriusXM Radio and power driver’s seat.

EX-L ($26,405): Adds leather-trimmed interior, standard CVT, automatic dimming rearview mirror and HomeLink.

Sport Touring ($29,105): Adds a premium 540-watt audio system, center-mounted dual outlet exhaust, standard manual transmission, available CVT with dual-mode paddle shifters, LED headlights with auto on/off, 18-inch wheels, navigation, front passenger power seat, heated rear seats and rain-sensing wipers.

2020 Honda Civic Hatchback (Photo by Jill Ciminillo)

The Chicago Factor

With its compact size and cargo flexibility, the Honda Civic Hatchback makes a great Chicago vehicle. The fact that you top out under $30k and get everything you could possibly want makes it even more attractive.

Another bonus for the city: Honda’s safety suite is standard on the base trim. And when equipped with the up-level headlights, it makes the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick list.

With the Coronavirus dominating the news, of course, the ongoing soaring violence is taking a quiet back seat, but it is rolling along unabated and ignored for the most part.  For this reason, I decided to revisit the horrendous toll Chicago’s violence has on its citizens, not only the grief of loved ones and victims but the expense that is involved that affects every single taxpayer in the city.

As I revisit this on 22 April, it was just reported that the Mayor has awarded 7.5 million dollars to be used in the communities to fight the soaring violence.  What the hell are they going to do about it is baffling since the gangs are not the least bit given to listening to reason?  It strikes of rewarding communities who are ignoring the killers among them.  Fear is a powerful silencer no matter how much bribe money is offered.  One would think leadership has figured that out by now.

Alexis de Tocqueville,  the French scientist, and historian said back 170 years ago in a quote that seems almost prophetic today, “THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC WILL ENDURE UNTL THE DAY CONGRESS DISCOVERS THAT IT CAN BRIBE THE PUBLIC WITH THE PUBLIC’S MONEY.”  Now the city taxpayers are on the hook as Mayor Lightfoot, who seemingly has no clue how to stop the horrendous surge of violence, doles out money to communities who are being devoured by gang violence.  So far her only solution, except for throwing money out there was to keep the libraries open longer.  Well, let’s face it, that’s just what the gangs needed — some downtime in between killings and shootings.

You may think it doesn’t involve you or your community but think again.  A Bloomberg News analysis in December of 2017 put the cost of Chicago’s violence at a staggering 2.5 billion dollars a year.  The multi-billion-dollar figure breaks down to an average of $15,500 per household according to Jens Ludwig and Craig Futterman of the University of Chicago crime lab.

The analysis includes $900-$1,200 for the cost of a typical ambulance ride to the ER, $800-$1,200 for “incremental costs” for an autopsy by the medical examiner, $52,000 which is the average cost for trauma care of gunshot victims, (70% of whom are uninsured) and $35,000 which is the average cost of care at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago where 1/20th of the patients are gunshot victims.  Added to this is the cost of the city’s resources through police overhead.  Every murder and shooting incurs overtime with extreme cases consuming 1,000 to 1,500 hours of premium pay.

No amount of money can assuage the loss and devastation suffered by victims and loved ones who are personally impacted by the violence.  However, it is the elephant in the room and its impact is affecting every single taxpayer in Chicago and Cook County.  Everett Dirksen, a U.S. Senator from Illinois back in the 1960s, was to have famously said, “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon. you’re talking real money.”  If the current trend of violence continues these figures will certainly escalate.  From 2012 through April 2020, Chicago has endured over 24,000 people shot and 4,710 homicides.

A study from the Center of American Progress estimated that overall violence, not just that of guns, puts a $5.3 billion “ANNUAL” dent (hello!) in the collective wallet of Chicago.  The study postulates reducing homicides by 25% would boost home values in Chicago by $5.5 billion.  I realize there is no magic wand that will extricate Chicago from its epidemic of violence, but as we can clearly see by the cost it has a secondary devastating effect.  PBS News Hour produced a show called “Gun Violence is a Public Health Crisis in Chicago.”  Indeed.

Chicago has over 59 main gangs and over 2,500 affiliates.  The Chicago Crime Commission has identified over 1,000 gang leaders.  Members of the communities are literally afraid to go about their normal lives for fear of being shot or killed.  Over 70 children under 16 have been shot this year.  The Chicago Police Department has less than a 15% clearance rate on homicides and shootings.  The court system and prosecutors are not utilizing the tougher gun laws that they were so desperately calling for.  Since the much-publicized march on July 7th on the Dan Ryan Expressway led by Priest activist Father Michael Pfleger, supposedly to call attention to the city’s violence, there have been 50 people shot over 5 days and 11 murders mostly fueled by “gang thugs” in the neighborhoods.  There has been no contact from the c city’s politicians.  Father Pfleger said he is waiting.

At some point, those community members are going to have to demand help and realize the people who you entrusted with your vote are not your leaders, they are your representatives.  They are representatives of the people.  I have a humble suggestion for Father Pfleger and those beleaguered folks who are trying to live in peace and make a decent life for their families without fear or harm.  Forget shutting down traffic.  SHUT DOWN the power.

The government represents you.  John Locke said it best, “REVOLT is the right of the people.”  Go to City Hall and the County Building and demand and shout until you are heard.  Tell them enough is enough.  You want solutions and help or you will find others who will.  Chicago, you have tyrants among you.  It’s not anything new in the world.  Thomas Paine uttered these words to describe a call to action, “O Ye that loves mankind, Ye that dare opposes not only the tyranny but the tyrant, “STAND FORTH.”  Old words but they never get old.  Join together or more innocence will continue to die.

Chicago is fighting a war on two fronts — one deadly virus and the other an old and lethal killer, gang violence.  It’s often been said that the first casualty of any war is truth.  Violence and crime unchallenged spreads like a virus.  Both are killing our people.  No amount of bribe money is ever going to resolve that virus.