Conservative pundit Ann Coulter on Wednesday joined the bandwagon of right-wing critics questioning why President Barack Obama hasn’t instituted a travel ban for the African countries battling the Ebola epidemic — perhaps with the goal of preventing those who are infected from getting “free medical treatment” here in the U.S.
In her syndicated column, Coulter contrasted a U.S. government-imposed travel ban to Israel during the conflict in Gaza this summer — which lasted one day — with the the government’s current policy toward flights originating in the affected West African countries.
“It’s becoming increasingly clear this is just another platform for Obama to demonstrate that we are citizens of the world,” she wrote. “The entire Ebola issue is being discussed — by our government, not the United Nations — as if Liberians are indistinguishable from Americans, and U.S. taxpayers should be willing to pay whatever it takes to save them.”
Coulter accused Obama of not wanting to “protect Americans” from the deadly virus and of treating the doctors, nurses and military members dispatched to West Africa to combat the outbreak as “expendable.”
But by the end of the column, it became clear what was really getting Coulter’s goat:
At the moment, more than 13,000 West Africans have travel visas to come to the U.S. Having just seen an Ebola-infected Liberian get $500,000 worth of free medical treatment in the U.S., the first thing any African who might have Ebola should do is get himself to America.
Of all the reasons people have for coming here — welfare, drug-dealing, Medicare scams — “I have Ebola and I’m going to die, otherwise” is surely one of the strongest. The entire continent of Africa now knows that this is a country that will happily spend half a million dollars on treating someone who just arrived — and then berate itself for not doing enough.
Thomas Eric Duncan’s family may be upset with his treatment, but they have to admit, the price was right. Medical bill: $0.00. Your next statement will arrive in 30 days.
