Steve Kagen's Distrust of All Americans

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An article about congress and how it is preparing for H1N1 in congress. Yes, the normal hand out masks and hand sanitizer. Some do PSA's to tell people where to go or who to call.

Our own congressman Steve Kagen stopped shaking hands with people. The only one in congress. That's one out of 435 members. Talk about distrusting all Americans! Of all people, he should be showing leadership and not showing alarm, panic or strike terror into the minds of his constituents and people of this country. It takes a paper from Tennessee to find this out about Kagen! Steve Kagen, again embarrassing the people of the Wisconsin 8th district. You got to feel sorry for his staff. How can they put up with this guy. Jake can you please explain this one?
Shake Hands, Not Steve Kagen.



From the Tennessean.com

"At least one member of Congress, Rep. Steve Kagen, D-Wis., a physician, has stopped participating in a mainstay of political activity — shaking hands.

"This is H1N1 season, and I'm giving the fist bump," Kagen said."
Congress gets ready to face down swine flu | tennessean.com | The Tennessean

Can someone tell me what "I'm giving the fist bump," means? Is he mentally stable, has he gone completely insane? What does he mean?
Here's the complete article.

Congress gets ready to face down swine flu
By Bill Theobald • Tennessee Washington Bureau • November 15, 2009

While Congress has debated health-care reform for the nation, it's also been focused on a health-related concern even closer to home: swine flu.

Congressional offices have been issued surgical masks and thermometers, and dispensers of hand sanitizer are as numerous as lobbyists on Capitol Hill.

So far, the H1N1 bug hasn't struck members of the Tennessee delegation or their staffs in Washington.

But there's good reason for concern. The legislative branch's 30,000 employees work long hours in close quarters. And 7 million to 9 million tourists visit Capitol Hill each year, bringing germs from around the world.

Rep. Greg Walden, an Oregon Republican, announced via Twitter in October that he had contracted swine flu. Family members of some House members came down with the virus. So did several congressional pages, who were subsequently quarantined.

So far, the only swine flu sufferers linked to the Tennessee delegation have been staffers working in state and district offices back home.

Todd Womack, Republican Sen. Bob Corker's chief of staff, said staffers have been reminded to wash their hands frequently and were told to stay home if they develop symptoms. He said the office will remain open even if an outbreak occurs because people can work from home.

Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper's spokesman, Peter Boogaard, said Congress is anxious to allay any suspicions that lawmakers or their staffers would use special influence to get vaccinated ahead of people in high-risk categories — young people, pregnant women, caregivers and health workers.

When constituents call delegation members to ask about the flu or where to get vaccinated, staffers refer them to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and to local health departments.

Some members, including Reps. Lincoln Davis, D-Pall Mall, and John Tanner, D-Union City, have recorded public service television spots through the Health and Human Services Department, directing people to more

Arrangements for staff members to work from home in order to keep congressional offices open are the same ones that kicked in after the 2001 terrorist attacks and when anthrax was found in congressional mail.

At least one member of Congress, Rep. Steve Kagen, D-Wis., a physician, has stopped participating in a mainstay of political activity — shaking hands.

"This is H1N1 season, and I'm giving the fist bump," Kagen said.

Congress has had to deal with pandemics in the past. The worst was the 1918 Spanish flu, which closed the House and Senate public galleries for about a month.

The severity of swine flu is expected to approximate that of the 1957 Asian flu. That outbreak didn't disrupt Congress' schedule but did sicken the president of the Senate, then-Vice President Richard Nixon, according to the U.S. Senate Historical Office.

While Capitol Hill officials aren't worried, they are still preparing. Senate Sergeant at Arms Terry Gainer said earlier this fall that White House officials met with House and Senate officers to simulate the transfer of bills.

"If we're in the middle of this pandemic and a bill is passed and needs to get to the White House ... or the president sends something over, how do you do that?" Gainer said. "So we're working to that level of detail."