Swine Flu: A Hidden Agenda?

I guess with all the fantasy-think happening in Washington, the fact that a non-widespread disease that causes only mild symptoms among Americans is being sold as a massive pandemic doesn't seem to find anybody shaking their heads in disbelief. They might have well dubbed the disease "Captain Trips" from Steven King's novel, The Stand."

So why the panic? Why does Joe Biden tell us not to ride in planes, buses, or automobiles? Why is this the lead story in all the news shows--even though there are only a few hundred cases and no American has died of the disease? (the one fataility was a visiting Mexican national) One could make the argument that hangnail is a more dangerous scourge.

I see two possible reasons--and maybe it's a bit of both:

1. It's the ancient distraction ploy. It will keep the folly of the now unpopular Washington bailouts off the front pages for a while.

2. It's another attempt to sell universal healthcare. Joe Biden and his boss know this will go away by itself. So, by being "proactive," they will give the government credit for preventing a repeat of the 1918 disaster that wiped out more of the human race than anything else since the middle ages. The government will be promoted as the only thing between you and the Grim Reaper.