Picture it: the Isthmus of Panama, the early 20th century. For years, workers have been breaking their backs on one of the most ambitious construction projects of the era: the Panama Canal. When finished, the canal will connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, facilitating trade at an unprecedented level between the eastern and western hemispheres, but for now, the dense jungle and high temperatures of Central America have given rise to the project’s most formidable adversary: disease.
By the time the United States took over the Panama Canal project in 1904, tens of thousands of workers had died from the scourges of yellow fever and malaria. As previous attempts to control these diseases proved ineffective, it was clear that new tactics would be needed.
Enter Colonel William Gorgas, newly-appointed head of hospitals and sanitation for the canal zone. Gorgas happened to be aware of new research from a scientist in India who had demonstrated a link between mosquitoes and malaria, and set out to implement a radical new way of controlling the disease—attacking it at the source.
With military precision, Gorgas got to work, sending inspectors to catch and kill mosquitoes and their larvae wherever they could be found within the canal zone. But he didn’t stop there: most ambitiously of all, Gorgas set out to eliminate standing water within the canal zone, denying mosquitoes the conditions they needed to breed. Carpenters were dispatched to homes, altering roofs and walls to eliminate places where rainwater could collect. Swamps were drained, modern sanitation systems were installed en masse, and within two years, yellow fever had been virtually wiped out and malaria was reduced significantly.
Work on the canal would go on to be completed in 1914, forever changing the face of international trade.
John, the story doesn’t really end there, though. You see, we face a similar adversary here in the modern day, a sort of political malaria threatening the stability of our democracy. Politicians like Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, and Mark Robinson rove the political landscape like giant, bigoted mosquitoes, infecting people with hatred and intolerance wherever they can. If we want to combat them, we need to take a page from William Gorgas’ book and attack them at the source.
We’ve seen again and again the way that economic anxiety is standing water for politicians like these. And just like mosquitoes need standing water to multiply, these divisive politicians feed off the fears and uncertainties of our fellow citizens. They stoke the flames of resentment and prey on our economic insecurities, pushing us apart instead of bringing us together. We have to drain the water before it’s too late.
John, I’m on a mission to be the next Treasurer of North Carolina—a unique position for its capacity to help our state do more for its people. With the right Treasurer at the helm, we can transform our political landscape by tackling economic insecurity head-on. We can build bridges between communities (literally and figuratively), close the urban-rural divide, and empower our citizens with economic opportunities and resources so that nobody feels left behind anymore.
But I can’t get there without your support. By contributing to our campaign, you're investing in a brighter future for all North Carolinians. Your generosity will help us reach out to more people, spread our message of unity, and combat the forces of hatred and division. Together, we can drain the standing water and cut off the disease affecting our nation at its source. Will you chip in today?
