Daily Times July 19, 2021 Why was the United States able to conquer the polio virus beginning in the late 1940’s, vaccinat- ing over 90% of all American children and in a month vaccinate virtually all New Yorkers against a return of smallpox in May 1947 when today we are hard pressed to inoculate even half of all Americans against the deadly Coronavirus and Covid-19? The answer casts a very dark shadow on life in America today and possibly the future. And the answer also suggests why China and Russia can assert America is in decline. The history: Growing up in New York City in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, polio was the scourge and fear of virtually every parent. When the Salk vaccine was approved for use, parents would have literally killed for it to be administered to their children. No reports of anti-vaxers appeared in the press. If they did, they would have been rejected. As a result, polio was eradicat- ed in America as the vaccination rates approached 100%.