The rest of the world watched as the United States dramatically reopened “the economy” last month. Now, it seems we’ve changed our minds about that.
The White House has repeatedly said that it will be up to individual states to form their own pandemic response plans moving forward. But letting local governments devise their own solutions has produced large gaps in their preparedness, as well as profound confusion around the best practices for balancing the country’s public and economic health.
California, which represents the largest economy in the US and the fifth largest in the world, was one of the first states to put serious quarantine restrictions in place. The decision to relax those orders only came after anti-lockdown protestors demanded that Governor Gavin Newsom reopen the state’s beaches, businesses and churches. Newsom may now regret this capitulation as California just called for a second round of statewide lockdowns.
Other state legislators are slowly following their lead, as the threat is becoming very dire in some places. Florida, for instance, is now a global hotspot for COVID-19 and Miami is being called “the new Wuhan”. The state is also currently struggling against another wave of unemployment, partly because their economy is heavily dependent on summer tourism (which has persisted despite the spike in cases, but not nearly at pre-pandemic levels).
Florida, California and Texas are altogether responsible for 20 percent of all new COVID-19 cases globally.
Every state is fighting two battles here. Coronavirus relief efforts in the US are still seriously underfunded, and most health organizations here lack the resources to effectively test and treat their communities. But the problems that have emerged for workers and small business owners, like evictions and layoffs, have also been devastating in their own right.
In essence, the United States reopened in an effort to curb the nation’s financial freefall and ballooning unemployment. Economists predicted at the beginning of July that reopening would allow the US to avoid a recession, and all would go smoothly. These projections likely did not account for a spike in cases that would halt this economic rebound.
That’s not to say the circumstances here haven’t improved at all over the past months; currently there is no acute shortage of ventilators, and doctors have had some time to refine their strategies for treating the virus. Overall, the national unemployment rate is slightly declining, while working from home is going so well for companies like Twitter and Facebook that they will be permanently switching much of their staff to remote work.
By comparison, though, New Zealand took the pandemic much more seriously than the US did, and they are objectively in a better position now in all respects. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern cracked down hard and early, closing the country’s borders completely, and instituting rent freezes nationwide. As a result they have virtually eradicated COVID-19 within their borders. A report from S&P Global also expects New Zealand’s economy to recover quickly compared to the rest of the world.
While this tradeoff seems like a zero sum game – as if we have to pick either our health, or our wealth – it is not. In fact, we could very well end up with neither if our lawmakers don’t proceed with caution.
Missy
October 25, 2009 at 7:35 pm
Missy, You hit the nail on the head! Our country is sliding down a slippery slope and this is not what our fore fathers had intended. I struggle to comprehend what role our government will have in the coming years if things continue on this path – but I am fearful of the ramifications. Our government needs to turn a watchful eye upon itself and evaluate just what its role is and how it operates. We are slowly losing touch with what has made our country great.
MIssy Caulk
October 25, 2009 at 10:01 pm
We have a fabulous blue print for how our country should be run, I think the documents just need to be required reading as they are sworn in office. It still inspires and as Ben Franklin was walking down the street after the Constitution was written, a lady came up to him and said, “What have you given us Sir?”
His response, “A Republic, if you can keep it.”
Knowing human nature checks and balances were set forth to temper the expansion of power that we are all capable of desiring and abusing.
Scott
October 26, 2009 at 1:54 pm
I completely agree w/ you Missy. I don’t care how much money someone makes in a business, if the business plan is strong the business will succeed, if it’s weak it’ll fail. This is a natural thing, and the government just doesn’t belong in the middle of that.
I really don’t think most well meaning people realize how socialistic this is. I also believe that many people are just jealous that someone else would have the nerve to make more money themselves, without knowing that when you take that away from a free society, you strip that system of one of the things that makes it free.
The most important thing you touched on though is God. If we don’t get back to the basics, and start doing what’s *right* no matter what the consequences are, we’ll continue to fail as a country. I really feel that both parties have missed this concept, and why is there only a two party system? I’ve heard politicians talk about how they have to vote for something just b/c if they don’t, they won’t get the right people’s vote on something they want. Sooo it doesn’t matter whether it’s right to vote for it, what matters is that we vote in a way that assures that we get what we want? I see a recipe for disaster in that.
I believe that even more important than what the politicians do, is what we do personally. If we vote for something just because it keeps our paychecks coming in, but at the end of the day it’s wrong, and we know when it’s wrong, then we continue to damage ourselves as well as our country.
MIssy Caulk
October 26, 2009 at 7:46 pm
I think most of us are sick of politics, and the two party system. However, they have made it very difficult for a 3rd party candidate to have any success. We should all vote our conscience regardless of party or how it helps our pocket books.
Like the whole 8000.00 credit. Yes it put a few dollars in my pocket but…I am not in favor of renewing it and am not following NAR to contact our legislatures to get it extended.
HeatherO
October 26, 2009 at 11:08 pm
So true!
Want free education? Then the Govt gets to make the rules. If you believe that you have ‘the right’ to free healthcare, or anything else, then they have the ‘right’ to dictate what, how, when, where, you get it. Everyone has created the idea that we have so many “rights” at the cost of freedom.
Joe Loomer
October 27, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Sorry Missy – would have been by earlier – but I was watching MY football on Sunday ;).
When the Declaration of Independence was written, the authors and signatories knew they would be considered to have commited treason against the King, and many died because of it. Their vision for this country – a vision they shed blood for – is a far cry from what exists today. Little known is that a large British Fleet was already at anchor in New York Harbor when the Declaration was signed.
Why was John Hancock’s signature so big? He already had a 500 pound bounty on his head for treason. He signed it so big so “that his Majesty could now read his name without glasses and could now double the reward.”
It is my fervent desire that we continue to have our tea parties and town halls – come back to touch with the divination of our founding fathers – continue to have robust and healthy debate in this forum and others – be the Americans we used to be.
Navy Chief, Navy Pride
Bruce Lemieux
October 27, 2009 at 2:15 pm
This is becoming the Glenn Beck blog. I liked it better when it was about real estate.
MIssy Caulk
October 27, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Bruce, only on Sunday Mornings. 🙂
Joe, I had not read that about John Hancock’s signature. Thanks!
HeatherO, too many assumptions about what our right’s were, I’ll stick with the Bill of Rights, how about you. That covers enough for me.
AV Homes
June 21, 2010 at 8:02 pm
The government bails out other countries too, while we continue with debt. They take out an outrageous amount of taxes every year that only “seems” smaller because it’s taken out of people’s wages by the company they work for at the time. I think with the amount of money they give away to companies to do whatever they please. I wish I knew how we could change this.