President Donald Trump is pressing for the return of business as usual in the United States by the first of May, sparking a glimmer of hope that COVID-19 is on its nasty little way to the hubs of hell. Most Americans are cautiously optimistic. But here is the rub: The White House cannot unilaterally throw open the sashes and let folks roam free – unmasked, ungloved, and licking groceries again. Your state may want to exercise continued control over the citizenry.
Blanket Response or Open for Business?
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued federal guidelines on social distancing and social gatherings. Being team players, most states adopted and made official those suggestions in the middle of March. And they are the only ones who can rescind the orders.
Will red states get back to business and blue states steer into the skid of socialist practices and crash what economy we have left? It was damn easy to control sporting events, close schools, bars, restaurants, and line folks up and limit grocery items. Some are now demanding no one leave their homes. The state of New Mexico – under its progressive super-majority – is tracking residents by cell phone data and wants to screen truckers bringing in supplies. Freedom in the Land of Enchantment is all but gone.
And then there’s this disturbing example of tyrannical overreach: A growing number of cities and states are collecting the personal medical information of people who test positive for the superbug and distributing that data to local law enforcement. Alabama, Florida, Massachusetts, and a few areas of North Carolina are proceeding with this privacy abuse so egregious it’s hard to imagine this is still the land of the free.
In genuine common sense overriding fear, several states remain open, though warn their citizens to respect the CDC’s directives. But places like New York, California, Washington, and even some large cities, like Chicago, have been proportionately slammed with COVID-19 cases. Should the U.S. government attempt a full grand reopening or allow states to determine what the best effort is in defeating this outbreak?
Is Trump worried that the curve is not as flat as the economy?
It’s the Economy, Stupid
Will the liberal media and health alarmists defeat the plan and decimate what’s left of the once robust economy? Better yet, will Americans stand idly by and watch? Liberty Nation’s economic guru, Andrew Moran, believes a reopening in May could see both a financial and mental rebirth:
“Perhaps Bill Ackerman was right when he said during the March “Sell Everything” Madness that maybe it would be the best thing to shut everything down for an entire month: suspend mortgage payments, rent, defaults, foreclosures, and what not. Maybe this would have been the way to avoid laying off and furloughing millions of Americans for who knows how long. One month under lockdown may be better than six months under house arrest.”
In less than one month, the U.S. took a turn for the worse. Andrew Moran explains the devastating employment woes:
“The March unemployment rate shot up from its 50-year low of 3.5% in February to 4.4% in March. Experts surveyed forecast that the jobless figure may surge to the low teens in April because as many as 20 million Americans could appear in the monthly labor report as lost jobs. The consensus on The Street is that the unemployment rate will soon top 32% since approximately 50 million positions are at risk of being eliminated due to the Coronavirus.”
Cabin Fever
It’s more than a simple case of cabin fever. Americans must get back to a healthy existence. Going back to work, to school, church, and family gatherings. But a tempering of this massive release of humanity from home confinement may be wise. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top expert on infectious diseases, believes it’s time to open up some places while continuing to adhere to CDC guidelines in others – namely, New York – until there is a “steep decline” in new cases.
U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr has a much more forceful statement: “When this period of time, at the end of April, expires, I think we have to allow people to adapt more than we have, and not just tell people to go home and hide under their bed …”
Even New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is ready for a breath of fresh air. “We are cautiously optimistic that we are slowing the infection rate,” he said. “ICU admissions is actually a negative number for the first time since we started this journey.”
Feast or Famine
President Trump will reevaluate at month-end and tailor the message on COVID-19 appropriately. Do we charge forth with an advance on rebuilding a shaky economy or shelter in place and watch small businesses, middle-class Americans, and the nation go broke? These blue state governments must cease the alarming draconian policies – citing the health of the people. Elsewise Trump may take the biggest hit of his presidency and liberty will die an excruciatingly slow death.
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Read more from Sarah Cowgill.
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