What a Competent Government Would Do...

    

    As we come to the end of the Trump Presidency one way or another, we are still setting records as a country for Corona Virus deaths and hospitalizations. There is awesome power within any government, but given the nature of the disaster and the steps we have seen work against it, any competent government would take the following steps. 

A Pause on Public Activity

    The only thing that matters is stopping the virus. Growing the economy, educating our children, addressing racial issues, all are meaningless if we cannot resume normality. This starts with doing everything we can to hold or slow the spread of the virus. I am under no illusions that a second “shut down” would be both politically costly and economically expensive. But if we are going to solve the problem of the pandemic, we can’t just rely on one side of the equation to solve the entire problem. Currently, we are vaccinating people at a far slower rate than expected, and the rate of infection is higher than it’s ever been before. On top of that we also have over 4000 people per day dying of COVID-19. This is why perhaps the most important thing a competent government could do is advise the states to enforce a nationwide shut down. This paired with a $2000 check to every single individual or American family would be incredibly valuable in combating the virus. This address is two problems, the viral and the economic impacts. In order to fight the virus, we need to both slow the spread and vaccinate the population. This is difficult, but not impossible. We have to assist this entire process by having another limitation placed on public activities. This would both help hospitals, and the public at large. Hospitals are currently overwhelmed, trying to help people with COVID-19 and help the countless others affected by sickness, other viruses, or other ailments that now are not being treated. The $2000 check to individuals and the $2000+ check to families are extremely valuable to ease the economic impact of another shutdown. The goal must involve a pause to the economic fallout and pain from this virus. A substantial check would help families pay rent or house payments, perhaps help businesses stay afloat, and/or prep the economy for a large rebound as soon as the virus is solved. If we really enforced the stay home orders, and helped people fight the cost, this would put our country in a far better position to return to normalcy.

Increase Funding and Coordination Doctors

    The vaccine has been made and it’s roll-out has begun. We need to speed this along. One of the most frustrating reasons hospitals are not inoculating patients around the clock is they do not have the money to support the overtime payments they need. We could improve the system by doing two things, getting hospitals the money that they need, and limiting outside exposure by paying doctors to actually go to people’s houses and inoculate them there. Money should not be an issue when it comes to helping 320 million people surviving a deadly pandemic. We spend over $650 billion per year on military assets, we can divert some of that to help hospitals pay for overtime. If conservatives are that angry, we can even make this a loan that will be paid back, just like we did with the auto industry. Additionally, we have the ability to pay and coordinate not only regular medical doctors but also veterinarians, dentists, and any other qualified medical professional that has the ability to properly administer a vaccination. If we call up all these groups and coordinate them to vaccinate people around the clock, it would greatly decrease time and increase efficiency. By encouraging citizens to stay in their homes and register online, doctors could come to them and give them a vaccination. This would limit public exposure, be more manageable from a healthcare point of view, and prevent any sort of overcrowding or fighting over the vaccine. It would also dramatically reduce confusion with the vaccine roll-out.

Actually Coordinate the Various States and Territories with their Vaccine Roll-Out
    

    Although the CDC and the federal government as a whole has been doing an OK job with COVID guidelines, there has to be more organization and more coordination between the federal government and the states. It makes no sense to have a disjointed effort throughout the 50 states when it comes to vaccine distribution. The virus doesn’t care about state lines nor does it care about party affiliation or political leanings. The virus will spread as all viruses do. A competent government would issue clear and easily understood guidelines for all 50 states, then put both political and economic pressure on each one of those states to follow the guidelines it set out. This in tandem with the pause in public activity would be a good tool to use against the virus.

Increased Use of Federal Resources and Broader International Coordination

    We as a country not only need to coordinate within our states but also with the international community at large. The sharing of information and vaccine strategies is extremely important when it comes to the application of vaccinations. The Defense Production Act has been invoked through “Operation Warp Speed” several times. However, there are still reports of limitations on vaccine production and transportation. The United States government should take the lead on coordinating vaccine distribution within the United States and assist other countries around the world. We should harness the power of our economy to build facilities, not only that are valuable now, but that we know will be valuable when the next pandemic hits. Why not create a state of the art laboratory in the center of the country, equipped with the most sophisticated medical equipment on the planet and continues the work of the WHO to monitor and prepare for diseases? We can use this disaster to make the next pandemic that much less impactful and painful for our country and for the world. 

    The Trump Administration, in a rush to not be blamed for the virus outbreak or the mass deaths the virus has caused, has taken a completely hands-off approach for the last year. By shuffling everything to the states the administration has, what they think is, plausible deniability. Through the façade of states’ rights, they have abandoned their duty to protect the United States. Truly, this is a perfect example of why the federal government exists. It is a nationwide problem that affects all of its citizens equally, and the only type of response that is effective is one that is jointly made and enforced throughout the entire country. I have faith that the Biden Administration will understand what the role of the federal government is, will use its powers appropriately in the coming months, and will lead us out of this pandemic as we should’ve done six months ago.

#FitzFile