Is COVID-19 a unifying force for America? I believe the answer is yes. However, this pandemic can only be a unifying force if we change our thinking about America’s role in the world and what is best for America in the 21st Century.
I published a post on December 8, 2019, with the title, “America Requires A Unifying Event.” I did not envision or have in mind something as terrible as what COVID-19 might turn out to be. That written, we have to play the cards dealt to us.
A Caveat For All
Here is Job #1 for all of us: stop blaming and stop being negative. COVID-19 is here and now, and we have to deal with it. Let’s hope we have the wisdom, common sense, courage, and perseverance to do so, and, of even greater importance, let’s hope that our public servants at all levels deal with this challenge in the same way.
Three Thoughts Occur To Me
First, we, as individual American citizens, must realize that we are responsible for ourselves, our families, and our communities. We, all of us, must strive to be more accountable, thoughtful, and involved citizens. Certainly, our institutions and our respective governments can help, but we cannot rely on bureaucrats to do the right thing when they have no “skin in the game.”
Second, the 50 states must claw back their sovereignty from the Federal Government. During the early stages of this pandemic, the States looked to the Federal Government for help, when in fact, each state should have been prepared for a “Black Swan” event like this pandemic. Moreover, in my experience, I believe it is far better to break a problem like this pandemic into 50 pieces, rather than think that the Federal Government can handle it centrally.
Put simply, the 50 sovereign states are responsible for tactical decisions and execution of necessary programs. The Federal Government is responsible for overall strategic decisions, such as banning flights from China, initiating the research for a vaccine, or directing the private sector to help with manufacturing medical equipment and supplies.
Third and finally, the Federal Government has become, in my view, “the impossible monster,” as I have written in other posts. The Federal Government does nothing very well, and it certainly is not cost-effective. We, as citizens, have to stop feeding it, and I hope that we can downsize it significantly over the next 25 years. And, we must stop electing politicians who want to expand the Federal Government,
The Way Forward And Lessons Learned, Now And After The Fact
America will get through this. We have faced much tougher challenges in the history of our country. The two World Wars, the Great Depression, and the 9/11 attack and the subsequent wars in the Middle East come readily to mind. America is resilient, and so are its citizens.
Here are several lessons that occur to me:
1. America must begin to think strategically as a nation. The world is not benign, and some countries do not have our best interests at heart. China has become such a country. We must address that challenge.
2. Virus epidemics and pandemics will be with us for the foreseeable future until we can develop a “silver bullet” vaccine, which may not be possible. Consequently, as a nation, we have to prepare, tactically and strategically, for these annual seasonal flu epidemics. We cannot shut down our economy as the default response. That is not acceptable, nor should it be.
3. President Trump should meet with the governors or lieutenant governors of the 50 states after the pandemic is over. The focus of that meeting is to determine what we did right, what we did wrong, and what should we do differently the next time?
4. America should not rely on other countries for strategic resources, equipment, medicines, etc. We must retain a significant manufacturing capability in this country.
5. America has become energy independent over the last several years. This move to independence should guide our thinking in all industrial, financial, and economic matters.
Call To Action
I invite my readers to pass on this post to others and to your elected representative in the Senate and the House of Representatives as well. I hope you agree that this issue is not an intellectual exercise, but rather an existential one for America.
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Internal Link to “America Requires A Unifying Event” Post: https://whitebeardwisdom.com/america-requires-a-unifying-event/