When the spread of the novel coronavirus was initially announced, there appeared to be three camps of individuals: those who didn’t pay any attention to the news; those who feared a pandemic, some of whom exhibited premature panic; and those who, I assume because of their political leanings, simply proclaimed it a liberal media hoax. The latter group automatically assumed it was a ploy to damage the Trump presidency.
Now that the realization has sunk in and almost all the people realize the pandemic is real, and most take it very seriously, the country seems to be falling into two opposite camps. One camp, which I presume contains the vast majority of Americans, hold that our nation’s primary concern must be for the health and safety of its citizens, especially the elderly and those with serious conditions for whom contracting the virus could be a death sentence. Into this camp you will discover folks such as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Indiana’s own Gov. Eric Holcomb. Most other governors also fall into this camp. We also see in this group professional sports teams, civic organizations, and a very long list of groups and individuals going out of their way to sacrifice for the benefit of their fellow Americans.
The second camp believes that our nation’s primary concern must be the economy, and they are adamant in their conviction. These include the Republican lieutenant governor of Texas and, of course, the current president of the United States. Donald Trump, who apparently still believes that one day very soon the miraculous will occur and the whole problem will disappear, wants everyone to stop social distancing by Easter. He famously said “the cure must not be worse than the problem.” In other words, the economy is of primacy over the health of the public. That is a sentiment seconded by the Texas lieutenant governor, Dan Patrick.
Patrick publicly stated that the elderly, himself included, should be prepared to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their grandchildren. I’m guessing he did not ask his own grandkids their opinion first. I know exactly how I feel about Mr. Patrick’s statement, but Andrew Cuomo stated it better than I can. Cuomo proclaimed “my mother is not expendable, and your mother is not expendable, and our brothers and sisters are not expendable, and we’re not going to accept a premise that human life is disposable and we’re not going to put a dollar figure on human life.” Personally, I would add that I have lost many thousands of dollars recently, but unlike a deceased mother, I can recover those losses.
The pandemic’s aftermath will continue to harm the American economy, and there is very little that can be done to prevent that from happening. But our economy will rebound. It has always rebounded from catastrophes. It will take time, maybe several years. But our economy will recover while the loved ones we lose cannot.
Michael Adkins formerly was chair of the Hancock County Democratic Party. Send comments to [email protected].
