Bill Clinton infamously declared that the era of small goverment was over during his 1996 State of the Union, and for the last three decades that has been the prevailing wisdom of the political elites of both parties.
With the coronavirus, it is obvious that “small government” is incapable of responding to a global pandemic, from supply chains to manufacturing. Companies are already looking to maximize profits from the response to the virus. Health care costs are looking to skyrocket with no regulation. People without employment will lose their health care. Rolling unemployment will crush the economy for years to come, and many businesses won’t survive.
At the end of the day, we are relying on a strong response from all levels of the state.
Even during a crisis, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is talking about cutting Medicaid and enacting austerity instead of delivering a strong response for everyone.
Its time for a robust response to the crisis from every level of our government to take care of everyone. Freeze rent and mortgages and halt repayments of both, prevent landlords from requiring repayment in full after the freeze. Use every lever of the state to provide as much relief to workers and those who are furloughed or laid off. Provide for the small business owners. Increase the benefits and wages of those on the front lines, give them childcare and better working conditions.
This will have reverberations for decades, worse than the 2008 Recession, and we are potentially looking at worse unemployment than the Great Depression. The only thing that pulled us out of the Great Depression was a massive expansion of state spending, from things like the WPA and CCC to the war spending for WWII. Now is the time for a repeat of the New Deal and Great Society.
Gant Diede
Everett
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
