We couldn’t have been fully prepared for Covid-19. But the virus might have been less deadly, no matter how little medical science knew about it, if government had been better prepared for a major crisis. The worst events always seem to be a surprise. Apparently, legislators cut spending on preparedness for relatively rare events. In […]
There is no constitutional right to go shopping. There is a constitutional right to freedom from extended “lock down” by executive order. Protective measures imposed by almost all state governors to fight Covid-19 squarely placed the U.S. Constitution in the middle of the crisis. Governors adopted mandatory closures, stay-at-home rules and the use of face […]
In a remote work-from-home economy, nobody is more remote than others. Maybe that’s good news for Maine, which has been penalized by its relatively remote location. If remote work takes off, as seems highly possible, Maine might see its competitive disadvantage greatly reduced. It is too soon to know how the remote economy will develop, […]
On Covid-19, Americans have been misled, lied to and confused. In a crisis, people need clear, concise and authoritative messages from leadership. This crisis has lacked that. At one extreme are politicians who put their careers ahead of the public good. At the other end are scientists, who must try to explain their complex work. […]
Maine struggles to resolve doubts as policies evolve We don’t know a lot about Covid-19. Our lack of knowledge results from the at least three facts: this is a new virus; scientific studies are difficult to understand; and people with political rather than technical credentials try to minimize the crisis or even find a miraculous […]
Everybody looks forward to life after Covid-19. The combination of strong protective measures and slowed economic activity cannot go on indefinitely. Even with Covid-19 as a threat, the economy cannot be suspended for many months. Scientists warn about the threat of more Covid-19 outbreaks if “opening” moves too fast. Some supporters of President Trump say […]
Maine CDC should provide better information The main argument of a legal case against Gov. Janet Mills’ directives to protect Maine people is that the Covid-19 situation is not bad enough to warrant her actions. The economy should be “opened.” The complaint misses four key points: ● Older Mainers are especially hard hit by Covid-19. […]
The final field exercise in Marine Corps basic training was the one time men and women recruits trained together. The task was to carry heavy ammo cans across a rope bridge. A young man was in charge. A young woman trainee suggested to him how to move the cans without a person having to bear […]
The biggest problem with combating Covid-19 is not the struggle of science to come up with an answer. It’s politics. The coronavirus is now the center of a war by the ideological right, led by the Republican Party, and against efforts, led by many governors of both parties, to let science set the pace of […]
Fighting the health and economic impacts of Covid-19 costs a lot of money. The government has pumped out trillions of dollars to support urgent health care and to help people and companies survive the loss of jobs and business activity. Spending and lending at this level has never happened before. These massive outlays result from […]
