A New Renaissance?

Submitted by Lindsay
Melbourne Australia!

From Winter, plague and pestilence, good lord, deliver us. - Thomas Nashe, 1878

(4/2020) Some of you may remember a comic duo called Laurel and Hardy. They were masters of slapstick, and entertained us in unsophisticated ways. One of their taglines was ‘Look at the mess you’ve got us into now!’ which is a good way to segue to the mess we are in today.

It is, without doubt, the biggest mess in human history. The combination of population, reputation, stupidity and unpreparedness gives it the potential to bring the world to its knees. Each country is taking mostly different approaches to containing COVID-19. China, where it began, did nothing except forcibly isolate people at the epicentre while reducing outward travel to a minimum. This almost certainly led to the strange situation where Africa, (except for Egypt), has very few cases, and those with common seas – Japan, Korea, etc have also had reported minimal diagnoses, but those who trade and have a lot of contact (yes, you) have a rising tide of cases.

As well, the areas north of the tropic of cancer have many more cases – Western Europe, (particularly Italy) and the east. Russia, who has used misinformation a few times, reports only small numbers. This is due to either lack of testing or a deliberate strategy to gain the upper hand in trade - something so horrible that it makes the actual virus seem benign, but is a distinct possibility

You are only now beginning to feel the effects. There are small numbers now, but when compared to the future this will seem normal. You have the ability to test test test, to isolate, shut down cities and borders, bar entry to the country and prohibit all travel, all of which will slow the spread, reduce the numbers, and get things back to some degree of normality. I wonder if you have the guts and capacity to do it.

There is one area you are unable to deal with. The economy. This is going to take the greatest hit in the history of your country, including the great depression of 28/29. It is something you cannot avoid, which is all the more awful because the Great came more or less as a surprise. This one is not. It comes with plenty of warning; previous plagues have been shorter; SARS in particular came, killed, and went away. Sighs of relief, but it’s not like lightning: It can and does strike twice.

SARS should have alerted every government that action was needed for the possible next on. Scientists warned and were dismissed. ‘This is America!’

The reasons for that are plain to outsiders, and no doubt to many left leaning economists. Your society is built on the idea of private enterprise above anything federal. Money rules everyone, but money cannot do everything. It is excellent at profit and dividend, great for making the rich richer, and fosters ‘can do’, but it does not care about people.

That is the government’s job alone, and it is something you have ignored.

Take health care. No matter how the Obama package was presented, no matter how popular and necessary it was, is was watered down in some states, sold off to insurers, and ridiculed by many Republicans. Health care paid for by business was highly selective. There was, and is, no such thing as free medicines or health supplies, and the cost of hospitalisation meant that a huge number of people were sent begging. Home care? Free clinics? Mass free testing?

None of these, yet they are vital to combat this COVID-19 virus.

Will you be able to close down businesses except essential services? Hospitals, clinics, food outlets? No pubs clubs or meetings? Maximum of two people together or six feet between more? Ten thousand tests a day, and on more than those obviously infected?

Borders closed, no incoming passengers by any means?

If you don’t you will make Italy like a disease free zone.

Social isolation can be borne for a while, no matter that the elderly and isolated will fill your hospitals and aged care facilities for a very long time, but when millions have no income, what will the government do? Is a society like yours it is the ultra rich who should be made to pick up the tab, which will be in the trillions. As that is highly unlikely, it will HAVE to be the government who pays.

Divert money from armaments. Go into debt with abandon. Stop paying bills, (ha – that’s already normal), print more and more – what’s inflation?

And that is just the start. If, as it appears, you are desperately trying to set up testing stations, supply respirators to hospitals as fast as possible, and alert everyone to the necessity of staying well apart, it will have to be imposed. No ‘please,’ no pieces of paper. If you don’t, you allow it to go on its merry way as Italy has done. You condemn maybe a few million people to death. It will be over far more quickly, but could anyone lift their head from the shame it would bring? And a million less workers, executives, politicians and people in the street will reduce the ability to buy, killing the economy even more.

If ever there was a time for the federal government to take the lead, set parameters, forget profit and put the future of the nation at the front of everything else, it is now. Some states have taken the lead, others not, but it will drag on and on unless everyone adopts the same standards.

Everything shows that Donald Trump is the very worst person to be running a nation in a situation like this. It is real life, not make believe. He has reversed the order – put profit before people.

Let Joe Biden become acting President. Of course you cannot do that, but at least I call on every Republican in congress to cross the floor or be forever branded as not caring about their constituents. A New Renaissance would result.