As
the United States and much of the world faces an unprecedented pandemic, people
in America are dealing with extraordinary circumstances in extraordinary
ways. The bad news is that there is very
real pain being realized by many due to the conronavirus spread. The good news is that our nation is once
again being reminded that life at its essence is a very fickle gift that flows
to all of us in a benevolent fashion.
The Good Lord’s Will shall be done and occasionally, we must all be
reminded of that fact. Our part of the
deal is to live with that fate in a manner that can be effective, responsible,
and worthy of pride. So as we all
struggle with a new reality in our everyday lives, here are a few observations
on the perspective from a small farm in Kentucky.
Necessity
is the Mother of Invention. Just
as we have all previously experienced in our lives, extreme circumstances force
us to realize capabilities that we never knew existed. They make us perform in order to cope and then subsequently, reflect on that
performance. And as we reflect, we glean
lessons that may be applied to the balance of our lives. We make good, positive changes in the way we
live because we discovered things about ourselves that we never knew
existed. We are tested.
The
increased time spent together by families during this crisis will no doubt be a
double-edged sword. There will be some
cases where the additional stress of increased time spent together will push
already-fracturing relationships over the edge and result in permanent
fissures. But in most cases, increased
time together will help to better cement families, help couples to actually
learn more about each other, and will hopefully re-emphasize to everyone the
critical importance of the nuclear family in our society and culture.
Just
as families and personal relationships will be further clarified by the distancing aspects of virus remedies,
let us all hope that the governments that have so much impact on our private
lives also learn from this adversity.
Even though it is part and parcel of my independent approach to politics,
I do believe that the ill winds of this virus calamity have forced us all to
appreciate that the government that affects us the most is the government that is closest
to us. Our mayors and governors have
taken center stage in this epidemic by dealing with their local emergencies through the utilization of local actions. The degree to
which anti-coronavirus policies have been implemented is clearly a reaction to
the degree the epidemic has impacted the local population. As the virus spreads and hopefully soon
reaches its peak, we can plainly see that the severity of the restrictions on
commerce and personal liberties reflects a direct relationship to the severity
of the illness in the area. We are a nation
of communities…be they rural or urban.
This
highlights the strength of our government.
America is a collection of counties and states, with certain authorities
in place to properly recognize that principle.
Our Congress and President work best when they recognize that principle
and do their work within that context. While
some issues clearly lie within the
federal jurisdiction and others are more expansive
in nature; our national government is most efficient when it confines itself to
those particular federal areas and creates a framework within which the states
may autonomously flourish. This
particular national emergency has forced
our federal government to embrace this fundamental concept and we can only hope
that a strong remnant of that recognition remains once the virus emergency has
passed.
Time
for Reflection is an Opportunity for Reassessment.
My wife and I chuckle as we sit in our sunroom each
morning and watch the media community continually address the self-quarantining
of our nation. There is some humor in even the direst
situations. The source of our amusement
is the fact that before the coronavirus, we were already leading a life that
was pretty much self-quarantined. We are
both retired and although we visit with our family on a regular basis, we are
not active travelers and entertainers.
Our small circle of friends revolves around old, established
relationships and our church family.
Since neither of us have public jobs, we seldom venture off the farm for
much other than the occasional shopping or entertainment trip to a nearby town,
a trip to the bank or grocery, or picking up farm supplies at the feed mill or
lumber yard. The internet has gifted us
with social networking, streaming, and a wealth of information that requires
nothing more than a keyboard and monitor.
Heck, just this morning we attended church online with live streaming. I call it pajama
church.
But
while we may occupy the minor disruption end of the virus impact spectrum,
we are very aware that many others are much closer to the other end. This disruptive
pause in the everyday hustle and bustle of American society brings with it a
chance to closely examine where our values lie and where our priorities have
migrated. It is an opportunity to
re-order the important things that we each hold dear and draw distinctions
between necessary and optional,
authentic and superficial, enduring and transient, pertinent and
extraneous, and most critically….important and not so important.
The
Cream Rises and the Dregs Become More Visible. It is a shame that it takes a national
emergency to create it, but it is reaffirming to see our opposing political
forces come together in a time of need to deliver federal support where
necessary. Most Democrats in Congress
have set aside their differences with President Trump and helped to negotiate
the necessary federal support legislation that will address the adverse impact
of the epidemic. It is good to see New
York and California Democratic governors work hand-in-hand with the President,
both in practice and word, to meet the needs of the people they both jointly represent. Upon closer examination, it is revealing to
observe the language that many elected officials use when discussing these
joint efforts and it is a pretty simple task to differentiate between those who
are going through the motions and those who are sincerely seeking to
serve. And just as the transparently
honest and sincere officials will rise to the occasion and reap the legitimate
recognition for their unselfish leadership; so shall the shallow and
self-serving rascals that continue to pursue personal agendas in the face of
wide-spread misfortune be exposed as the despicable and self-serving people
they truly are.
In
the positive vein, I’m talking about governors such as Cuomo of New York who
has been as authentic an enemy of all things Trump as any Democrat in
America. Without considering the
consequences to his personal political ambitions, he was conspicuously first
among governors to openly support the President’s initiatives to combat this
national emergency. Even though it will
be done so reluctantly and not without some acrimony; the Democratic leadership
in Congress will also rise to this challenge and join with the President in
addressing the nation’s needs with legislative and administrative remedies.
Unfortunately,
there are many public officials and entities that will use their public office
or forum to further their own ideological pursuits of private agendas. I am talking here about our representatives
in Congress who use privileged briefing information to initiate personal and
beneficial financial transactions. This is the worst kind of public office abuse
and should be exposed for the travesty that it is. It is also tragic that we continue to witness
the ongoing devolution of journalism as exhibited by MSNBC, CNN, the New York
Times, the Washington Post, and many other members of the mainstream
media. Rather than utilizing their
position of trust and influence to bring this nation together in a coordinated
effort to cope with the silent and deadly conronavirus; they instead seize
every opportunity to cast the President and his initiatives in a light that
suggests incompetence, self-enrichment, or pure evil. I would normally add self-aggrandization to
this list, but the President is doing a good job of that on his own.
Don’t
miss the next post!
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Under
the Cover of the Bright and Shiny Object. It is fascinating to look beneath the
headlines during this time of crisis and see some of the things that are
transpiring without notice or acclaim. Even
though the coronavirus pandemic is a global phenomenon, that does not prevent
many of the rogue nations on our planet from taking advantage of the
pre-occupation many nations have in preserving their peoples’ welfare. North Korea chooses this time to once again test-fire military missiles in a clearly
provocative fashion. Terrorist
organizations and governments in the Middle East increase their activities to undermine any efforts towards the
settlement of simmering conflicts and grudges.
One shudders to think about what Putin and his autocratic Russian rule
is dwelling on these days. And the largest shame of all must fall on
China and its pathetic efforts to not only cover-up
its irresponsible and costly reaction to the initial release of the virus in
Wuhan/Hubei Province, but to then propagate a disinformation campaign to blame
others for its own malfeasance.
Notable
among these shameful attempts at subterfuge is the withdrawal of charges by the
DOJ regarding the alleged Russian influence in the 2016 elections. Anyone who was paying attention can recall
how Robert Swan Mueller III triumphantly announced these indictments in the
course of his Trump/Russia Investigation Farce.
He and his merry band of Democrat lawyers did their little end-zone dances
in a choreographed drama with the mainstream media; celebrating what they
claimed to be proof that the Trump
campaign had coordinated with the Russian government to undermine the 2016
Presidential election. And now, after
repeatedly and desperately trying many other tricks to squirm their way out of
these empty charges, they openly and publicly admit that there was no case to begin with. Their indictments were nothing but window dressing
from the beginning. They are simply
withdrawing the charges and taking down the tents; all under the cover of a
national emergency. Read about this
sordid episode here: https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/03/department-of-justice-dismisses-robert-mueller-charges-against-russian-businesses/
. These ideologues do this stuff and
then sweep it away in the dark of night…hoping that no one will notice. They NEED
TO BE noticed.
There
is No Perfect Solution…No Silver Bullet.
You would have to look long and hard to
find a harsher critic of government than myself. But in times like these where our nation faces
an unprecedented challenge, we must all be a bit more forgiving and
understanding with our elected officials.
The
adverse economic effects of the coronavirus episode will be realized by every
single citizen in our country; but that effect will vary to infinitesimal
degrees. As I mentioned before, my wife
and I lead a fairly sheltered life in normal
times. Our income is sourced from a
modest pension, social security, and personal savings. Our lifestyle is modest by any standard and
we are likely among the least impacted by the virus epidemic. Our children are members of families where
both spouses are working; they have children at home and in school, and they are
dealing with financial challenges such as mortgages. They are heavily impacted by this
ordeal. When you consider the
diversified financial situations of all
Americans and then throw into the mix the multitude of small, large, and
corporate business interests, it is mind-numbing to imagine the challenge of
crafting an aid package that will address each and every person and entity in
an equitable fashion.
This
is the dilemma faced by the President and Congress. There
is no perfect plan. There will be
winners and there will be losers. There
will some who profit unduly and some whose needs are not fully met. There will be differing philosophies in how
much and in what manner to deliver the support and the making of that sausage will not be fun to watch. The whole exercise will plainly appear as
nothing less than a bidding war between the two national parties; with no
regard whatsoever as to its impact on the federal debt or the federal
deficit. A national crisis always offers
the opportunity for unlimited federal spending with no accountability. But at the end of the day, there will be federal legislation to address
the economic impact of this crisis and it will
be a generous and sincere effort by all of our elected officials to support
the people they represent.
This
Too Shall Pass. At
the end of March, a global and national re-calibration will take place that will
determine what the short-term impact of the coronavirus epidemic shall be. Either the infection/mortality curves will be
flattened and the emphasis will be shifted to a recovery plan…or…the crisis will continue to rise with
energy and we will all brace for more severe remedies and death tolls. But even though we cannot be confident about when the pandemic will end, we can know
with certainty that it will end. And that realization…the fact that we will
all soon be looking backward with complete
clarity regarding how we behaved as individuals, as Americans, as a
country, and as a planetary species…that
fact should remain ever-present in our minds.
History
will record the costs that this misfortune wrought upon our nation. The end of the current coronavirus epidemic
will create new opportunities for many in the quest to recover that which we will
have lost in the battle to persevere and to overcome this curse. When this phoenix rises from the ashes, it
will come in a rush…not a whisper. Many
will be honored by their efforts; as many will be shamed. But the overall impression that will
inevitably settle upon Americans will be the fact that once again, as a nation
and as a people, we rose to meet the challenge and we continued in spite of it. As costly and painful as it was in personal
and economic terms, we will rapidly put the bad memories in the rear view
mirror and get on with the effort to resume life abundant.
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