There Is Nothing Worse Than The Problem, Mr. President

The Cure Is Not Worse Than The Problem

by Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle

“We can’t have the cure be worse than the problem.”

— President Donald Trump, March 22

Maybe President Trump doesn’t understand, but the “problem” is people are dying. The numbers are rapidly rising. In Italy, people over 60 are sometimes denied ventilators because there aren’t enough and they are being “prioritized.” Is the “cure” worse than that, Mr. President?

I’m concerned about the economy, my job and my employees. I’m terrified at the thought of not being able to pay my bills. I hate not going out, find social distancing difficult, and can barely stand not being able to hug my grandchildren.

But I like being alive. I want my spouse, my family, my coworkers and my friends to be alive also. And I do not want to seriously and knowingly be a party to spreading a new disease that can kill people — all for purely economic reasons. I don’t want to intentionally increase the chance of people dying in order to protect my 401K.

In this country we ask people to go to war, risk their lives, leave their families and suffer severe hardships. They do it, and thank goodness they are willing to make those sacrifices for us. Same with our courageous doctors, nurses and health workers. But the rest of us can’t survive what we hope and pray will be a relatively short-term period of severe sacrifice to save the lives of Americans and others across the world?

There is no doubt what is going on can and will have severe economic impact which will affect millions of us in a negative way. No one should make light of that.

But the mere suggestion that what is being done to keep people alive is even remotely “worse than the problem” is idiotic. A statement made out of immense selfishness, immaturity, a lack of empathy and common sense and failure to understand the responsibilities of leadership.

We can recover from economic devastation. America has shown before it can handle terrible financial woes, although at great cost to many. It is heartbreaking to watch everything you have worked so hard for be threatened in this manner.

But it is far, far worse to watch your parents die while waiting for a respirator. It is worse to infect thousands around you without even knowing it, and having that contact lead to more deaths. Far worse to further risk the lives of healthcare professionals

The economic impact pales in comparison to the cost of human lives. Listen to the medical experts. Ignore the selfish and stupid leaders who don’t listen to them. And rally around leaders who are doing the right thing.

Stay at home when ordered. Deal with a toilet paper shortage. Survive the extreme anxiety that comes with having your financial future in jeopardy.

The cure isn’t worse, President Trump. You — and people who can’t stomach the inconvenience of sacrifice — are what is worse. Your rhetoric and recklessness are damaging our country and putting lives at risk. This isn’t politics, this is people’s very lives. Can’t you understand that?

Be more worried about doing your job than running for it. Please.

Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and longtime local official. He can be emailed at billsinsidelook@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.

Coronavirus Hit Local Government Also

Coronavirus And Local Government

by Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle

As the effects of the coronavirus continue to be felt across the world, it’s time to start thinking how it will affect our lives here in the Sun Chronicle area.

I’m not talking about the testing aspect, or the ability to get supplies, or even the economic impact on local businesses and families — as serious as those things may be.

For just a minute, I’d like to focus on an under-appreciated yet very dangerous aspect of the coronavirus pandemic: The effects it can have on local government, the officials who serve in and work for it, and the people who participate in it.

We all have to be cognizant of the danger to first responders as this contagious virus works its way around the planet. Public safety personnel are the people who come when we call, who often put their lives on the line for the rest of us. It’s one thing to ask them to battle what they can see, but now more than ever they also have to beware of things they can’t.

But the danger doesn’t stop with them, it gets spread to the people working back in the stations. The dispatchers, the mechanics, the clerks and all the other support staff who allow the police and firefighters and emergency personnel to do their job. They become exposed, and they bring that danger back home to their own families and friends.

In fact, the people who work in your city and town halls face tremendous exposure just for doing their jobs. They interact with a wide swath of the public, and as a result can become infected.

For just a second, think of those who chair or serve on local boards and committees.

They hold public hearings on many matters, interacting with crowds and gathering facts and opinions. Sitting in meeting rooms where others have been, at the same tables and chairs. Exchanging papers and exhibits and microphones.

And for those communities with open town meetings — how will those be handled in light of the coronavirus pandemic? If you think about it, that’s quite an opportunity for the virus to spread.

You gather a few hundred people (depending on a lot of conditions) in a school gymnasium or auditorium, in relatively close quarters. You have many of them sharing microphones and standing in line to get to them. You have people checking in attendees as they enter. You have tellers tallying ballots, or mingling among the people as they count those who stand to vote.

Already there has been legislation drafted to extend the time frame during which town meetings can legally be held, in an attempt to perhaps outwait the virus or let mitigation and containment efforts progress. Not to exaggerate the threat, but how much risk is acceptable for ordinary citizens to assume in order to participate in their local government?

Municipal government may rate fairly low on the priority list of things the average citizen worries about given the pandemic today. But let’s remember those governments are made up of people who work to represent us all. They are our friends, our neighbors our family.

They are us.

Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and longtime local official. He can be emailed at billsinsidelook@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.