Both Sioux Falls Mayor TenHaken and Governor Noem have issued stay at home orders that have zero teeth (but nice stamps on them). It reminds when they tell you to seek shelter in the basement when you hear a tornado siren (if it goes off), but you don’t really have to.
Like I have said, I’m still on the fence of what employers should stay open and what employers should not, but if you are going to have a stay at home order, you need to make it legally binding, otherwise it has just as much value as a virtual birthday card.
Most people already have gotten the message from the Feds and CDC, stay home, wear masks, keep distance. How is the messages from Paul and Kristi any different if they don’t have legal teeth?
They mean nothing.
I of course do not envy their jobs right now, but they did sign up for this. That means leaders make hard decisions after consulting experts. You already did the consulting, you already did the advising, now it is time to make a firm decision backed up by law. And if your legal team is not willing to make that happen, they need to be sent on a permanent stay at home order. It is not the time to play Libertarian Conservative Cowboy. You can’t have it both ways. You are either for public safety and health or the free enterprise system. With this virus, they cannot co-exist. Once we get over the peak, we can concentrate on bringing the economy back, but it can’t happen with a bunch of sick and dead people. Now is not the time to be eating cake.
This is what de-centralized government looks like. This is what states’ rights look like. We have become a nation of ‘Hoovervilles.’
And to the point that we are still one as a nation, however, we are becoming nothing but bankrupted like a Trump casino.
Dr. Fauci says that it will be quite sometime until life is back to normal; perhaps, a year or two.
They say this pandemic will cost us at least 4 to 5 trillion dollars. Just add this to the already 20 trillion dollars of federal debt, that already existed, then think what could have been done with 20 trillion dollars of spent debt that has accumulated since the beginnings of Dubya to Trump, with Obama in between to clean up Dubya’s mess, and you will realize that supply-side and deregulatory nonsense, and a decentralized states’ rights mentality has done nothing to make us better, but rather weaker as a nation.
Noem and Ten Haken’s vacillation on this pandemic is symptomatic of a greater problem, a problem that gave us Trump in many ways, where too many have faith in an extremely naive understandings of the capabilities and effectiveness of a de-centralized view of government.
Given the recent CARES Act, which will be giving $1200 to each adult American with an income of $75000 or less, or the understanding from the Great Depression, that beginning with the Great Recession that liquidity and federal involvement is important in the stabilizing a our national economy, we can only hope that one of the great lessons heeded from this pandemic is that de-centralization and states rights are very limited as the answer to a national direction and crisis.
Just as we have learned, too, to embrace Keynesian economics over supply-side in a time of economic crisis, we must begin to embrace a more centralized response to crises, if we want to prevent or greatly limit future crises like this one, or even regional ones like Katrina, or regional ones with a national relevance like Florida 2000.
Some will say this lesson of the importance of centralization was learned beginning with FDR, but it is obvious that it has been lost. It has been lost beginning with the rhetoric of a Reagan, in my opinion, who did not think that government was the answer, and then who in turn fostered a mentality of states’ rights and de-centralization which has now made us weaker as a nation overtime; but the irony here, however, is that this weakness comes from the surmising and leadership of those who have often somehow boasted to be the greater defenders of our country, our freedoms, and our national security as a whole; but they were obviously mistaken given their policy positions overtime.
Am I saying this is all Reagan’s fault? Yep, I am. I can’t blame Nixon for this one. 😉 FDR understood the importance of a nation and a national response, but the innate selfishness of states’ rights and de-centralization
that was greatly legitimized by the Reagan movement is now casting a hell upon our country, which should have never have happened; and if we do not learn from this pandemic that reality, then the real sickness over our country overtime will not be an epidemic or pandemic, but rather an inability to recognize the true political lessons of this crisis, that speak loudly to us all in this time, but hopefully not on deaf ear.
What would make the most sense is mandatory testing to stop the spread. Not enough tests are available but they will be. When they are, the infected must stay on at home lockdown or at a special facility until they become clean. Those tested negative can go back to regular activity but should be tested monthly. Some are a carrier without knowing it. The sick and the carriers must be quarrantened.
Locally, state officials must restrict area travel to only what’s necessary. The Mike Huether Subaru is the best way to spread the virus to rural areas that might never have had a problem.
When the government prints more money, the dollar loses value and there’s inflation. The 1200/500 CARES act also spends toward business such as travel. Trillions is not a good idea. It’s needed short term for citizens (only). However, it’s like the party the Israelites had while Moses was on the mountain. It’s a short term orgy but then what.
National coverage for the two South Dakota ???leaders??? who think they know better than the CDC and the rest of country’s Governors and Mayors who are actually LEADING their residents through this crisis.
I likde that tie the mayor had on yesterday. Fashionably narrow, but not too narrow like he bought it at a Ric Ocasek estate sale.
Striped with patriotic colors, too, like he bought it in the vendor concourse area of a CPAC conference.
In fact, he looked so good, that maybe it’s time for Dusty to just step aside. 😉 #StepAsideDusty
This would be a great time for the mayor to do a video from his garage on how to change the plugs and distributor cap on your ’78 Bronco. I am sure Top Gear would air it. TJ could be his assistant on the show and with Beck doing some kind of promotion during the airing for Dutch Mafia Oil.
“like he bought it at a Ric Ocasek estate sale.”
Love the Cars!
Best Cars song ever, Drive
This is one of my favorite albums;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM3rXcGyVew&list=PLCgmxuk52Ex8Miq8k0u2DkZa4jgGmtqRq
Oh, I love the Cars, too. Don’t get me wrong. But is Sioux Falls really ready for a New Wave mayor?
Hear hear! to VSG.
As to DS’s claim that printing dollars necessarily devalues same – that is an “absolutist” statement – which is a dangerous belief structure to adhere to no matter which “side” of an issue one falls on.
The fact is that the dollar went UP in relative value – substantially and rapidly – upon announcement of these various “stimulus” plans”, and continues to increase in relative value around the globe today.
Oh those facts – they are indeed stubborn things
PS @ the value of a dollar – As soon as Trump and the Repubs passed theor
PS @ the value of a dollar – As soon as Trump and the Repubs passed their “tax cut” in 2017 – the dollar started a long steady decline in value and it was getting worse as the Trump presidency continued. NOW, it has nearly (but not quite) gotten back to the value oit held at the end of the Obama administration – which of course – featured massive money printing.
Paul & Kristi know they have to suck up hard to Jared and Ivanka’s mafia to get any PPE distributed to sodak, is the reason he wearing the skinny tie.
First, it was the PP tape and now it’s PPE. I don’t know about you, but I see a logical pattern here. Next, it will be PPJ… #PersonalProtectionJersey
I was wrong. Next was PPP, the Paycheck Protection Plan. So then next will be PPPE, or Please Prevent President’s re-Election.