NO WAY, BILL!!!
YES WAY, TED!!!
The facts are that no one knows what to do in this situation because no one is asking or considering the right questions. IF you're goal is to temporarily stabilize the status quo system in the hopes of returning to "business as usual" soon, then the correct things to do are to:
1) freeze all foreclosures and simply add on an extra month of payments or restitution for the number of months of protection/stagnation this requires; keep people in homes, keep businesses in place and keep from a destructive momentum that would wipe out jobs, businesses and local economies simply to grant landlords the titles and restitution in the face of this disaster. During this time landlords and debt holders could be provided with principal payments, but would have to forego interest payments until the economy is restarted...we're trying to keep people and businesses WHOLE, not ENGORGED or MAXIMALLY PROFITABLE...
2) provide direct financial assistance to the public only when it is done as a pass-through for wage replacement on a sliding scale that basically provides all workers (and bosses and owners) Federal Minimum Wage benefits for the duration of the shut down...I'm sure many people would be wishing that $15/hr. minimum had gone through, but we can put a floor under people, not necessarily the entire structure though...
3) Criminalize ANY profiteering, price gouging, or stock buy back style executive enrichment during this time AND for the immediate 6 months after the crisis abates...those at the top are going to have to share in the pain of those at the bottom if we want to retain a civilized society and not fall into a totalitarian nightmare or dystopian anarchy in many areas. This is being bandied about as a 'war footing', well war profiteering was one of the ugliest charges a person could face in the 1940's, so it should be treated the same here and now...
4) Food distribution and the food preparation and delivery system should be prioritized to kick in as soon as the need becomes overwhelming...like now or next week at the latest; one of the ways to help people in this time of need is to eliminate the worry of where the next meal is coming from...keeping people from being overcome by fear is a great challenge, but keeping HUNGRY people from mob violence and social disintegration is even harder still. I have heard literally NOTHING about this challenge from anyone in Congress or the office of POTUS or the media for that matter...this is a major oversight and needs to be addressed ASAP...
5) Medical care for non-COVID19 patients...if nothing else, this crisis is shining a very ugly spotlight on the shortcomings of the medical system in the USA - the "best in the world"...supplies are critically under stocked and under produced to pretend like they are any other commodity unit in a business warehouse textbook. You cannot have the 'best in the world' ANYTHING without the 'Best in the World PLANS and CONTINGENCIES"...nurses, practitioners, aides and staff are being run through a wringer right now because admins and bean counters values PROFITS over PEOPLE (not solely their fault...it is endemic to the entire economic system). Without a massive allocation of resources to these hospitals and clinics and offices, there will be suffering and deaths and a ripple effect through the overall economy and society.
And that's just to duct-tape this whole thing together long enough to GET TO THE NEXT PHASE - rebuilding a NEW economy from the ashes of this one... This idea that Trump (or ANYONE) could simply decree that things go 'back to normal' ignores the very reason this thing is as bad as it is - FEAR. Yelling at a scared animal is not going to make them do what you want them to...and demanding that "the economy be restarted" is not something the President can make happen...open the doors? Maybe...get people to gladly risk infection for the profits of someone else? Doubtful...
This is an opportunity for bold proposals and policy ideas to come forth and to redesign a new economy for Q3-2020 and beyond, a new start on how governments, people and businesses SHOULD interact and staff and stock; as well as a thorough review of the impacts of this on the current economy to enhance building a new one from its ashes. Anyone else holding their breath waiting for THAT outcome? Didn't think so....
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