The question is not whether another health threat will materialize but when. We are in what planners call a “hundred-year event.” That does not mean it will be a hundred years before another killer virus breaks out. A different virus threat could emerge, God forbid, tomorrow. We need to build excess capacity for such crises. That’s where public health bonds come in.
I am told that Trump is very intrigued by the idea. If he gets behind “Beat the Bug” bonds — or whatever the effort is dubbed — and Democrats join in, and they are joined by all the celebrities singing on livestreams and all the athletes and talking heads commenting online, a vast bond campaign could be launched. Citizens want to help. In many ways, we need to contribute. When New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and his wife, Brittany, pledged $5 million to help impacted communities in Louisiana, the virtual cheering was loud and sustained. Not because everyone wants to be Brees (most people want to be Baker Mayfield, I think) but because everyone wants to help, though within their means.
If Trump asked former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush to lead the effort, they of course would, much as former presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush agreed to lead fundraising relief efforts after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, or as Clinton and George W. Bush agreed to spearhead efforts in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Leading relief efforts is what former presidents do best. A health-bond campaign is an issue on which the talking heads on MSNBC, CNN and Fox News could actually agree.
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