The stress pandemic

One could make the case that the main thrust of this war on COVID-19, closing the world economy, has produced a virus more dangerous than COVID-19. Could this unprecedented stress be classified as a pandemic? Of course.

Governments around the world are now rushing to address the impact of closing the economy by throwing trillions of dollars at it. To some extent, this will be temporarily effective, but it will be accompanied by pervasive counterproductive results. How can a government cobble together a $2 trillion bailout package in a few weeks and throw it at the economy effectively? Impossible. While it will help many people, the legislation will be tainted by corruption, inefficiency, and counterproductive outcomes. Should some thought not be given to whether governments around the world have unlimited funds? History clearly suggests that they do not. This applies to the United States, too. The political class never seems to understand that spending taxpayer dollars can be counterproductive.

While we are making progress in reducing the rate of infection, COVID-19 is still with us. We have to continue the fight. We have many leaders in the medical, pharmaceutical, and political worlds working feverishly to achieve just that. Meanwhile, federal, state, and local officials must begin to address the other pandemic, the one they launched. Immediately. Begin opening the economy. While some cities and localities have been more impacted by the virus than others and require continued restrictive measures, it is time that we, the voting public, recognize that there have been widespread overreactions. State and local governments with but a few hundred deaths have taken unnecessary, counterproductive draconian measures that contribute to this Stress Pandemic. Voters, take notice.