Who's Responsible In A National Emergency?

There have been arguments for years about what the role of the federal government should be in our daily lives. A war was fought over it. Political parties have been formed, changed, reconfigured and buried over it. Certain issues have made it more visible and more volatile, issues like abortion and gun rights come to mind.

But here we are in the middle of a pandemic and as I write this over 15,000 people in the US are the victims of Covid 19. In my own mind, there really shouldn't be any debate about the role of the federal government in this crisis but right now it rages on. States, hospitals and health care workers are pleading for help and assistance with important things like tests, equipment, basic supplies and personal protective equipment. It seems we have a President, his cabinet and his political party who are taking the position that Governors and other local officials are responsible for getting their own items to fight this war on a deadly virus.

People watch news conferences, on a daily basis at this point, where the President and Vice President keep talking about public, private partnerships and promoting individual CEO's and corporations while doctors, nurses and patients are exasperated waiting for items like masks and gowns and ventilators. If there ever was a national emergency, we are in the middle of it. We have responded better, as a federal government, to hurricanes and tornadoes than we have to this pandemic. It's a shame what we see unfolding.

This philosophy of "your on your own" and "it's your responsibility" is coming from a child President who continues to demand praise and bully anyone who questions his actions/inactions. The quid pro quo concept we witnessed around Ukraine makes its appearance again, almost everyday, as Governors have to beg and compliment the chief before he provides any support. It is shameful that members of his party support his position and his behavior. It's also shameful that medical professionals who work for him and for the American people, don't push back when he makes false and medically dangerous pronouncements.

Yes we've argued about federal and state roles before, but this time it really is a deadly discourse. Some projections indicate that we could lose more people in this pandemic than we did in the Civil War. Imagine, with that information, a federal hands off approach, telling states it's your responsibility. This certainly isn't leadership. It's not even a good business model from a man-child who believes he's the greatest business person in the world. He's not by any measure.

We can do better than this and we need to do better very soon. The good people of this country and the world deserve better than this President. Businesses and private citizens will respond to calls for action. We've done it before but it takes a leader. Our hospitals and doctors and nurses deserve more from all of us but they certainly deserve more from their government. We all have a responsibility to demand better of the President and his staff. We need accountability, transparency and we need a President who knows when to be quiet and let his professional staff speak.