Politicians are becoming too accustomed to their newfound powers as we enter the third month of COVID-19 restrictions. As this thing unfolds, even harsher infringements on our civil liberties seem to be the order of the day.
In Santa Barbara County the disease hasn’t just impacted the people who have the sickness, but also thousands of people who once had jobs and businesses that were previously open. It seems that the only “business” that hasn’t suffered is government.
But even the government is now feeling the pinch; they have finally figured out that all those closed businesses were paying their wages, and without any sales- and bed-tax income many government employees may soon be furloughed until more revenue is found.
While some businesses have received help in the form of Payroll Protection Plan loans (actually grants since the loans will be forgiven) others haven’t, and counties like Santa Barbara and all the cities in the county aren’t eligible for any help from the federal government. And, instead of helping local government, Gov. Gavin Newsom provided illegal aliens $125 million in financial assistance and unilaterally approved a questionable $1 billion contract with China.
Now the body politic is becoming worried; how will they pay their bills and continue to provide needed services?
On April 21, county staff told the Board of Supervisors that they might have a plan ready in four to six weeks; that means that the earliest we could expect their ideas is in June.
But we have watched the county government’s pace for many years. Something this big could take months not weeks to put together as the staff and “stakeholders” arm wrestle over the details. The big speed bump is the governor’s six-point plan to “reopen the state” and his requirement that he approve the plan.
Let’s dissect Newsom’s plan into its component parts.
First up is the idea of “vigilant protection against infection of California’s most vulnerable residents.” Translated it means that people in my age range may have to continue being segregated from the rest of society long into the foreseeable future.
Next, he wants to “manage surges at hospitals, enable development of infrastructure and distribution of personal protective equipment.” Since the original predictions of a massive influx of patients hasn’t materialized, this seems to be a moot point, but that won’t stop the hand-wringing and will likely result in millions of dollars of investment in new infrastructure.
Then “engage researchers in academia, including the University of California, and at health and technology companies on the front lines of the pandemic.” This one item will take years, perhaps decades, to accomplish; researchers are always in search of new information and multiple controlled tests before they decide what to do.
I am not criticizing this because when dealing with our health we certainly want to be assured that the answer is spot on. The point is, do we keep a stranglehold on the economy while we wait.
The easiest but very costly plan will be to “redraw floor plans at business locations, schools, and child care facilities with physical distancing in mind.” This sounds a lot like permanently reducing class sizes—something teachers’ unions have been pushing for decades. Get ready for substantial increases in property taxes to implement this part of the plan, as the need for teachers and classroom space doubles overnight.
It also sounds like a significant reduction of employees or customers that can occupy a business space; previously the government directed a 50 percent reduction in seating at restaurants, bars, and public assembly venues. If this idea prevails, look for numerous business closures, since only having half the customers or workers as a normal business model is unsustainable for most businesses.
Lastly, “determining when to reinstitute certain measures, such as stay-at-home orders.” Well, I always thought that politicians didn’t want to give up their new powers; in this way they can lock down the society again anytime they feel it’s necessary. Since new forms of communicable diseases seem to occur at regular intervals, will society face continued shutdowns at the whim of politicians?
Humans, like every other creature, are engineered to be productive; some with their hands and some with their heads. Even the homeless, who seem unfazed by all the social-distancing rules, are constantly foraging for food and shelter.
Without a purpose and some sort of organized activity involving interaction with other people, we begin to feel useless. Some politicians would like nothing better than to have the population totally rely on government for their daily bread and shelter. And since the air seems to have become much cleaner in the crowded urban areas, and petroleum consumption has dropped dramatically, environmental purists would like nothing better than to keep things just as they are today.
It appears the governor and public health officials favor a risk-free approach to this disease as a condition for what they consider acceptable before reopening the state. During a press conference on April 28, the governor said, “I know you want timelines, but we can’t get ahead of ourselves.” Then he went on to describe a process that will take several months to complete and said that we would never return to pre-virus conditions.
It’s past time to reopen the economy so people can regain their sense of self-worth, businesses can flourish, and we can all live the American dream.
Ron Fink writes to the Sun from Lompoc. Send your thoughts, comments, and opinionated letters to letters@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in May 7-14, 2020.
