There Will Be Opportunities

The letter below was posted on the Bernardsville News website today.  Because of the COVID-19 crisis, the print edition is not now being published. 

Bill Allen    04-05-20

EDITOR:

Some see problems with every opportunity.  I try to see opportunities with every problem.  COVID-19 is a huge problem.  Does it also bring opportunities?  Some thoughts on this follow.

ONE:  I grew up during the Great Depression and World War II.  Today we face the worst crisis of my lifetime.  The challenges are enormous.  I believe that most of us will get through this crisis OK, but there will be tragic human costs and catastrophic economic consequences.  There will also be opportunities.

TWO:  Our society and federal form of government are being severely tested.  As we strive to meet these tests we should also watch carefully what is done and not done, and the results.  Later we should integrate what we observed with evidence from other sources, analyze this record, and answer these questions:

• What worked well and what did not?
• In this crisis federal, state, and local governments had different powers and areas of responsibility. What were the appropriate roles for the leaders of these governments?
• Did the leaders accept their roles and perform them well or poorly?
• What personal qualities determined how well a leader performed?

THREE:  During this difficult period, let’s put a moratorium on criticism of past actions and inactions.   Review them not to blame, but to learn.

FOUR:  Many had predicted that a pandemic was likely sometime.  In spite of these warnings, we were not prepared for this one.  There are other possible and dangerous events that we are not prepared for.

I have written frequently about global warming and the associated risks from climate change, sea level rise, and ocean acidification.  I won’t recount these risks here.  I will state that there are many, and some may be greater than those we face today.  There are actions we can and should take to reduce these risks.  I will return to them in future comments.

Key arguments here:  We can and should learn from the present crisis, and define for future crises the appropriate roles for the leaders of federal, state, and local governments. We can and should identify the qualities we need in these leaders.

FIVE:  This is now, and will continue to be, a year of stress with much critical work to do.  We must suppress COVID-19 to a level manageable with treatment and vaccine.  We must restart the economy and begin to repair the damage done.  We must elect those who will lead federal, state, and local governments in the years ahead.

Most important:  When we vote, we must heed the lessons learned from COVID-19 and the economy.  If we do not choose wisely, our democratic society may not survive.

Bill Allen    04-04-20