Each individual American state established much of their COVID policy and we are better for it.
I’m part of an e-mail report “COFFEE&COVID” by Jeff Childers and last week Jeff referenced an article in the New York Times by Li Yuan, 4-13-22 : ”China’s ‘Zero-Covid’ Mess Proves Autocracy Hurts Everyone”. China’s ‘Zero Covid’ Mess Proves Autocracy Hurts Everyone – The New York Times (nytimes.com) The article begins by describing China’s great sparrow extermination of 1958, after Chairman Mao blamed wild sparrows for his failing agricultural policy, declared the hapless birds to be pests, and called for up to 2 billion birds to be killed nationwide. The near extinction of Chinese sparrows predictably led to insect infestations, which ruined crops and contributed to the Great Famine that starved tens of millions of Chinese to death in the next three years. That’s how central planning “works.”
Although I’m by no means a great fan of our COVID policy in the U.S., it sure could have been worse if it was completely centrally planned from Washington, resulting in something on the order of Chairman Mao’s sparrow extermination results……………….or for that matter China’s present day COVID policy and the ~25million inhabitants of Shanghai locked in apartments (now in its 3rd week) with people screaming out of their windows (some say jumping out of their windows) struggling to get food. Newly infected people are being moved to crowded and dirty quarantine centers, animals put down, people denied medical services while drones circle the city monitoring. I could go on. https://youtu.be/6byyZA4MPyU, https://youtu.be/KNseignRiC8
This is why the GOUSA 10th amendment rating’s category under Personal Opportunity is so critical because it essentially rates a politician’s affinity for central planning. Thank God we have governors like DeSantis and Abbott who can counter or try to counter the failed central policies of the Swamp!