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Corona Lessons

We are living in stressful times. The virus we can't see is frightening everyone (or at least everyone who is paying attention), especially in this country where the shortage of tests has impaired our vision. Yet there are many lessons to be learned from our troubles. Here are three that I have been thinking about.
  1. Many public and private servants are under-appreciated and under-valued. During wartime, our heroes are our military personnel, and yet we reward them poorly. This war is different, and so are the heroes on the front lines. While military personnel are again rising to the occasion, so are other groups whose work brings them into continued contact with the potentially infected, such as doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff; police and firefighters; grocery clerks; pharmacy employees; truck drivers and delivery people; and bank tellers. When we pull out of this crisis, if not sooner, we should remember their sacrifices and re-evaluate our reward systems. 
  2. Science matters.  One thing that differentiates this crisis from earlier pandemics is the advancement of science. Scientists and scientifically trained health care professionals are the ones who are going to guide us through the crisis and save lives. Had they been listened to at the very beginning, their warnings would have prevented much of the suffering taking place today. A corollary of the principle that science matters is that education matters. To perform their jobs well and safeguard us from future harms, all government leaders need to embrace science and prioritize education.
  3. Our leaders must be competent people of good character. This is the baseline that should be required in any election for  office, and especially at the highest levels of federal and state government. Our partisan political system is marked by stark differences in policy. Policy is important, but in times of crisis, competence and character matter more. National crises often allow us to at least temporarily transcend policy differences when we have leaders of good character - people who, when danger is imminent, put their self-interests aside and commit themselves fully to the public good. When we go to the polls, we should vote for experienced and competent candidates who have demonstrated in their personal and professional lives the type of self-sacrificing character that will drive them to resist partisan politics during dangerous times and make the protection of all Americans their first priority.

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