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We are beginning to see some light at the end of this dark pandemic and the havoc it caused our physical and mental health and our economy. Americans looked to the new administration to come to the rescue and that’s happening. In the first hundred days, our government set a reasonable goal of 100,000,000 vaccines administered and now we are hoping to see that goal double to 200,000,000 shots. Our economy has been devastated with millions of people unemployed and millions more who dropped out of the labor force and didn't get counted. A year ago, many small businesses were forced to close, some are now permanently out-of-business, and many of those that stayed open worked at partial capacity and lost money.
Last month, the federal government passed a massive and comprehensive $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that will address these issues. The COVID relief package was strongly supported by the American public across the political spectrum. There are emergency times when the “right thing to do” should transcend politics like in a war, depression or a pandemic.
Will the Public’s View of Government Change?
Hopefully, people are beginning to see that the government with all its issues is a positive force in their daily lives. Big institutions are clumsy and inefficient whether in the public sector, the private sector or the nonprofit sector. Government institutions are more difficult to manage because democracy is messy. You need to listen to all voices, and you need to be transparent. Also, in a democracy there will be some parties, including some media, that are cheering for the government to fail. We might need to remind ourselves that we are the government, but, unfortunately, what has been sold to us is that government is an alien force out to hurt us.
It wasn’t always this way. In the Great Depression of the 1930s, Franklin D. Roosevelt—through a variety of programs—saved our democracy and dramatically improved American’s lives. He was elected four times. Government was viewed as a force for good. After World War II, the GI bill educated America. The Kennedy-Johnson administrations expanded education, reduced poverty, expanded civil rights and voting rights and created Medicare—to name just a few of the many efforts that improved the lives of the average Americans. These acts enabled tens of millions of our fellow citizens to experience their version of the American Dream. Even the discredited Nixon administration promoted legislation that created the Environmental Protection Administration. This legislation did much to give us cleaner air and water.
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So When Did this Change?
It began to change in the late ‘60s with the misinformation about the Vietnam War coming from the government. It then significantly changed when Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980. When Reagan was elected, a majority of the population still had a favorable view of government. Reagan changed all that. His famous statement that the nine most terrifying words in the English language are “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help” began the process. When he left office the number of people who had a favorable view of government fell to about 20%. Reagan was definitely “the great communicator” and he used his skills to turn America against their government.
Protecting the health and safety of the average citizen was rephrased as unnecessary or oppressive government regulation. Legislation that helped give opportunities to low income children through early education and nutrition programs was labeled unnecessary and counterproductive welfare that stifled initiative. Policies that protected our air and water were relabeled burdensome job-killing regulations. Laws protecting our health and safety were declared unnecessary because the unfettered free market would force chemical companies and food processors to take care of those issues.
Who Benefits When We Discredit Government?
The businesses that want to lower their costs by irresponsibly discharging waste and polluting our air and water. The businesses that want to sell us dangerous and unhealthy products and doesn't want the government showing that these products cause cancer and a variety of other illnesses. Big Pharma that sells you opioids that are addictive and can eventually kill you. Finally, the companies and the billionaires who want to cut back on government benefits so they can lower their taxes.
However, it’s interesting that during a crisis like our current pandemic, where do even these government-haters run to save themselves? Who were some of the largest beneficiaries from the three COVID relief bills? The airlines, for example, along with other big industries were first in line, and they received billions.
Is There a Silver Lining?
Hopefully, some good things will come out of this pandemic. Joe Biden’s plan is to “Build Back Better”—to do more to improve the lives of the average American beyond what it was in January 2020 before the pandemic. One thing that we are seeing is the generosity of Americans to their neighbors and their understanding that “we truly are all in this together.” We are in awe of the heroic efforts of our frontline workers from the medical workers who are literally touching the patients to the individuals who keep the hospital clean and sanitary. Others who have been heroic are the bus drivers, the grocery store workers, the teachers and the first responders and many more who go to work each day to take care of the rest of us.
Hopefully, Americans will re-discover the fact that we are the government, and the government has the capacity to improve our health, safety, and general well-being. Democracy only works if you have a well-informed citizenry, so we need to spend more time trying to stay informed and questioning the sources of our information. We need to have patience with people we disagree with and gently try to have civil discussions and ask questions rather than preach at them. And finally, remember who in government was looking out for the average person rather than the special interests. As this pandemic begins to wind down, this should be a moment of optimism for our nation and the world. The Roaring Twenties followed our last pandemic. We are going through a tough time, but tough times are when you have a real chance to question assumptions and grow. We are never too old to learn and change.
