Ahem. I Suggested It. It Happened. Governors United!

I knew of a dentist in Wisconsin (now deceased) who, along with two other dentists in the same community, wound up combining resources and basically creating a dental consortium. They were tired of competing against each other, had carved out a fairly consistent clientele anyhow, and decided that they'd be better off sharing things, and people, so that the whole community got better dental care. The money became secondary, because at any one moment, about the same number of people need dental care.

That thinking is why, on March 30, I wrote a blog suggesting that governors create consortiums to above all, buy materials. The effect would be to simply go past 45's creative dithering and delay.

Guess what? Since then, three consortiums have been created: A Pacific (WA, OR, CA), a Northeast (RI, CT, NY, PA, DE) and now a Midwestern (MN, WI, IL, MI, OH, IN, KY). The last one is even bipartisan, as I also had suggested.

Gol-ly. Collectivist thinking? Note that it didn't automatically happen. But it happened. When leaders know that everybody's hurting, they (well, most of them) take responsibility and provide as best they can.

You're welcome. And without a consultant's fee, either. They got off cheap.

See? They're not dumb. They're not opposed to combining resources when it's in their state's interests. And they know, now, that 45's not going to help them. He's just going to stand there and cheerlead.

We don't need that. We need help. The coronavirus is a fierce opponent, and 24/7/365. We need the real deal.

We don't need an endlessly egotistical, self-aggrandizing, press-hating idiot to stand up there for sometimes two hours a day saying, in effect, nothing that will help. He has a three-part plan for getting back to normal, all right, but normal is a long, long way off.

Besides, he has made a complete ass of himself by claiming "complete authority" over the states in this regard. First of all: It's unconstitutional. The federal system is defined by the Tenth Amendment, which allows states to do what they want as long as the Constitution doesn't prohibit it. Republicans normally stand by it, but they left that, too, behind them with their blind allegiance to 45. Nothing else matters, certainly no principles.

The states don't have to follow the dictates of the federal government when the Constitution does not comment upon it. Yes, the feds have floated us $1200, at most, for the time being, but the feds have the money-making power, and the chief of the Federal Reserve System has already promised us that he'll provide whatever paper money is necessary to get us through this debacle. 45 has put his name on the checks in another attempt at disingenuousness, since that money is actually ours, and provided by Congress. Yes, he had to sign the bill, but failure to do so would have been beyond stupid. And the governors were helpless in that regard since money is a federal issue.

But, really, that's all the federal government has done (though it might do it again). It has not provided leadership, with a golden opportunity to do so. 45 had, and still has, the Defense Production Act with which to force corporations to make supplies to help people ward off the virus, but has refused to do so, believing (I have to think; nothing else makes sense) that it's better that they act voluntarily.

He's got it backwards. Corporations, which have no impact upon governance, should be forced to make medical gear for the general public so we can climb out of this mess. Governors are wild-card actors who can do what they wish and can't be forced to do anything. 45 thinks just the other way around, due to his belief that if he says something, enough people will believe that it's automatically true and trustworthy. He obviously includes governors in that list.

He still doesn't get it. Governors now know that he's not to be trusted. They're tired of waiting. He's now lost that sense of solidarity, when getting it might have put a whole different stamp upon his presidency. I have no doubt, too, that someone has suggested that, but in another temper tantrum, another bend to his "gut," he's refusing to listen.

That's why he has to blame the World Health Organization, and China, and anybody else who happens to be in the way. That, and the claim (note, from way long ago now) that he "takes no responsibility" for what's happened.

He still doesn't get it. That 5-7% of people who crossed over and voted for him in 2016 are watching very carefully. I think he has to win them back. I don't think it's working for him very well right now.

November is still a ways off. But we may crawl out of this just in time for a full supply of voters to throw him out and get a decent individual, who at least knows that governance is about, to be president. We may just settle for that.

Be well. Be careful. With some luck, I'll see you down the road.


Mister Mark