Big problems demand big people and big ideas, so the stimulus package brewing in Congress cannot be the Pork As Usual Act. America needs Pelosi and McConnell to knock the $2 trillion infrastructure deal out of the park with a stimulus package that is immediate, necessary, and inspiring – the equal to the GI Bill of 1944 that rewarded, incented and inspired those who stood in harms’ s way to defend America.
There should be benefits for front-line responders and hospital staff in the war against COVID-19, right? Every politician and news anchor refers to coronavirus heroes; therefore, many coronavirus combatants deserve something more than a hearty handshake. Truth be told, a Flu New Deal would be everything the Green New Deal wished it were.
Immediacy
Guarantee car loans, home-equity loans and mortgages. Provide grants for coronavirus combatants to advance their medical education. Passage will provide an immediate boost to morale and stimulate economic activity in hard-hit regions (unemployment is not a fear with these folks). Plus, give “frontline” warriors that are non-citizens a quick path to citizenship – just as America does for military service. In one stroke, President Trump can advance the American Dream.
Necessity
It’s now obvious there is no more important part of the US infrastructure than the medical-service chain. After all, why build a high-speed freeway to a hospital that cannot treat you? America can boost its medical corps in two ways: (1) funding educate-up programs (e.g. first responders become physicians assistants), and (2) incentivize careers in the medical-service chain. The endgame is a bigger and better health infrastructure.
Equally important, the Flu New Deal must include a quid pro quo in which recipients become medical reservists for 20 years. It’s now obvious New York could use medical reservists, but so could have Mississippi during Hurricane Katrina. In hindsight, the coronavirus response should have been quarantined entry into the US with testing and treatment in field hospitals staffed by medical reservists – at a much lower cost than today’s calamity.
Inspiration
WWII opened American minds to opportunity, whether it was a pilot who began a regional airline or housewife who remained in the workforce. How is today any different? Any incentive to the medical-service infrastructure is a sound investment in America. Just as new freeways reduce the time and cost of transportation, new medical researchers reduce the time and cost of healthcare. Moreover, Washington should inspire a “gold rush” into medicine and medical equipment – as long as it’s in the USMCA trade zone.
Perhaps the highest of American ideals is giving thanks. Instead of blaming the other side, those who lead should formalize their gratitude for those who saved lives and comforted the dying. Of course, Trump should award the Medal of Freedom to Birks and Fauci, but Congress should award the Medal of Honor to medical heroes who saved lives at great personal risk.