OT Coronavirus: America in chaos, News and Updates. One million Americans dead and counting

Florida beach is crowded within 30 MINUTES of reopening at 5pm, despite state recording 1,413 new COVID-19 cases - its highest one-day increase since the pandemic crisis began

• Beaches in Jacksonville opened to the public at 5pm on Friday and beachgoers flooded the shore
• Socially distanced activities such as walking and biking will be permitted - but sunbathing has been banned
• Republican Mayor Lenny Curry said: 'This can be the beginning of the pathway back to normal life'
• Many slammed the decision with coronavirus cases still rising in the state, but others welcomed the move
• It also goes against Trump's re-opening recommendations that cases should have declined for 14 days
• Florida officials were criticized for not closing the beaches during spring break as COVID-19 cases spread

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8229933/Beaches-Florida-start-reopening-EVENING.html

 

So it seems like this is kind of a decision point for the Reagan-era 'drown it in a bathtub' theory of government.

It's pretty clear the federal response is and is going to continue to be similar to gawking at a traffic accident: gee, that looks bad, but hey, not my problem.

If the states deal with the problem and the voters accept that the federal government has no useful role even in an emergency of this sort, that would seem to justify by extension the elimination of most federal government services. If the states/citizens don't need federal help in a pandemic, do they really need help with anything else?

Alternatively, maybe the refusal of the federal government to help in this crisis will catalyze a desire for a more competent and willing government, thus marking the end of the 'let's destroy the federal government from within' movement of the last 40 years.

I'd like it to be the latter, but if I had to bet money, I'd bet on the former.

barfo