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We all want Californians to be safe and protected. That is government's first responsibility. We especially want to protect those most vulnerable to this awful coronavirus. We need to take every practical step to prevent needless deaths. But part of taking care of the people of California is allowing them to get back to work safely.
It's time for Governor Newsom to take his boot off the neck of Californians and let us return to our lives, safely and with great care. And I say those words carefully—not as a politician who doesn't understand the plight of the people, but as someone who caught this dreaded disease and recovered.
Let's look at where we are now. Californians have prevented an overwhelming surge of infected patients that would strain the capacity of hospitals and clinics. Thanks to President Donald Trump and a partnership with the federal government, California has adequate medical supplies and health care personnel.
Today, our case and death rate ranks below those of other populous states. Not only were our medical facilities not strained at the onset of the disease, but some are now even laying off personnel due to a lack of patients. Models that showed a medical catastrophe have thankfully not materialized.
But that defines a different challenge that must be immediately addressed. The stay-at-home order is now a negative impact on hospitals and other medical providers. Additionally, and crucially, it has strangled small businesses and starved the California family. Drive through any city or town and you'll find numerous recently emptied storefronts. These small businesses represent the lifeblood of many communities. They provide jobs for Californians. Their success required years of hard work and risk-taking by Californians dedicated to supporting their families, employees and communities.
To be sure, California leaders like Governor Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and San Diego Supervisor Nathan Fletcher are being guided by "science" in their decision making; unfortunately for us, it's political science, not physical science. Their policies seem guided more by blue state versus red state political spin doctoring than by medical doctoring.
Just the other day, Governor Newsom threatened to cut the pay of our first-responders, police officers and firefighters if California doesn't receive more aid from the federal government. Many Californians are openly wondering if policies guiding blue state governors like ours to delay the re-opening of our states are more tied up in the current hyper-partisan election year politics rather than the sound economic or medical policy that should guide our leaders' actions. I pray that is not the case, but I fear it may be.
Meanwhile, Californians are out of work, kids are out of school and billions of dollars are going to a high-speed train project in the Central Valley that now even fewer people will ride due to social distancing and infection risk.
California is on the verge of a long-term parallel risk with far-reaching consequences and possible economic catastrophe. With more than four million Californians losing their jobs, continuing the stay-at-home order or significantly delaying its repeal could produce that result. It will take many years to recover from that disaster.
Protecting our health and economy is about saving lives on both counts. Small business collapse and job loss are linked to suicide, alcohol and drug abuse and family discord. This affects businesses and human beings of all shapes and sizes. It is a grave mistake to underestimate the impact of these consequences.
Californians understand that the virus has a serious impact on health. But let's credit individuals with possessing a strong sense of personal responsibility and duty—to themselves, their families, their friends and their co-workers. People are able to take precautions on their own. We should trust the people. Trusting the American people is a precept that has historically accounted for our strength as a nation and as a culture.
I believe, like many, in the exceptionalism of California. We can take special precautions for sanitation, social distance and take reasonable, practical steps to reduce or avoid the transmission of the virus. Workers and small business owners understand the importance of safety. Any business that does not protect and value its workers and customers will not be a business in business for long—nor should it.
In short, let's be measured and prudent and strike a balance between two calamities: public health risk and economic catastrophe. This virus and economic hardship don't know red or blue, Democrat or Republican. The increasing risk to our economy, and the threat to the ability of Californians to feed and support their families, grows more apparent every day.
We owe it to all our residents and to future generations to avoid an economic catastrophe. The negative consequences of this pandemic nationally could exceed those of the Great Depression if we are not prudent. The negative effects of the stay-at-home order are already impacting state and local public services. We simply cannot allow this situation to get any worse.
We can be wise and practical in how we open up our state—but we can open it up and we need to do so today. Dragging this out for weeks and months invites the potential for economic disaster for many families.
Let's dedicate ourselves to a safe and prosperous future for all Californians. Mr. Newsom, open California today!
John Cox was the 2018 Republican Party gubernatorial candidate in California.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
