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Defeating COVID-19 is No. 1 among global priorities

Every scrap of information we can get will help humankind go on the offensive against COVID-19. Scientists have in common with police detectives that they understand even the most insignificant appearing fact may prove to be crucial in solving a case. One statistic that already is showing from the coronavirus pandemic is that, at least in the United States, it may be affecting racial minorities disproportionately. An Associated Press analysis of COVID-19 cases in an area where 21% of the people are black disclosed that 42% of victims of the disease were of that race. Is the virus ...

Time to worry about the national debt

COVID-19 is focusing attention on another epidemic in the United States. It is the national debt, now at approximately $24.3 trillion. To that, of course, will have to be added the at least $2 trillion in federal funding to save the economy from being another victim of the virus. Think about that number. Even at $24.3 trillion, it amounts to more than $72,000 for every man, woman and child in the nation. For a family of four, the bill will be $300,000 within a few months. What do we get for that? Nothing. It represents money the federal government has spent already, without revenue ...

CARES Act needs to include very small businesses

It is an indication of how devastating the COVID-19 epidemic has been to America’s economy that a $2 trillion relief bill was not enough. Without more, some segments of the economy may suffer permanent damage. Included in the CARES Act relief measure is a $350 billion “paycheck protection” program. Its goal is to help businesses closed or curbed by the outbreak to remain in operation and, crucially, to continue giving paychecks to employees. But less than a month into the CARES initiative, there is concern the paycheck protection program will run out of money. Congress needs ...

We must continue fighting back against COVID-19

By Friday, 475,749 Americans had been diagnosed with COVID-19. More than 17.925 had succumbed to the disease. As Trump and members of his coronavirus task force emphasized, deaths from COVID-19 are expected to skyrocket now and later this month. Ironically, the situation in some cities and states may give other Americans a false sense of security. Hardest hit thus far has been New York, with more than one-third of the COVID-19 cases nationwide. New York City, with about half the state’s cases, is under siege. It may be that deaths there will be in the triple digits daily this ...

Be sure to help safeguard health care professionals

We can all be grateful that the COVID-19 epidemic in our region is not as bad as in some parts of the country. If the situation does grow worse, our reliance on health care professionals will increase. So, while we all should be doing everything in our power to keep ourselves and loved ones safe, a special focus needs to be made on physicians, nurses, emergency medical technicians, pharmacy staff and the behind-the-scenes health care workers. Many of the actions we should take in that regard amount to common sense. But in health care emergencies, that sometimes can be in short ...

Neighbors helping neighbors the order of the day

Had COVID-19 unleashed its full fury on every region of the United States at once, the situation now would be nearly unmanageable — and much more deadly than we hope will be the case. Fortunately, the disease is progressing at different stages in different places. Large cities such as New York and New Orleans are bearing the brunt of the coronavirus now. Other regions will experience the epidemic’s peak later. That makes our American tradition of watching out for our neighbors especially important. During the weekend, it was revealed that the state of Oregon is shipping 140 ...