National Service
What might it be like to join National Service,
Resolve Health Crisis with passionate crew?
A lifetime of pride, learn much on the ride,
Resolve Economic Crisis too!
© Forrest Heaton 17 May 2020
This is a follow-up to our 16, 24 & 30 May “Four Necessities” posts. In those posts, we stated there are four necessary action requirements for responsible leaders worldwide at the federal, state and local levels of their respective countries:
1 Trust the scientists.
2 Tell the truth.
3 Strengthen government effectiveness.
4 Develop cooperation—domestic & international.
These four action necessities apply to the TWO simultaneous worldwide threats facing the planet’s 7.8 billion people—1) Climate Crisis and 2) Coronavirus Crisis. Today’s post, the last of four on our “Four Necessities” topic, deals with the coronavirus crisis, putting forward a potential solution we feel has merit and we present for readers’ review.
A Consensus Approach. When dealing with a threat both complicated and worldwide, finding consensus as to approach presents a challenge. Considering the myriad cultural/historical differences worldwide, there may not be need for such consensus. Countries can learn from each other what works well and what does not. One approach which seems to have secured acceptance by many of the world’s scientists/public health officials is: The end points of this health crisis depend on: 1) Testing, 2) Contact Tracing, 3) Treatment, 4) Vaccine. Solving the health crisis is the only way to solve the economic crisis.
A Consensus Solution. As with approach, there will likely be no consensus as to solution; some nations will follow others if they feel the results warrant and the conditions are favorable for replication. We feel there are two givens on this journey: 1) all four of the “Four Necessities” need to be followed by as many world leaders as possible, 2) this has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with protection/enhancement of life. With regard to the United States, our over 100,000 deaths to date demand we rid this issue of politics and begin to deal with it as Americans.
Potential Solution.
1) Testing/Tracing/Treatment/Vaccine. Individual countries’ preparations for and responses to infection outbreaks/pandemics can be done well or done poorly. Space here does not permit a thorough analysis of the status and difficulties of this issue. However, we wish to present one instance where a country seems to have gotten both their preparation over the last seventeen years and their response to the 2020 pandemic right on both counts—Taiwan.
On 26May, CBS reported: “The streets of Taiwan are bustling, restaurants are open to diners, schools only shut down for two weeks in February . . . . With a population of nearly 24 million, the island has had just seven coronavirus deaths, and thanks to rapid contact tracing and testing, fewer than 450 total Covid-19 infections.” Taiwan’s 7 coronavirus deaths in a population of 23.8 million come to 0.03 deaths per 100,000 population. In contrast, in the same period, the more than 100,000 U.S. coronavirus deaths in a population of 331.0 million come to over 30 deaths per 100,000 population—one thousand times the rate in Taiwan!
As part of our research preparing these four posts, we included in our reading John Barry’s “The Great Influenza,” a heavy, well-written analysis of the influenza pandemic of 1918/19 which killed between 50 to 100 million people worldwide. Barry makes it clear the lessons have been there for 102 years—lessons to be learned . . . or ignored. For Taiwan, those lessons are now bedrock public health instructions/behaviors followed daily by Taiwan’s citizens, scientists, public health officials and government. It can be done!
2) National Service. In early April, while preparing to write this quartet of posts on “Four Necessities,” Mary & I had settled on National Service and Testing as our preferred solution to both the Health and Economic Crises. Since then we’ve been getting some powerful outside support:
• Senator Chris Coons: 22 April U.S. Senate introduction of “Pandemic Response & Opportunity through National Service Act.”
• David Brooks: 7 May New York Times article “We Need National Service. Now.”
• Joe Biden: 24 May issuance of “Testing Strategy” in which Biden calls for expanded Federal Govt. assistance to testing and a U.S. Public Health Job Corps—“100,000 people including AmeriCorps and Peace Corps volunteers and laid off workers . . .” (See Sheryl Gay Stolberg’s 28 May New York Times article “Biden’s Testing Strategy.”)
Americans of all ages want to see this pandemic successfully resolved. Many, from young through retired, might seize the opportunity to make a personal contribution to the successful resolution of this pandemic were it organized and managed in the right way. Receiving appropriate pay to sustain themselves, they can focus their energies on the tasks at hand. Many of the potential volunteers for a new National Service program currently have the time to do this—some coming out of retirement, some being among the currently laid off/furloughed, some taking a year off during college, some taking a year off before going to college. For a host of reasons, we feel this should be a voluntary vs. a mandatory program.
The ball is now rolling, David Brooks’ attesting,
Senator Coons’ “National Service Act;”
Add in Joe Biden’s “Strategy for Testing,”
Through @Voices4Service we can act!
How to add your support. To learn about Voices for National Service, with your curser on “About Us,” click on “Our Coalition.” If you might consider becoming a member, click “Become a Member.” To contact your Senators and Representative, with your curser on “Take Action,” click on “Contact Congress.”
As the poem says, you will feel the refreshing difference of moving from watching to taking action! Thank you!