Intelligence, competence and integrity are traits political leaders must have to provide effective leadership and management of our government. Unfortunately for our president, lying and blame avoidance seem to be his only forte. Facts only get in the way of his perpetual self-aggrandizement, so there has been a purposeful push to rid our government of scientists, intellectuals and oversight. This has not served us well in the current pandemic.
President Donald Trump’s inaction and lack of leadership has cost thousands of lives and profoundly impacted our economy. A competently led government would have quickly dealt with the viral threat, as South Korea did. Our president received from China and the World Health Organization the same information at the same time as Korea did, but squandered more than a month, calling the epidemic a “hoax.”
Eventually, governors and mayors stepped in to fill the vacuum created by presidential inaction. The lack of federal leadership caused a critical delay in the deployment of mass testing, resulting in an even longer economic shutdown. The administration’s incompetence left social distancing and the resulting shutdown as the only option to limit casualties. If that makes you unhappy, there is only one individual to blame, and it’s not any of the country’s governors or mayors.
— Mark Wolbers
Anchorage
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