Opinion

The growing threat from the coronavirus is a stark reminder of how America’s failure to give workers the flexibility to take paid time off puts public health at risk.

Over 100,000 children have callously been thrown off Medicaid in the past two years, and 127,000 adult Missourians, creating a public health crisis due to Missouri’s legislative inaction.

On Monday, Excelsior Springs, Richmond, parts of Clay County, all of Ray County and the lion’s share of rural and municipal areas within Missouri will begin to reopen.

We need to get through this time and tighten our belts, just as we have through two World Wars, terrorist attacks and other epidemics.

The Chinese Communist Party is responsible for the coronavirus pandemic – and it knows it. That’s why Beijing has gone on a propaganda offensive to try to deflect blame anywhere it can, including right here at the United States.

Current estimates of the federal government’s aid package to offset the effects of the coronavirus epidemic exceed $1 trillion, significantly more than the $787 billion response to the recession and financial crisis in 2009. Let’s consider some key components to the package.

America’s future just dodged a budget bullet.

There are problems with the press conferences President Trump has held to provide updates on the coronavirus – including attacking the press and calling on One America News network reporters – who toss him softball questions in a hardball environment – but he rightly deserves credit for also taking real questions from real reporters. Sometimes, he also allows follow-up questions.

There is plenty of blame to go around for the lackadaisical attitude shown by some government officials, who seemed more concerened about the threat to the economy than to human life, before they grudgingly addressed what had been a threat, and now is a horrible reality: the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

The April 7 municipal elections that will not happen should have been allowed to happen. “Public health” is the reason given for delaying elections. The excuse sounds praiseworthy, due to concern about the contagion that threatens to kill – based on information coming out of Washington – at least 100,000 Americans. Allowing people to congregate at a polling place, to ignore the rules of social distancing, to put voters and poll workers at risk, is unthinkable. Everyone can agree on that point; however, that is not the point here, which is that the elections should have been allowed to happen and could have been allowed to happen without endangering anyone.