The real threat of the coronavirus is what happens after it’s gone

The end of the coronavirus pandemic may seem like an eternity away, especially when we consider we’re at about the same stage China was in two months ago. Then again, we got ahead of it for the most part with travel bans from the White House and awareness by the American people, so it could also come to an end very quickly. The President has said the tail end of the outbreak could reach July or even August. We won’t know until it’s nearly over, and even then there will be lingering doubts until it’s completely vanquished.

But just because we don’t know when it will end doesn’t mean we shouldn’t get ready to deal with the post-coronavirus complications. There will be a few. Even if it ended today and everyone miraculously got better, the damage that has already been done will take time to get fixed. Before I get all doom and gloom about the negative effects the coronavirus will have on America even after it has run its course, let’s start with some of the positive things that will come from this.

• Bringing medical manufacturing back to the United States: We wouldn’t trust military equipment produced in China. Why do we trust them with medical supplies, drugs, and equipment? We shouldn’t. Thankfully, even before the coronavirus the President was working on bringing back more manufacturing to the United States. The coronavirus will add a new reason to do so, especially for anything related to healthcare.
• A victory for federalism: Mainstream media and Democrats love to cast all of the blame for the coronavirus on the President. They are using this as an opportunity to score election points for Joe Biden and others. But the reality of something like this is that the federal government is supposed to have a limited role. It’s the states who control healthcare (at leas they should) and who make decisions regarding protecting their people. That’s federalism, and when all is said and done with the coronavirus, it should end up being a prime example of why federalism works.
• Riding the rebound: In economics, what goes down usually comes back up at some point in the future. Specifically, the stock market (and everyone’s 401K as a result) should rebound nicely. It won’t be instantaneous and there are still several factors to account for, but generally speaking the end of the coronavirus will mark the official rebounding date for the economy.

There will be long-lasting negative effects that will emerge following the end of the pandemic. That’s what happens following large-scale fear events. One need only look to how horrible 9/11 was. Thousands died and life in America was disrupted for a while, but we recovered. Unfortunately, we also inherited the Patriot Act and two Middle East wars as a result. As bad as 9/11 was, the actions taken in the aftermath lasted for years (and are still lasting in Afghanistan nearly two decades later) were actually much worse.

The same thing, only larger scale, is poised to take place following the coronavirus. Here are four things that need to be addressed once our society goes back to “normal.”

• Nanny state recoil: As I noted yesterday, the nanny state combined with a rising police state are considered necessary evils by many conservatives and fantastic news to most leftists. They want authoritarian control so government is better prepared to “save” us from the coronavirus, and many local governments are making it happen. When the coronavirus ends, some of those aspects of government will be rolled back, but not all of them. It behooves us to remind power-hungry politician that emergency powers should be revoked once the coronavirus has run its course.
• Economic turmoil: The stock market will recovery slowly. It will be rocky, but it will generally trend upward at some point. However, there is much more to the economy than the stock market. The coronavirus is harming many businesses and employees around the nation. Trade is being disrupted to the point that an economic domino effect is happening everywhere. In this global economy, it’s impossible for the United States to not be affected. Paychecks are stopping. Jobs are being lost. Businesses are going under. When the coronavirus is gone, it will take a long time for the personal finances of millions of Americans to recover, if at all.
• Media anti-Trump spin: It’s unfortunate that we have to deal with political bias even at a time like this, but the last thing progressive mainstream media wants is for the President and the GOP to come out of this without full damage done. They will point fingers. They will make people doubt how the pandemic was handled. They will say nothing positive about the efforts made by the White House. And they will continue to turn it into a campaign issue, just as they have already.
• Pandemic Prevention and Response Act: Arguably the biggest problem that will stem from the coronavirus once it’s contained is something that doesn’t have a name yet. I’m calling it the “Pandemic Prevention and Response Act,” though I’m sure Capitol Hill will come up with something more clever. It will be sweeping legislation that combines leftist authoritarianism and conservative self-reliance into a legislative abomination bent on taking away our freedoms. Oh, they won’t position it that way. It will all be for our own protection, according to their narrative. And to be fair, most who jump on board (and nearly all of them will) are going to do so with sincere desires to do what’s best. Just like the Patriot Act.

We must come together as a nation to fight this pandemic. But we cannot dismiss the problems that will arise when the disease itself is contained. Take precautions now, but be ready to fight against what comes after. The Patriot Act will pale in comparison.

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