As President Joe Biden searches for slogans, excuses, and scapegoats to explain his miserable wreck of a presidency, I would suggest one for the handling of the never-ending COVID saga: “Not as bad as China.”
Reuters on Friday noted the ostensible support of the Chinese public for draconian “zero-Covid” policies “seems to be wearing thin” amid “food shortages, family separations, lost wages, and economic pain.” Disobedience is on the rise, and so are arrests.
In spring 2020, state and local governments were confronted with cascading costs in managing the public health response to the pandemic, spiking unemployment, and steep sales tax and user fee revenue declines resulting from business disruption and restrictions.