Pandemics and Power Notebook, II

Walter OlsonSecond in a series (first ishere):* For me, the week ’s high and low morale‐​wise came on the same day in contrasting stories from stricken New York City. The high came with reports of how an estimated 500EMS crew members from around the country and their vehicles have converged on Gotham from points including Kalamazoo, Mich., Fergus Falls, Minn., and Florida to help the city handle an emergency medical call volume running far above normal. As one who ’s lived much of my life in the greater New York area and remembers similar help in the days after 9/11, it means a lot to me to see these heroestaking real risks to come to the aid of the city, not because they have to but because they want to.The low point came the same day when I read that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasioin an official statement had “called on the federal government to institute an essential draft of all private medical personnel to help in the fight against COVID-19.” The mayor’s office laterconfirmed to J.D. Tuccille of Reason that he had conscription in mind. Happily, de Blasio ’s call for the use of coercion found few echoes, perhaps because it would be such a brutal assault on individual liberty, perhaps because the mayor ’s own reputation for handling the virusstands sovery low that hardly anyone is looking to take advice from him. (De Blasio also figured inlast week ’s notebook when he threatened to close down rule ‐​breakin...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs