An Emergency Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic
By: Bernie Sanders Campaign
Bernie Sanders' response to the COVID-19 pandemic certainly isn't as comprehensive as Joe Biden's policy driven plan ( Link ). Bernie Sanders is putting forward a set of guiding principles for directing a government response according to immedieate need and changing circumstances. Sanders is not attempting to force the COVID-19 pandemic to fit preplanned bureaucratic policy as Joe Biden promises to do. In that respect, Sanders approach mirrors the response by the Trump administration by directing the government according to need rather than according to established policy and preplanning. The differences between Sanders, Biden, and Trump lie in the guiding principles for directing the government response.
Bernie Sanders' overarching guiding principle is to protect people and not institutions. Sanders focuses attention on protecting the foundation of the American society which is workers and consumers. The value of institutions in society dependes upon serving people first. Sanders' proposed actions are guided by that overarching principle: protect lives not bureacratic policy, protect payrolls not profits, and, believe it or not, protect capitalism and not profiteering.
The major fault in Bernie Sanders' statement of principles is over emphasis on throwing public money at the crisis. That over emphasis on spending public money seems to be a result of Sanders' Congressional experience. The authority of the President is quite different than the aurthority of Congress. While Sanders' statement of principles are well stated, Sanders does not adequately explain how he would use the authority of the Presidency to implement those principles.
Joe Biden has promised to rebuild an inflexible bureacratic, policy driven govenment. Sanders is promising to direct government activity according to guiding principles, much as the Trump administration has done.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
1. Empower Medicare to Lead Health Care Response
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will receive all the federal funding necessary to ensure universal emergency health care coverage for all, regardless of income or immigration status. CMS will work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), other federal agencies, and the private sector to centralize information about what’s needed and direct resources to ensure that all health care needs are met at no charge for the duration of this crisis.
2. Establish an Emergency Economic Crisis Finance Agency to manage the economic crisis
This emergency agency, modeled after the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, will be empowered to cover affected businesses’ payroll, make zero percent loans and loan guarantees to businesses, finance new construction of factories, emergency shelters, and production of emergency supplies such as masks and ventilators, and create new jobs and economic development. This agency will provide all the necessary funding for fighting this economic crisis.
3. Create an Oversight Agency to Fight Corporate Corruption and Price-Gouging
Our response to this health and economic crisis cannot be another money-making opportunity for corporate America and Wall Street. We need to establish an oversight agency to ensure no one is profiting off of the economic pain and suffering of our people in crisis.
Tags
Who is online
92 visitors
The differences between Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are less about how to govern and more about guiding principles that directs governing.
In contrast, Joe Biden places more emphasis on how to govern by promising to revitalize the inflexible bureaucracy and craft technocratic policy that controls public and private activity.
Good thing we were able to wait for April so Bernie and Joe could solve this little problem for us. I feel so much better now about the whole thing.