Governor: Let's Talk About COVID-19

At this stage of the political campaigns, the votes are all determined so we should be able to discuss the COVID-19 without all of its political rhetoric. We have nothing to lose if we are open and civil about the subject.

First, Governor, I have not cultivated a political hostility toward you. I enjoyed spending an hour calmly talking with you about North Dakota's culture and resultant governmental system.

Your Main Street initiative was much to my liking. We have many main streets in North Dakota that are the core for community building. I hope the program is going well and towns are gaining challenged.

Now I would like to have a low-key conversation about the pandemic that is plaguing North Dakota more severely than many other states.

It is a massive problem because it is not going away for years, considering the limited cooperation the medical profession is getting from our residents. As long as the unmasked people keep providing a climate in which the virus can prosper, the virus will not die and North Dakota will have to live with it for years.

COVID-19 is anti-life and North Dakota can't be anti-life. Life is the most precious thing granted to us on this earth. While some may believe that life mysteriously drifted ashore in the Azores, life originated with God and is sacred.

Ultimately, life is His property that we get to borrow for a while.

Life is valued more in North Dakota than in other states because we are a small state. More of us get to know each other, thereby building a sense of community in which lives are guarded by friends and neighbors. It is difficult to go anywhere in North Dakota and not talk to a stranger who knows your cousin in Bowbells and your uncle in Hankinson.

Because life is borrowed property, we are obligated to protect it at every turn. If COVID-19 is destroying lives, we must do the best we can to limit its effectiveness. When the loss of lives becomes great we must consider options and reorganize our priorities. As you know, the loss has become great.

Life is all some people have.

I don't have a litany offering the tragic convincing details of COVID-19. I am sure that you are well briefed; you know the statistics. They are pretty bad and we can't be sure they will ever get any better. Short term decisions seldom solve long term problems.

No matter what you do, you will get flak from some, mostly those who have never been in tough decision-making positions. However, if you don't deal with this problem the consequences will be great. North Dakota is already becoming legendary in ways we didn't plan.

We have a $6 billion Legacy Fund that should be used to soften the impact of COVID19. The epidemic has caused much damage to jobs, small businesses, hospitals and schools that could be ameliorated with the Legacy Fund.

Every governor has the hope that he/she can leave a legacy that will honor their memories. While governors come into office with numerous goals, most of their hopes are dashed against a governmental system that defies progress or change.

Because governors are eaten by the details of the position, few leave a recognizable legacy. Most are lucky if they escape blame for the sins of others.

So what do you hope your legacy will be? A remodeled government? A new economy? An invigorated recreation industry?

It's harsh to say but true that unless we get control of COVID-19 your legacy will be in the cemeteries scattered all across North Dakota. I don't want that. Nobody wants that.