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The Market, Not Government, Is Best Equipped to Defeat Coronavirus
Townhall.com ^ | April 11, 2020 | Jeff Webb

Posted on 04/11/2020 7:34:03 AM PDT by Kaslin

We have a problem in this country right now with regard to producing and distributing the combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin that, according to studies­­, have shown promising results when used to combat COVID-19.

As a business owner, I have been blessed to receive everything I have today because I lived in a time and place where free markets are the primary organizing force of economic activity. Free markets are also credited with being the best way to create a better quality of life for the greatest number of people.

They also perform more mechanical functions. Free markets allocate scarce resources to their highest and best use. They get things produced quickly in order to satisfy market demand.

Why is it then that the system that has done so much for me, and hundreds of millions, and even billions, all around the globe for the past two centuries, isn’t being turned loose to solve the distribution problem of potentially lifesaving drugs? Why is it that we have instead turned to government and collective decision making to decide how much supply gets produced and allocated, or who gets treated and when?

We are allowing fear to overcome reason.

People who would normally tell you that the government can’t do anything right and that private business is the best way to get things done, are now so fearful they are turning toward government like a frightened child turns to a parent and says, “help me.”

In a widely shared article from London’s Daily Mail, a recent survey of 6,200 doctors worldwide indicates that the use of hydroxychloroquine has proven to be the best treatment for COVID-19 patients. What is much less reported is that the study also revealed the United States is lagging well behind some other nations in utilizing the drug.

At the same time as we are learning of the drug’s efficacy, we consistently hear at daily White House press briefings that the U.S. has a stockpile of 29-30 million doses of the drug on hand.

Here is a question from a humble business person: Why do we have any of the drugs on hand? These drugs should be off the shelves as quickly as they hit them. There should not be a stockpile in the warehouse. There should be tire track marks left on the warehouse floor from delivery vehicles peeling out to get them into the patients’ hands.

From a business perspective, we want to know four things:

- How many do we have now?

- How many do we need to get every person treated who has early signs of the disease?

- What is our throughput (usage rate)?

- How quickly can we produce?

I wrote earlier this week that we need to take a business approach to get out in front of the three key areas of this disease: testing, treatment, and containment. My point was that business people know how to take bold, decisive action to head off a problem. They know how to take measured risks to get desired returns. Our businessman president knows this too.

Unfortunately, the supply chain is being managed by bureaucrats, not the free market.

Said differently, welcome to Venezuela-lite. To borrow a phrase from the late Lloyd Bridges in Airplane,“I guess we picked a bad time to stop trusting capitalism.”

There is not a single person, or group of people, who are capable of deciding how best to allocate resources. It is too complex. Andrew Cuomo can’t do it. Gretchen Whitmer can't do it. Only the market is equipped to allocate scarce resources and to produce more of those resources to make them less scarce.

To that end, it is now time to let the market get this drug into the hands of doctors and patients. Dr. Fauci needs to step aside, take his clinical trial bias with him, and let doctors prescribe away. Doctors need Congress to step up and give them protection against potential lawsuits that a crafty attorney might want to file after this is over if a particular patient’s treatment doesn’t go well.

I am pleading with every American citizen, and with our business leader president, trust the market over the bureaucracy.

Most of you know this and promote the idea in normal times. The problem is that because we are in extreme times your fear may have caused you to either lose your faith or forget what you know. Principles are principles for a reason; they remain true regardless of circumstance. While there is no perfect way to get this drug into rapid circulation, the market approach will do undeniably better than the government approach. Generally speaking, who do you trust more: FedEx or the U.S. Postal Service?

As was the case during WWII, America needs every critical sector of our economy to perform. We have more than 200 years of history that proves this. It's true we are in a crisis, but we know markets work and we know government too often doesn't.

It's time we put the market to work on behalf of the American people. It's the medicine America needs.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: coronavirus; disease; government; hydroxychloroquine; industry; privateindustry

1 posted on 04/11/2020 7:34:03 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

I live in Kentucky.

I was annoyed that my church voluntarily stopped having church services a few weeks ago, but it was their choice. But now that our governor is requiring it, it is the job of patriots to once again rise up and say no to tyranny.

“Give me liberty, or give me death” are not idle words. Our forefathers fought a tyrannical government, risking and sometimes losing their lives even though it would have been easier to just allow the minor inconveniences and carry on with their lives. Our forefathers risked life and limb to populate this great country and build the greatest nation this world has ever seen.

And now we want to give it all up because 4% of old people who test positive for this virus, “might” get sick and die?

Give me a break! We are better than that as a nation. If you are already old and infirm, by all means, stay home. The rest of you, to the right thing. The patriotic thing. Get out there and live your lives IN SPITE OF THE DANGER. Life is risk. Our forefathers knew it. It appears we have to re-learn it.

The opposite of fear is faith. The opposite of faith is fear. And our constitution protects our right to attend church, even with a tyrannical governor.


2 posted on 04/11/2020 7:35:26 AM PDT by cuban leaf (The political war playing out in every country now: Globalists vs Nationalists)
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To: Kaslin

Bill Gates will save us.


3 posted on 04/11/2020 7:36:41 AM PDT by dljordan
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To: Kaslin

The market?
But then how can the Dems bring in Socialism to take over? The various Dem governors are quite happy to stay as omnipotent little dictators while America’s economic engines are shut down. Then only Communism (”Socialism”) will be there to rescue us all. The Bernie Bros: “Hey, dudes, we won after all!” /s


4 posted on 04/11/2020 7:43:30 AM PDT by frank ballenger (End vote harvesting,non-citizen voting & leftist media news censorship or we are finished.)
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To: cuban leaf

I live in Tennessee, about 3 miles from the Kentucky border


5 posted on 04/11/2020 7:45:15 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Your líne of reason won’t buy votes. The only real hope in the face of death is that death itself is defeated. Check 1 Corinthians 15. By the way, excellent points.


6 posted on 04/11/2020 8:05:31 AM PDT by KDF48 (Redeemed by Christ.)
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To: frank ballenger
 
 
The market?
 
This ordeal has been very instructive as to how many chose to ignore that logical initiative in the race to fetch their jackboots out of the closet and get them on, while calling for an autocratic, centralized solution to the issue. Everyone would be wise to take note for future reference.
 
 

7 posted on 04/11/2020 8:44:38 AM PDT by lapsus calami (What's that stink? Code Pink ! ! And their buddy Murtha, too!)
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To: lapsus calami

The problem isn’t the politicians, it’s the voters. And frankly, that’s what scares me more. The politicians are just the symptom of the disease.


8 posted on 04/11/2020 8:46:00 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: dfwgator
 
 
I know that quite well. And it was something of an open ended comment. My area has been rather inundated with out-of-stater "yankees" that identify and sympathize with autocrats and government control of everything. Those sort think they have to call the police for everything even under normal circumstances and they've been having a field day with this Covid-19 situation. Like I said in a comment elsewhere, rather spooky how fast there were some people willing to go East Germany on their fellow citizens. If they get critical mass enough to start getting like-minded individuals if not themselves into elected office around here, there's gonna be a mess to reckon with.
 
 

9 posted on 04/11/2020 9:02:19 AM PDT by lapsus calami (What's that stink? Code Pink ! ! And their buddy Murtha, too!)
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To: dfwgator

Exactly ..no triple exactly!

We have the government a majority of the voters want.
Government as Santa Claus has been the case since the 1920s.


10 posted on 04/11/2020 9:06:18 AM PDT by Reily
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To: Kaslin
Free markets allocate scarce resources to their highest and best use.

Free markets allocate resources to the highest bidder.

Over the long run that will equate to highest and best. In the short run the most critical use is sick patients who probably can't be the highest bidder.

11 posted on 04/11/2020 9:10:51 AM PDT by semimojo
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To: Reily

Everybody wants smaller government and less government spending....until it comes time to go after their pet government programs.


12 posted on 04/11/2020 9:12:09 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: dfwgator

Quadruple Exactly!!!!!

You see that played out here on FR all the time.


13 posted on 04/11/2020 9:24:29 AM PDT by Reily
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To: Reily

“Don’t you dare touch my Social Security, I paid for it!!!!”


14 posted on 04/11/2020 9:26:44 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: dfwgator

Bingo!


15 posted on 04/11/2020 9:31:57 AM PDT by Reily
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