The New Normal version 2020

The "New Normal" was a term born of the days right after 9/11 to describe how drastically things had changed and that we would not be going back to the old normal.  The days immediately following the attacks saw aircraft grounded across the country.  Entrance to federal facilities were restricted to absolutely the most essential personnel (another term you hear today from that time).  Everyone was on edge waiting for the next attack.

Some twenty years later and we are seeing the same things again.  Businesses closed.  Those that are open are deemed "essential" and only "essential personnel" are working.  Unlike 9/11, medical personnel are being pushed to the limits and by most models, we are still weeks away from the peak.  People are quarantined in their homes to varying degrees across the globe.  Here in Ohio, we are allowed out for walks, grocery shopping and doctors appointments.  In DC, there is now a $500 fine for being caught outside your home.

All of this and more is leading to a new normal, one unlike what we saw with 9/11.  First is the huge economic impact from the cancellation of professional sports seasons to the shuttering of the Big Three automakers.  Many restaurants have closed due to a lack of staffing.  Those that are still running have to rely strictly on carry-out/delivery service to stay afloat.  This has prompted Taco Bell to consider even after the pandemic to switch to an all-drive thru/delivery format.

Major League Baseball (MLB) is still trying to figure out how to have its 2020 season.  The latest idea is to have a compressed season with a late start in June...and no crowds!  As foreign as that idea is, to have professional baseball played in empty stadiums, what is even stranger is everyone's acceptance of the inevitability of this scenario.

Of course the politicians are all trying to outdo each other in a race to stem the pandemic without alienating their core constituents.  This lead to a very interesting and ugly confrontation over the weekend.  President Trump, a native New Yorker, decided the situation in his home state had become out of control.  Trump's go-to policy of insults via Twitter against New York Governor Cuomo had failed.  Trump facing an alarming crisis with a failing economy and going into re-election (something that seems so insignificant now) had to up his game.  Trump decided to that it was best to isolate the entire state of New York.

Governor Cuomo is also a lifelong New Yorker and did not back down and upped his own game by announcing quite publicly that any such move to isolate the state of New York by the Trump Administration would be nothing short of a declaration of war!  President Trump, unusual for his normal bluster, back-tracked and instead issue a travel advisory.

What the media and general public missed is a confrontation between an overzealous federal government and state government.  The exact situation the framers of the Constitution foresaw in creating the 2nd Amendment...no not the part about bearing arms, the part about a well regulated militia.  Trump and his administration learned why each state has a National Guard and unfortunately for Trump, New York has one of the largest National Guards in the country!

The Trump Administration isn't the only government that has tested the limits of authority under the new normal.  Serbia seems to be following suite.  Israel has also taken extreme measures to restrict the flow of its citizens.  Most concerning, is more and more countries (including the US) are trying to get a handle on what they deem as "fake news" by monitoring, filtering or outright shutting down social media.  In these times, social media has become the de facto way of assembling to share political discourse.  We should all be worried about governments capriciously shutting down communications under the guise of the new normal and protecting the citizens.

There is much more to cover but I want to leave you with one final thought.  We have been told repeatedly to wash our hands as the best means of preventing the spread of the virus.  Yet we still have to buy food which we pay for often times in cash.  Even elementary school students now that cash is one of the dirtiest things we handle during the day and you always wash your hands after handling cash.  Don't be surprised if the US digital dollar doesn't make another appearance down the road.  If not to help prevent the spread of pandemic disease, then at least to help curtail the illegal businesses that are sure to develop during this global lockdown.