72. Growing the Middle

Let the anti-vaxxers go!

 

That’s right. There will not be enough vaccine to cover the entire nation anytime soon, and we need about 70 percent of the population vaccinated to get to an effective herd immunity. The goal should be to get to that 70 percent as quickly and efficiently as possible. Trying to convince anti-vaxxers seems like an inefficient use of time and resources.

 

As the cases and deaths due Covid-19 mount, the rapid distribution of vaccines should make over 90 percent of those vaccinated immune, and people will notice. Health care workers will notice that their fellows are not dropping out to recover or quarantine; nursing home workers will not be getting infected—nor will their residents. Relatives of medical workers and people in nursing and assisted living facilities will notice.

 

Can we extend the metaphor? If we can grow into acceptance of vaccines, how might we grow the middle in other places so that the margins are not so strong and dangerous? There are plenty of examples from the past. It took time to make the truth about nicotine palatable—and erase the advertisements of doctors recommending it, but doubters now are few and/or silent. We’re still combative about abortion, but the middle—including a huge chunk of the American Catholic middle—has determined that birth control is healthy and responsible. 

 

Social Security, Workman’s Compensation, and Unemployment Insurance were once dangerously Socialist. No longer the case. In fact, President Roosevelt was a master at growing the middle, with social programs like those above and government bank deposit guarantees, Rural Electrification and Public Power, Public Works projects that built roads and dams, and Agricultural Adjustments that allowed the government to control surpluses by paying for fallow fields. FDR even had to carefully nurture the middle away from German sympathizers and America Firsters to begin sending arms to England, and then to enter the War.

 

When things are shown to work to the benefit of most Americans, they become institutionalized. Just try to take Social Security or Medicare away now from the most staunchly small government American!

 

So let’s not spend energy combatting the right’s fears of government intrusion or apologizing to the left for not embracing Medicare for All, and robustly concentrate on making government work and extending health care to all. 

 

Let’s grow the middle, beginning with the Covid Vaccine.

 

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