By Ada Fisher

The coronavirus has shown the vital necessity for presidential power to commandeer industries in service to the nation.

The Police Powers Act supplements this and allows government to further isolate and contain populations in the event of contaminations or spread of infectious agents. Now, more than 40 states have embraced this need.

President Donald Trump deliberated the many dimensions of the pandemic but also understood that one has to measure the risk and reward of the economic realities which must be considered. Appropriating and identifying businesses for production of masks, respirators and other personal protective equipment under the Defense Protection Act was used rather than the Obama executive order, giving the president authority to take control over national defense resources in times of emergency.

This sidesteps a potential constitutional quagmire even though we are engaged in war of a different source. The need to save America as a Republic, which is both democratic and capitalistic, is paramount.

Give the president some slack. We are in times with unchartered grounds. In 2005, former President George W. Bush, a man many thought inept, foresaw the possibility of a pandemic in his vision for the Department of Homeland Security. His report on the need to ramp up our capabilities in vaccine production, stockade hospital supplies and other on point advice was unheeded, likely due to other national priorities. We may have been unprepared initially but we were not unaware that this day was coming.

The personal discomfort of self-imposed isolation and restriction of movement to mitigate disease spread as well as limits on activities such as going to the store, contact with friends or enjoying the out of doors will bring pain to many. Prayers are always needed, but in this framework outliers must render unto God what is God ‘s and render unto to Caesar (government) what is his. There is more to come; this is far from over.

The economic disruptions will change the nature of education, jobs and money as a tool for interaction.

Some jobs were often snubbed. Grocery clerks and Walmart stockers are some of the few which are sustainable to a certain extent. Fast food rocks, as do take outs and drive-through.

Front-line personnel such as emergency medical technicians, nurses and doctors are not compensated like athletes or actors but are now getting there due as rock stars. Don’t forget how critical funeral services are and implications of the need for cremations to limit unnecessary risks.

When it slows down, let us reevaluate job compensation in terms of value to society.

Education must turn more online for all children, less they be left out and left behind the curve. North Carolina, with Lt. Gov. Dan Forrest’s leadership, has led the move to K-12 internet hookups. Kids must increasingly ask why they are paying for fancy degrees if the internet can do it cheaper. This begs the question and demonstrates that the Federal Communications Commission must make the internet free for all citizens or they may be isolated and suffer in digital isolation. This has implications for online voting.

Money will never be the same again. It is clear that drastic changes must happen in the financial sector. Require direct deposit for federal employees is seemingly part of the answer, but the number of times their computers are down and vulnerability to hacking should give us all pause. The next federal relief bill must up the ante if this isolation lasts more than 2 months. More money should go to citizens according to the census tax free, which would also reveal who is here so that we may better plan for our future.

The political front says Trump’s view of the world and attempts at globalization may just be right. Putting citizens first should bring jobs back to this nation and prevent us being held captive by others. As a philosophy, globalization must die because of the need for sovereign borders. It must be a priority to retain industries within our borders that are critical to our national security as well as personal integrity. People worldwide should now realize that immigration reform must include the need for health screening of all entrants within parameters that all understand.

Salisbury’s Ada Fisher is a licensed teacher, retired physician, former school board member and current N.C. Republican national committeewoman.