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There is no gainsaying that America’s initial response to Covid-19 was a tragic disaster. In terms of needless loss of life, it was the worst government failure in the history of the

Republic. If the United States had done as well as Japan, it would have had fewer than a hundred thousand deaths by now, not the more than a million the country has suffered. Yet the

response got better, especially with an administration that took the pandemic seriously, and the last two years have been pretty effective government; indeed, government action was

imperative. Most of the blame for the early missteps lies at the feet of Donald Trump, whose performance was an almost perfect “how NOT to” in exercising presidential power. He minimised the

virus, championed quack remedies, dissed his own medical experts, blamed and left the World Health Organisation, rather than working with it, and told the states they were on their own. Yet

the crown jewels of government health, especially the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), share some of the blame. They were too slow to act and too confident they could handle it once they

did. Yet while Trump was downplaying what he called the China Flu, or Kung Flu, things began to improve during his administration. To give the devil his due: Operation Warp Speed, undertaken

to fast-track vaccines, was a stunning success. Vaccines normally take a decade to reach market, but these arrived within months. That would not have happened without government exhortation

and passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Left solely to market forces, we might still be waiting for vaccines. So, too, the several rounds of relief

and stimulus included in the various phases of CARES were absolutely critical. President Biden built on government assistance in March 2021 by signing into law the American Rescue Plan (ARP)

Act. The result of the pandemic could have been depression. Instead, it quickly turned to stunning growth. The economy contracted by 3.5 percent in 2020 but boomed by 5.7 percent in 2021,

the fastest growth since 1984. The effectiveness of government was apparent in the lives of people. Initially individuals received $1,200 checks, $500 for children. Then $600 checks

continued on a monthly basis for individuals earning up to $75,000 per year. The Small Business Administration, which administered the Payroll Protection Plan, wisely realised it was not up

to the task and contracted with private companies to execute the loans. For the borrower, the online process took literally minutes. More recently, a few clicks on the Postal Service

websites bring free at- home Covid tests within a day or two. Railing against the government is all too fashionable these days. Yet the pandemic is a reminder that the government is us: it

reflects our fears and hopes and our spirit. This time around it was slow to start, due to muddle-headed leadership, but in the end was generous and effective. It is worthy of our praise. A

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