Local and state governments are facing fiscal crises that if not addressed will cut even the inadequate efforts to create a more just society and will challenge the ability of government to respond to the demands for justice that are all around us. Unless the federal government provides funding to make up the losses of local and state governments from the pandemic (actual costs and lost tax revenue) there will be a catastrophic retreat from progress. Just to get us in the right frame of mind we should understand that we are starting with a mess. The economy is broken [...]

Let’s start with the obvious. We all want to be safe, in our homes, on the street, in schools, wherever we are. But many of us feel or believe we are not safe. The Black Lives Matter movement has exposed the extent to which our neighbors are not safe walking, driving, jogging, in school, or even in their own homes. 1,000 people each year are killed by police. Millions are subjected to arrests for trivial behaviors. All of these problems are linked to a pervasive and persistent racism and inequality that infect our society. We spend billions of dollars every year [...]

Required Minimum Public Health Steps to Open Society and Economy after Spatial Restrictions to  Overcome the COVID-19 Pandemic: Everyone wants the pandemic to end. Everyone wants the closings, spatial isolation, staying-at-home and economic collapse to end. But the COVID-19 disease operates on the rules of viruses, not our popular vote. If we don’t understand how viruses spread and what it takes to end the risk then we will keep repeating the flare up/isolations/economic collapse/renewed deaths and hospitalizations cycle followed by an illusory search for normal. Hope for a return to a fair and resilient world must be based on [...]