Hits and Misses
Of course, it’s not a happy development that the National Pike Wagon Train will not be making its annual journey this year from Grantsville, Md., into Fayette and Washington counties as part of the National Road Festival in May. While the festival has not been called off, it’s the second year in a row the wagon train has been mothballed due to the coronavirus. But given the uncertainties surrounding the virus, and the age of many of the volunteers who work with the wagon train, it’s the right decision. As Doc Sherry, the wagon train master, told Mark Hofmann of the Herald-Standard, “I hate to not do it, but on the other hand, better safe than sorry.”
The $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package will soon become law, and that is good news for Americans who have been struggling to make ends meet amid the pandemic, good news for states and local governments whose budgets have been hammered over the last year, and good news for the overall economy. The size of the package was, in this case, equal to the size of the crisis. The bill becoming law is also good news for Americans who purchase health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act. An Associated Press story this week pointed out that subsidies to “Obamacare” are being increased for the first time in a decade, and will help several million people, including some self-employed individuals and those who have collected unemployment over the last year. A 45-year-old making $58,000 per year will now get a $1,250 tax credit, for example. Now, the 12 states that are still refusing Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion need to step up and do what’s right for their struggling residents.
Georgia is one of several states that is trying to make it harder for its citizens to vote in the wake of the 2020 election, and its Republican-dominated legislature wants to repeal the state’s no-excuse absentee voting, cut back on the number of drop boxes, limit “souls to the polls” Sunday voting, and put in place other restrictions. Perhaps most eyebrow-raising is a provision that would make it a misdemeanor to give food or drink to anyone who is waiting in line at a polling place. Officials need to explain why giving pizza or bottles of water to voters who have been standing in line for hours poses any kind of problem for anyone. Of course, the voters waiting wouldn’t need the nourishment and hydration if more early-voting opportunities were available, or they could cast ballots by mail.
The United States shook off Britain and its monarchy more than 200 years ago, so we don’t have a dog in the fight when it comes to Queen Elizabeth II and her clan. But if you’ve watched the Netflix series “The Crown” or Oprah Winfrey’s interview with escaped royals Harry and Meghan that aired on CBS-TV last Sunday, two facts become clear: a great deal of money and time is expended on the royal family, and it seems to bring none of the Windsors the slightest bit of happiness. The monarchy represents tradition and continuity for the British, no matter how anachronistic it is, but it needs to be downsized to the level of continental Europe’s “bike-riding royals.” If the royal family becomes more modest, maybe the world will spend less energy paying attention to its doings, which might be healthier for all concerned.