Getting the Most out of a Crisis
By Albert B. Kelly
I don’t know exactly when he said it, but President Obama’s
first Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, is credited with saying, “You never want a
serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do
things that you think you could not do before”. My guess is that he said this
shortly after coming into office. If you recall, in January 2009 the country
was reeling from the near collapse of the financial system and was in the midst
of the Great recession.
It was no doubt that type of thinking that undergirded the
financial reform legislation that recapitalized banks, established stress tests
for banks, created TARP legislation, prompted the Consumer Financial Protection
Bureau and similar measures to strengthen what was good about the system and
fix those weaknesses that had long been vulnerabilities.
I think his point has relevance on several levels, namely
that we won’t fix things or address potential problem areas until we’re forced
to do so. Beyond that, things that we previously thought couldn’t be addressed
suddenly receive the type of energy and attention that can only be mobilized
through a crisis. So yes, we shouldn’t let our current serious crises go waste.
But what exactly does that look like? It is a fair question,
especially since we have what appear to be multiple crises unfolding all at
once. To my way of thinking, not letting our current crises go to waste is the
responsibility of both the government and the governed.
The most pressing crisis at the moment is the pandemic. In
order for us not to let this crisis go to waste, we need to consider how the
response, both the government’s and citizen’s, has gone thus far and be honest
about our shortcomings and vulnerabilities.
In the future, could the federal government play a more aggressive
role in purchasing medical equipment and supplies so that states and cities
aren’t competing against one another to the detriment of taxpayers? Could the
government mobilize industry more quickly and efficiently to produce what can’t
be purchased on the open market? I think there is a great deal of room for
improvement.
What about us citizens and our expectations? Will we demand
that those who lead us in the future gather the best scientific and medical
minds available and then listen to them or will stand by while dozens of our
best minds are purged from public service or made to run for cover? We’re just
as accountable.
Beyond the pandemic, there is the crisis of inequality. It’s
always been there, but it wasn’t as obvious to some until they were forced to
acknowledge that grocery clerks, farmworkers, and nurse’s aides were “essential”
making little money and risking their lives to get it. Will we use this crisis
to address these glaring inequalities with better pay, benefits, and childcare
for these essential workers?
And then there is the crisis of the jobs that won’t be
coming back. The pandemic sped up what was already happening- meaning that jobs
were being automated away. Will we use this crisis to get serious about a Basic
Universal Income (UBI) or will we dither on about generous benefits being a “disincentive
to work” in jobs that no longer exist or don’t pay enough to survive?
How about inequality in education? If nothing else, this
pandemic has exposed the digital haves from the digital have-nots and we’ll
soon see just how far behind certain groups of students have fallen because
school has to be done virtually. Are we willing to invest in adequate access to
the internet acknowledging that it’s as vital to a family’s well-being as food?
Then there is the crisis of policing and race. Acknowledging
the value of police while also acknowledging the worth and dignity of people of
color, will we use the crisis of George Floyd’s death and the reaction to it to
make meaningful changes or will we attempt a little window dressing to make it
go away?
There will be change to be sure, whether citizen review
boards, more data collection, and use of technology to name a few. But will we
seek more fundamental change like addressing how we’ve criminalized poverty,
homelessness, race, and mental illness? Are we willing to exchange the
“warrior” template of policing for the “public servant” model?
Never let a serious crisis go to waste- what will we do with
ours.
