"This is not the fault of any Iowan or the state. The state of Iowa needs to look hard at ways to help Iowans get back up and running. All in all, my family and I are happy that we are all safe and well and looking forward to being "free" again."
Governor Reynolds has to make tough decisions about how to balance legitimate economic concerns with equally legitimate health and safety concerns, as do all her gubernatorial colleagues across the country. Multiple news outlets reported the Governor and her department heads are beginning talks this week that focus on how and when to re-open the economy.
Over the coming days and weeks, we hope they find ways to get people back to work as soon as it appears safe to do so, which is not an easy task. As the President of the Foundation for Economic Education, Zilvinas Silenas, wrote last week, “The real world has real trade-offs with real consequences. Painless solutions to serious problems are incredibly rare.”
Rather than waiting for a blanket “all clear” declaration for the entire state, re-opening regions, counties, or even zip codes may be a wise strategy. Additionally, ITR encourages our leaders to evaluate jobs and workers not just as essential or non-essential, but also high-risk or low-risk (in terms of spreading the virus). A lawn care service, for instance, may not be deemed essential, but the chances it could spread the virus are likely low.
Regardless of when Iowans can begin getting back to work, the economic impact is painful. ITR members from across the state have shared how the economic slowdown is affecting them:
"Our sales are 25% of what they would normally be, and six people, four full time and two part-time, have temporarily lost their jobs. While unemployment is there to catch them, my business will be on the hook for the next three years, paying for this through raised rates."
"We opened our restaurant on February 3rd. Things were going great, and the business grew quickly. Now, just a few weeks later, we were forced to shut down due to COVID-19. Our future is uncertain."
"This is not the fault of any Iowan or the state. The state of Iowa needs to look hard at ways to help Iowans get back up and running. All in all, my family and I are happy that we are all safe and well and looking forward to being "free" again."
"We are both on Social Security and Medicare: Parts A & B (supplement insurance). We just need to adjust our lifestyle by being frugal. We need to stop raising our property taxes and encourage less government."
"I applied for unemployment. It took some time to find a form available to self-employed folks who have no employees, but I did. A couple of days later, I got a note in the mail saying I wasn't eligible because I hadn't made any money in the last quarter. Being required to close our business for a month cuts off our income while our mortgage and utilities continue."
If you have the ability, please help those in need by giving directly, through your church, or another organization. Visit volunteeriowa.org to find opportunities to help those in need.