When we can say ‘all clear’ is more important than whom says it

Over the last four weeks, 346,000 Arizona workers have applied for unemployment benefits. And last week alone, Arizona paid out almost $27 million in unemployment benefits. That’s about nine times more than a typical week.

Sometimes, the best thing I can come up with to say about numbers like these is, “ugh.”

You might be saying “Please shut up, Jim!” 

But I think we’re all saying, “When can we get back to work?” 

“When” can only be answered by first answering how. How will we know when it’s safe to get back to work? 

Instead, we’re fighting over “WHO?!?” As in, who gets to turn on the big OPEN sign for the country.

President Donald Trump said earlier this week that it is his call. “When somebody’s the President of the United States, the authority is total.” 

Trump is under the impression that he alone can tell everyone to emerge from their abodes and resume their employment. 

This might be putting a really big chicken before the egg. And it may also be a case of eggs being counted long before they have hatched. (I was going to say Trump and state governors are playing a game of chicken but I figure I’d already laid out too many poultry metaphors).

Former Republican political advisor Alex Castellanos told me Tuesday morning that it is governors – not President Trump – who have the authority to lift stay-at-home orders and reopen businesses. 

But Alex also said that the President is in charge of plenty – including plenty of resources. And that means that governors and the President will have to work together to give the “all clear.”

Donald Trump is at his best when he displays grace and highlights the good things that other political leaders do. That’s especially true when he’s talking about political leaders he’s been at odds with.

Donald Trump could use a little more social distancing from his ego. 

Instead of worrying about who has a bigger…  uh, pair of hands, let’s worry about what we need to be sure it’s safe to reopen. 

Let’s wait until we can give the “all clear” before figuring out whom gets to say it.

When will that be? When we have enough COVID-19 tests to test workers – over and over – to determine if they can return – and safely stay – at work. 

A new COVID-19 test has been rolled out in Arizona. With a drop of blood, that test can give you results in less than 20 minutes. But the number of tests available now are a drop in the huge bucket of what’s needed. 

Nobel prize-winning economist Paul Romer says we’ll need 22 million tests per day.

So, maybe it is time to figure out who’s in charge – who’s in charge of getting all those tests.

Can I see a show of hands? 

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