Whenever I hear people say: “The US had more cases because it reopened faster,” I think: yes, because too many other countries depend on the US. We can’t afford to stay closed for business. We subsidize the rest of the world in many ways, and one of those is through trade.
We can’t stay shut down as long as countries such as Italy did. The rest of the world doesn’t depend upon Italy like it depends on the United States.
The U.S. spent about $2.5 trillion on imports in 2019. That’s $2.5 trillion worth of goods from people relying on us in other countries. Some of those countries can’t afford generous welfare programs when their income drops, & many there are driven to poverty with no safety net.
If all we have to do in order to provide for people is start the printing presses or create money in thin air, then why can’t Mozambique do it? Why couldn’t Greece do it in 2009? Why can’t other countries just spend an additional $6.5 trillion and deposit checks into their citizens’ bank accounts?
The reason we can afford things is not because of our ability to create money, but because we have people who get to work. Yes, America had to reopen and get back to work. We send more foreign aid, offer more military protection, and purchase more products than any other country.
Yes, other countries can point fingers and complain that we reopened faster than some other countries did. And yet, the rest of the world still sure likes our money and our aid.
Spreadsheets and Overalls 