Industry creates wealth and businesses circulate it, but nothing happens until a salesperson makes the sale. Herein is our economy in its simplest form. And although all have suffered during this pandemic, the one’s hardest hit (outside mortality), are small business owners, their employees, entrepreneurs and sales people on the economy’s frontline.

It’s hard for some to immediately recognize their pain when others incomes are paid by taxes provided, in large part, by these business people. We do feel it in “quality of life,” but the fact is, they drive our economy and that “quality of life.”

Some say “we’ve never seen this before” but this is simply not true when speaking historically as a country or community. What we haven’t witnessed is the degree of draconian measures taken to deal with the problem.

Police powers are like money, both are neither good nor bad. They merely expose individuals. If their actions are good their good actions are magnified. If bad, their bad actions are more easily noticed and they are exposed. Even the Bible reads “under a good king the people rejoice.” Are people rejoicing?

Some enlightened CEO’s, as reported in Business Weekly, sacrificed their salaries in solidarity for employees who lost their jobs. Interestingly, we haven’t seen the same exhibited by governors whose decisions forced the loss of income on those who pay their salaries. Fair?

And now Governor Beshear has said we might not be ready to open Kentucky until mid-May or June? That “we are under a ‘new normal’ until a vaccine is created.” How convenient.

However, we only have to look at Arkansas to see the fallacy of the governor’s words and actions. Arkansas, close in population and confirmations has approximately 20% of Kentucky mortality rate. How can this be when Arkansas hasn’t instituted the same draconian measures on businesses, churches and travel? Tennessee and Arizona have similar death rates while considerably larger populations. How can this be applying the governor’s reasoning? Doesn’t enlighten leadership require balance?

Why not consider having the ones closest to the implementation process make the decision on opening up Kentucky, just like we champion in education? For example, our County Judge-Executive’s through the Fiscal Court. They are closest to the implementation process and this would put the power closer to the hands of “We the People.”

Open for business with social distancing, before “the cure becomes more costly than the problem.”

Randy Gip Graham

Danville