Good News in the Post-Coronavirus World

Dean Baker, March 5, 2020

When the present looks bleak, it’s a good time to think about the future, which we can hope will be brighter. It is hard to see a story where the coronavirus won’t spread widely in the U.S. and elsewhere, leading to tens of millions contracting the disease and hundreds of thousands or even millions of deaths that could have been prevented. But we, or least most of us, will likely make it through to a post-Coronavirus world. And, that world may be better in important ways because of the pandemic.

At the most immediate level, we may see the rules likely to be put in place now, mandating paid sick days, become a permanent part of the social safety net. The coronavirus has driven home a simple point. Not only do we want workers to be able to take off sick days for their own good and the good of their families, we don’t want sick people going to work and spreading disease. This is especially true for many low paid workers, currently lacking paid sick days, in the restaurant and retail sectors.



Read More





Washington Post Says Trump Proposes Tax Cut that is More Than 10 Times “Vast”


Educating the Washington Post: We Did Not Have to Bail Out the Banks in 2008





Health Insurance Costs Still Soaring


Can Coronavirus Force Policy Types to Think Clearly About Intellectual Property?