It has been said that country music consists of three chords and the truth. But country music, like politics, tells only part of the truth. History tells the rest.
Utah is now stumbling backward into our fourth wave of COVID devastation. Who among Utah leaders in health care, business, government, education, law enforcement, the churches, will stand up to finally lead Utahns effectively throughout this long summer, and into an even longer fall and winter? Is a fourth unnecessary wave an example of “Life elevated,” or is it actually more like “Disregard and death elevated”?
It is impossible for one who has worked in the field of public health as I have not to be discouraged at Utah’s serious lack of capacity for prevention. It is almost as if our culture is totally wired only for Johnny-come-lately treatment after the continuing and overwhelmingly poor behavior of our citizens.
In Utah, I have seen little sense of real urgency and raised voices during the pandemic like that shown in the states of Washington, Louisiana and New York. Republican states like Missouri and Ohio threatened or made arrests, fines and incarcerations, and threatened/enforced suspension of business operations. Democratic states like California, Michigan, Wisconsin and Hawaii did the same. Swing states like Indiana, Ohio and North Carolina took a strong stand as well.
When our people do not respect the voice of reason and gentle persuasion, and look away from the voice of authority, it is time for the voice of law and law enforcement to speak.
Is Utah still the wild, wild west where the church and the saloon are the only forms of discipline and order, because no sheriff has yet been hired? Our politicians and business leaders throughout the three earlier waves repeatedly told us Utah would lead America out of the pandemic. But in each instance, Utah then proceeded to do exactly the opposite, and lead the charge right back into public health iniquity.
The problem here runs deeper than our culture and our news media can see, or will acknowledge. In the first place, it has always and absolutely been the highest priority of civil government in democracies throughout all of time to provide for the safety and the public health of the people. That is why we do government. In a democracy, the government does public health seriously, not nonchalantly.
Are we to be known as a hypocritical people? The scriptures we read on Sunday are chock full examples of enforcement of public health laws deemed to be of the highest importance. Moses quarantined the twelve Israelite tribes in Egypt and thereby successfully avoided the “death of the firstborn” that devasted all classes of people in Egypt. Moses defeated the threat before even the first wave hit his people.
Jesus set the example for enforcement of public health law when he firmly advised a leper he treated to go inform the priest serving as the public health officer in Judea that he had been healed, so the priest could record his new health status.
Thus, acts of public health intelligence, bravery and citizen compliance are at the heart of the greatest story ever told. But today we in America, and we in Utah, are presiding over one of the worst stories ever told. It has been unfolding right before our eyes.
In 1793, we had a public health event in America similar to that in Egypt that helped our own frail new democracy survive. A yellow fever epidemic infected our first capitol city, Philadelphia. Our public health officials enforced a harsh quarantine that put a straightjacket on our highest-level government and business elite, such than none could move in or out of the city. Our political and economic leadership gave way to public health leadership. After they took a strong stand, disaster was averted.
A good part of our problem is that we talk a lot about patriotism without doing very much about it. No state has more patriotic celebrations in July than Utah, but no state’s citizens are less engaged in the processes of government than Utahns are. We just don’t care about law, government and public health. When will we realize that we should?
Kimball Shinkoskey
Kimball Shinkoskey, Woods Cross, worked in the Utah Department of Health for 30 years, and writes about history, politics, and religion.