And back to you, that it’s a good dialogue. I am still unclear what the exact concern is and, in that sense, the point of, as it were, getting ready for and exactly what will be the preceding cause of a supply chain breakdown leading to such a apocalyptic series of events. These are the best I can pick out:

“…a small government unable to cope with a large scale disaster…”

“…big government can’t grow wheat or deliver loaves of bread all that well…”

Even though both of these are true (or truisms), they also pretty much cancel each other out. In the USA we have the smallest of governments of the developed western liberal democracies. And, neither of these possibilities are given much thought in those other developed countries. “Big” government and “small” government as a debate doesn’t exist really anywhere but in this country. Most other developed countries are debating and focusing on assessing their competence, performance, effectiveness, or preparedness. We seem to have this “big” versus “small” debate no matter what is going on.

I am also baffled by this: “The news I hear of plans to get “essential” workers back on the job with restrictions is hopeful.” We must have different understandings about the definition of “essential workers.” Aren’t they the only ones (pretty much) who are working now in most states? What plans are there that speak about this and coming from where?

Very baffled. Maybe it’s like a lot of people during this time. They’re worried and that worry has a lot of places to go and this is another incarnation of it?