[teejers1]

What is crazy is that we have no national plan.

There are 50 governors who insist they have authority to control their state and constitutional law appears to support that view.

I don't buy it, paloalto. Under Ronald Reagan we raised the minimum drinking age to 21. The basic deal for states: raise your drinking age to 21 or we cut your federal highway funds. 

If the federal government was so inclined, they could and would find a way to get states to mandate mask-wearing in public during a health emergency. I don't want to cross the no-politics rule, so I'm not saying what I think should be done, I'm just saying that it could be done.

Agree that feds could have set a national guideline and 'strongly encouraged' certain actions via the federal purse (how about no HHS $$ unless state has indoor mask-wearing mandate?).  Also agree that we have had no federal "plan of action" at all.  A multi-trillion dollar expenditure to . . . nowhere in particular.

Also agree that ultimately, "the rubber hits the road" with local regs and enforcement that should be tailored to the needs/exigencies of each community, which will vary greatly (both intra and inter state).  One size does not fit all (but that doesn't mean that feds couldn't have set some very basic guidelines/standards).

[teejers1]

What is crazy is that we have no national plan.

There are 50 governors who insist they have authority to control their state and constitutional law appears to support that view.

I don't buy it, paloalto. Under Ronald Reagan we raised the minimum drinking age to 21. The basic deal for states: raise your drinking age to 21 or we cut your federal highway funds. 

If the federal government was so inclined, they could and would find a way to get states to mandate mask-wearing in public during a health emergency. I don't want to cross the no-politics rule, so I'm not saying what I think should be done, I'm just saying that it could be done.

Agree that feds could have set a national guideline and 'strongly encouraged' certain actions via the federal purse (how about no HHS $$ unless state has indoor mask-wearing mandate?).  Also agree that we have had no federal "plan of action" at all.  A multi-trillion dollar expenditure to . . . nowhere in particular.

Also agree that ultimately, "the rubber hits the road" with local regs and enforcement that should be tailored to the needs/exigencies of each community, which will vary greatly (both intra and inter state).  One size does not fit all (but that doesn't mean that feds couldn't have set some very basic guidelines/standards).