[rmk]

I don’t think the handling of Covid is really indicative of government incompetence (except perhaps a complete lack of coordination nationwide on Covid efforts). Our federal structure was a compromise to keep the U in the USA. So it is expected that each state will do things as it sees fit. China is an authoritarian state that needs tight control in order to maintain the status quo, so of course it was able to quell the pandemic. South Korea and NZ are both small and relatively centrally governed. The UK, Canada, and Australia all have public healthcare or public options. None of it is true in the USA. We have chosen not to have a public option in healthcare for the working age population, so we shouldn’t expect to be able to put down pandemics easily or even with difficulty.

[myrandomcomment]

The President was quite with in his legal emergency powers rights to issue a national mask required mandate. He was also allowed to order production of test and require mass testing. This could have all been done legally.

[rmk]

I very much doubt if these things were possible. I have a strong feeling I will be proven right: Joe Biden will also not impose a mask mandate, rightly realising that he lacks the authority to do so.

It was definitely a huge mistake to appoint a person who has published dodgy research to head the CDC (it is my understanding that this guy was the preferred candidate of the Evangelicals.) The CDC has been conspicuously absent throughout this pandemic, and I think it's because of their spectacular ineptitude. How much of it is attributable to its politically appointed masters, I do not know, but it's a shame nevertheless.