Dems drink Baker Kool-Aid
Willing to let state’s economy go up in flames
Clueless Democrats want Gov. Charlie Baker to keep the state’s economy shuttered and they will probably get most of their wish granted when Baker unveils his coronavirus reopening plan Monday.
Don’t expect much out of Baker — he’s made clear he wants no part of a quick restart.
And Baker has purposely made any details of his plans secret, giving businesses like restaurants no head start on how they might plan to open their doors again. The confusion and consternation caused by Baker’s supercautious reticence has made predicting what might happen a guessing game.
A half-dozen Democratic legislators petitioned the
Republican governor last week to extend the state’s stay-at-home advisory past May 18. The Republican governor is more in line with them than the thousands of business owners clamoring for a reopening.
They have no idea what it’s like to run a business, be forced to shut down, lay off employees and then wait and watch while your life savings and dreams are crushed.
Of course not. Legislators and their staffs, as well as thousands of other state workers, have been fully employed throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Not a single layoff or cut.
Other Dems have been critical of Baker for failing to reveal any details at all of his reopening plans, keeping businesses and residents in the dark.
“Gov. Baker and reopening task force have worked hard but the messaging needs to ramp up,” state Rep. Carmine Gentile, D-Sudbury, wrote on Twitter last week. “Concrete directives need to issue today or tomorrow. Otherwise, Monday looks like a train wreck in slow motion. Hair salons already have appointments! Will the governor open them?”
The answer to that is probably a big no, representative. Given what Baker has said about taking a “cautious approach” to reopening, hair stylists who don’t have the ability to social distance won’t be in the first phase plans.
Good news for mullet lovers.
Baker may give approval for construction projects to begin again, and possibly open the beaches, but even that’s in question. All those motels and retail stores down on the Cape that depend on tourists will just have to wait to find out their fate. Memorial Day — the traditional opening of the tourist season — is coming soon but it’s unclear whether any visitors will be coming.
The news on the coronavirus front has been a little better but the Bay State still remains one of the worst-hit areas of the nation.
Massachusetts on Saturday reported 1,512 new coronavirus cases and 113 additional deaths — numbers that aren’t low enough to convince Baker to give the OK to opening businesses that aren’t able to keep a safe distance between the workers and customers.
The Bay State is the last in the country to unveil its opening plans — even New York is way ahead of us.
That dismal distinction should make us all angry, but it won’t. Most people seem resigned to their fate and Baker’s idea of leadership.