EDITORIAL: The flu is everywhere, and it’s dangerous
This story raises questions about governance, accountability, and American values.
The editorial’s framing treats a widespread flu season as a kind of civic emergency, with an implied expectation that public life should bend around worst case outcomes. That instinct is understandable, but it also invites the same habit we saw during COVID: letting fear set the baseline for policy. Most people really can ride it out, and that matters.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
Most people can ride it out.
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New Republican Times Editorial Board
The editorial’s framing treats a widespread flu season as a kind of civic emergency, with an implied expectation that public life should bend around worst case outcomes. That instinct is understandable, but it also invites the same habit we saw during COVID: letting fear set the baseline for policy.
Most people really can ride it out, and that matters. Public health messaging should be candid without nudging employers, schools, and local officials toward broad disruptions that don’t fit the risk for most families. Targeted protection for the vulnerable is not callousness. It is fairness, proportionality, and respect for normal life.
A responsible response leans on personal responsibility, public trust, and the rule of law, not soft mandates and moral pressure. The principle at stake is simple: government should inform, not manage daily life by default.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.