Thank you Governor Polis! To help deal with COVID-19 we need more Government Distancing.

You know at Independence Institute, we are not shy about criticizing our governor when we feel he is wrong on the issues. With your help, we even sent him lumps of high-quality coal this last Christmas for being on our naughty list.

However, we are a fair and balanced organization, and some of his responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have been exemplary.

In order to help Colorado have the medical talent necessary to combat this virus, he has taken 3 exemplary steps in getting the government out of the way of the response to the pandemic.

Firstly, he is allowing medical professionals licensed in other states to immediately become licensed in Colorado. This cutting through red tape means our state now has immediate access to a resource pool of professional medical staff that can now be put directly into the front line of defense against COVID-19.

Secondly, he has expedited the process for those currently seeking a medical license in-state, reducing the amount of time and requirements it takes for qualified individuals seeking to practice medicine professionally to join in the response to the fight.

Finally, he is expanding the ability of medical professionals other than current doctors and nurses to test for COVID-19, vastly expanding the ability of people to administer tests for the virus to include retired, semi-retired, or professionals whose license has lapsed to be reactivated easily and efficiently, so that testing can take place on a much larger scale.

These are important first steps in Government Distancing, getting the government out of the way of the ability of our health care system to fight this pandemic, but they are only the first steps.

Independence Institute is developing a list of other ideas we feel will increase the effectiveness of the health care industry to continue to fight the virus and relieve some of the burden and stress being put on workers and families currently impacted by the shuttering of our economy.

These include:

• RTD vouchers for transit-dependent people in need of transportation as public transit becomes dangerous to contagion
• Sales tax holiday to encourage consumer spending
• Suspending the “Amazon tax” to encourage delivery of goods and food
• Repeal the single-use paper and plastic ban – single-use items have less of a chance of spreading the disease
• Repurpose money used to subsidize electric cars and filming to health-related initiatives

These are just some of the ideas we will be calling on the governor to implement.

We believe getting government out of the way of private industry can speed up the response and ultimately the defeat of this virus.

Just as we are encouraged to practice Social Distancing, we are encouraging the government to practice Government Distancing.

Unfortunately, there are those out there already calling for increased government mandates such as universal health care, paid family leave, increased taxes, and more bureaucracy that will cost us much more and slow down the ability of individuals and businesses to fight this growing pandemic.

We are continuing to work with our partners and allies throughout the state to stand for freedom.

Yes, this even means that we are happy to work with our governor in unleashing the market to help in this crisis.

Now is the hour of action, to begin calling for a truly free market response to this. I know that we will prevail, and that nothing will be able to stop the ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit of everyday Coloradans like you and me.

Think Freedom,

Jon Caldara | President | Independence Institute
727 East 16th Ave, Denver CO 80203 | 303-279-6536
i2i.org | @JonCaldara | facebook.com/caldara

I hate bullies. I have dedicated my professional life to stop bullies who use the coercive power of government to take from others and force their values on those who don’t share them. Join me.