Dear Friends,

You may not have given it too much thought but you should, namely moral decision making in the time of Pandemic. One of the moral principles that we see in action right now is the principle of Subsidiarity. That is, that the higher level should not do what the lower level is competent to do. In this case the Federal government should not do what the states can do and the states should not do what the municipalities can do. The most effective responses come from the local level since a community knows its needs and how to respond to them. That’s why the state Governors are taking the lead and only asking the Feds for assistance when needed. The state should assist or provide where the municipality cannot and so on. The fact is that Arizona has different circumstances and needs from New York and Phoenix has different circumstances than Yuma so operating on the Principal of Subsidiarity would offer the most effective way for localities to help themselves and to be helped where needed without creating a bloated and inefficient bureaucracy or a one-size fits all approach.