TMA President: Let us learn from COVID-19, and get back to work

From TMA’s April/May 2020 News Bulletin, the Technology & Manufacturing Association President Steve Rauschenberger encouraged with these words:

TMA Members & Friends,

Steve Rauschenberger

These really are the best of times, and the worst of times.

Over the last several months we have stood by and watched the world’s political leadership lurch from one panic-inspired estimate of mortality to another as they’ve tried to navigate the COVID crisis.

We watched in awe as China “locked up” millions of its citizens, literally nailing doors shut on apartment complexes. We’ve endured the fuzzy numbers from the China experience that has led to international pandemic modeling that appears to be off by at least a magnitude of 10.

We witnessed the arrogance of the U.S. Center for Disease Control and its failed test procedures that cost the this nation 6 weeks of critical testing results. We’ve endured the daily complaints from our state leaders; we need more testing, we need more ventilators, we need more hospital beds, we need more money.

We have been subject to preening Governors, unprepared and not appropriately staffed, attempting to use public health advisors to manage the U.S. and state economies. We have watched the world’s most expensive healthcare system nearly grind to a halt over the lack of masks, gloves and face shields.

Hopefully, like other great crises in America’s history we will learn from this and make sure we never let this happen again.

But, we have also watched emergency room doctors and nurses show up each day to challenge the virus. We see EMTs and police and fire personnel show up to do their duty in the face of increased risk. We have found a new set of heroes manning the cash registers in our grocery stores, delivering our food, and showing up to run our essential industries.

We have re-met our neighbors and learned their names again. We have heard the silence of afternoon skies with no airplanes and marveled at driving on streets almost devoid of cars.

And if you are still for a moment or two, you can feel it.

You can hear the slumbering spirit of American innovation and competence awakening. You need surgical masks, we got this! Face shields, ok, we will
get them to you! Ventilators, how many do you want? You want us to turn an exhibition hall into a hospital? Done!

I can hear it in TMA members’ voices when they call the Association. In quiet whispers they seem to be saying, “We listened to our leaders, we obeyed their orders, we are cleaning our plants and socially distancing, and washing our hands. Now get out of our way. We have an economy to rebuild!”

From the misery of the Great Depression, or the attack on Pearl Harbor or the shock and anguish of 9/11, we have ALWAYS manufactured a recovery and a return to prosperity and peace.

God Bless us all, and keep us safe, and let us go to work.

Steve Rauschenberger
Technology & Manufacturing Association President

From TMA’s April/May 2020 News Bulletin

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