Coming up for AIR After COVID
The last year has been a difficult one for Missourians. Our friends and neighbors have not only contended with a serious public health threat but have also had to fight government stifling their liberties in ways that would have been unimaginable a year ago. It’s no surprise that as fear and government restrictions recede, Missourians may feel like they’re finally coming up for air.
But Missouri policymaking could use fresh AIR as well—Accountability, Investment, and Reform. As pandemic restrictions end and life moves back to normal, policymakers have a unique opportunity to reassess where the state is going and enact free-market and good-government reforms that would have helped during the pandemic but will certainly help after it is long gone. With federal stimulus dollars waiting in the wings, policymakers will also have spending decisions to make, and they should make those decisions conservatively, deliberately, and with reform as a top priority. But whether these ideas are funded with federal or state money, having a framework of potential programs and reforms ready for them as they embark on their work is crucial. The ideas presented in this document provide a starting point for the work ahead.
