Dear Governor Carney,
I’m quite curious. How exactly do you go about determining who is essential and who is not? How do you decide who gets to continue to earn a living and who has to stay at home with no source of income? To me, it would seem as though every business is absolutely essential, both to the economy of Delaware and to the lives of the workers and their families. Maybe to you, a sporting goods store, for example, may seem “nonessential,” but the beauty of living in a free country is that that is not your decision to make—or at least it shouldn’t be. Telling people what they need and what they do not need is rather authoritarian. These decisions have been made under the pretense that they will halt the spread of COVID-19, but the truth of the matter is that if people can social distance inside of a grocery store, they can social distance inside any store.
Additionally, the economic repercussions of this shut down of “nonessential” businesses will be quite severe. Many small businesses have been forced to close their doors indefinitely, and many of them will not survive. The businesses themselves will go bankrupt and the former employees will be left with no job and no income, forcing them to either search for a new job or turn to the government for assistance. As I’m sure you’re well aware, finding a job in Delaware at the moment is rather difficult, so the latter is more likely. Soon, a welfare state will be created in which thousands of people will be turning to the government for handouts, not because they are unwilling or too lazy to find a job, but because they are being told they cannot work.
Quite frankly, I find it troubling just how quickly Delaware has come under an authoritarian rule, yet I am even more troubled by the general acceptance of it. I, for one, am not willing to trade my freedom for any degree of safety, whether that safety be real or perceived.
I must urge you to please reform your COVID-19 response policies.
Sincerely,
Nick Whaley
English 110 Honors Spring 2020 
I really like how you wrote to someone that you’ve never met in person before, I’m assuming. (I hope that sentence didn’t come off rude or anything, I truly didn’t mean it like that.) I have seen that others have written to professors, friends, or family members, so I applaud you for thinking outside of the box. Additionally, I liked how you wrote about something extremely current. I believe that the most current events provoke the deepest emotions and thoughts. Lastly, the line “I, for one, am not willing to trade my freedom for any degree of safety, whether that safety be real or perceived” really stuck with me, because I feel that a lot of people don’t necessarily realize this during these times. Great work!
-Kelsey McNamara
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This was so interesting to read! I never thought to consider that the government may be infringing on our rights with their policies regarding COVID-19. Having the insight to question our leaders is a powerful skill to have, and I commend you for holding your beliefs even through a crisis such as this. It is very true that small businesses will suffer greatly from government policies, and in turn, so will our economy. I cannot imagine what it would be like to lose your business to something like this because you are told that you cannot go to work in a country that is defined by its financial power. What truly troubles me about the issues you brought up is the fact that this will affect the families of those who own and work at small businesses. Some kids may not be able to continue going to college because their parents cannot pay for it anymore, houses that hold so much value and so many memories for a family may be foreclosed, and people who were doing well a month ago and have done nothing but work hard will have to pay for something they cannot control. This is such a through-provoking piece and I love that you are firmly standing up for what you believe in.
Sarina Simpson
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Being from Delaware, the “Dear Governor Carney” really caught my attention when reading your piece. I was immediately drawn in and curious about why you chose to write to Governor Carney for this assignment. I found this choice intriguing and unique, so I applaud you for that. Your piece brought about a new way of thinking I had not previously considered. I sympathize greatly with those whose businesses have been considered “nonessential” and may be forced to shut down due such an economic pitfall. This not only affects the business owners, but the people directly related to them, such as their families, will be negatively impacted as well, and could potentially experience this burden for an extended period of time. The idea you introduced about a newly formed welfare state may be our undeniable future, but I do hope it can be avoided. Thanks for this eye opening and sympathetic post!
Bray Fedele
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