Scrambling to Make Medical Masks & Remake America

I’m not a historian or a political scientist. I’m an American, business leader, husband and father. I know a thing or two about business. I’ve got strong opinions about how great I think this country is and even stronger feelings about its people. I’m probably too prone to oversimplifying things and probably too quick to judge. But over the last few days I’ve come to believe that we need to rethink what we are doing in America. We’ve lost the plot somehow and we need to get back on course.

I spent this past week meeting with a handful of incredible business leaders. Like me, they’re nothing special, just hard-working Americans that love their country deeply and came together to help. Together we are working to shift our manufacturing capabilities to make masks for medical professionals – one of many pressing needs and challenges we face as we scramble to respond to the coronavirus. My company makes t-shirts, but we’re now retooling for mass medical mask production. We are grateful that we can help, but I can’t believe it’s come to this.

We don’t have enough hospital beds. We don’t have enough ventilators. We don’t have enough testing kits. We don’t have basic things like masks for medical professionals. We don’t make the drugs that we need to keep us healthy anymore. In America. Let that sink in for a minute. Last time I checked we were the greatest country on earth, and now we’re relying on t-shirt manufacturers to make medical masks? What has happened?

In my mind, it’s pretty simple. We’ve spent the last 40 years chasing a grand bet: that if we chased cheap manufacturing, wherever it took us, we’d all be better off. If we encouraged our companies to take the making of things to countries with lower environmental standards, no minimum wage laws, lax safety standards and poor human rights records, that the cheap stuff we got in return would make it all worthwhile.

It turns out that was a lie. And it has brought with it thousands of unintended consequences. Over my lifetime (I’m 50) I’ve watched America progressively move from an industrial powerhouse capable of reaching the moon to a shambling, stumbling, expensive, bloated mess, whose economy relies on others to make the things it needs to function. And whose government – though massive and expensive – can’t get masks to the heroes on the front lines putting themselves at risk.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. It seems that nearly everything we ask of our elected officials, Republican or Democrat and no matter how much money we spend, never produce the results we need. Our healthcare is expensive and increasingly ineffective, our public schools are failing a generation of kids and our middle-class towns – that once represented the best of our country are shells of themselves with manufacturing gone and Dollar Stores instead of vibrant Main Streets.

So here we are, facing a massive existential moment. Our government seems paralyzed. Their only answer: throw more and more money at the problem. Still things seem to be getting worse. And I’m comparing that to a handful of business leaders sitting around a room and saying, “Let’s do something.” A week later, they are. 

This moment can be an opportunity. A moment where we can challenge ourselves to break the cycle and chart a new path. One that changes the way we treat our ourselves and returns to us a government that, as Lincoln said, is “of the people, by the people, FOR the people.”

Our system is sick and we don’t have a vaccine. COVID-19 has exposed a decaying bureaucracy that no longer serves its people. It has become a system that serves itself, rewards itself, enriches itself. But it has effectively ceased functioning in its most basic task: keeping American citizens safe.

I have a lot of thoughts about what we should do and I’m writing them down to share in the coming weeks. While our problems are massive, our energy to solve them is infinite. I am a belligerent optimist and I know this crisis is forcing everyone to ask the same questions I’m asking about why we’re here and what we can do to change it. COVID-19 is our moment to recast the American government and economy as one that eliminates despair, protects the vulnerable and give us a new framework for happiness and prosperity. One that returns our people to productive, worthwhile work in service of this great country and its ability to be the word leader in manufacturing.

We’re getting back to making masks, but I’ll share more soon. This is a great moment to lead and be Giant.