Social welfare made Sweden’s coronavirus recovery easier, but Florida Republicans don’t want you to know that

A coronavirus spinning with Sweden flag behind as epidemic outbreak infection in Sweden

Many conservatives across the United States and in Florida have latched on to the idea that Sweden hit a home run with its coronavirus response despite the nation’s lack of social distancing mandates.

The European nation allowed restaurants to remain open, as long as social distancing efforts were in place. Schools remained in session. Residents could still get a hair cut. Things Floridians and many Americans were robbed of in favor of public health went relatively untouched in Sweden.

I won’t even get to the irony that right-wing Republicans went from loathing Sweden as a Bernie Sanders socialists’ wet dream only to turn around and view the nation as its shining light in pandemic policy. That low-hanging fruit is too easy and too obvious.

What’s truly astonishing about the infatuation with Sweden is its blatant disregard for the political norms that make Sweden a ripe candidate for trusting common sense compared to the political climate in the U.S., and especially Florida, that made stay-at-home orders and forced closures an absolute necessity.

The very same policies conservatives bemoan as socialist propaganda, are what gave Sweden the flexibility to be able to remain open.

The country has some of the world’s most robust unemployment and paid family leave benefits and residents have access to universal health care.

Because of their government’s strong social welfare programs, Swedes didn’t need to be told to stay home. They just did. Why? They had more to lose by leaving their homes than they did by staying home.

If they got sick — not even like, coronavirus deathbed sick — they could stay home and know they’d still get paid. They could go to a doctor because they knew doing so wouldn’t potentially bankrupt them. If they needed to stay home to care for a family member, no biggie; family leave’s got you covered.

And if they lost their job, the country had their back there, too. Swedes are entitled to nearly a year of unemployment benefits with a cap of 80% of their former salary, after which the Swedish government’s job guarantee program  would kick in.

Compare that to Florida and it’s no wonder the strong arm of government was needed to ensure the curve was flattened.

In 2019, 13% of Floridians were uninsured, according to the United Health Foundation’s America’s Health Rankings. That’s not even counting the Floridians who are underinsured thanks to the prevalence of junk health policies available under conservative-driven Obamacare rollbacks.

If one of those uninsured has a dry cough but can otherwise function, you think they’re going to go to a doctor to find out what’s up? Probably not.

A lot of those uninsured or underinsured remain that way because they either didn’t have a job or they worked in a job that didn’t carry employer-sponsored health care — the same type of jobs that are unlikely to offer paid sick leave.

Are those people going to stay home for the public good at the risk of not being able to feed their family or pay their rent. Again, probably not.

If Florida Republicans want Florida to behave more like Sweden on pandemic policies, perhaps they should behave more like Sweden on social welfare policies.

I’m looking at you Rep. Anthony Sabatini who actually suggested that because Florida bars remained closed, there has “never been a better time to open a speakeasy.” And to you, House Speaker Jose Oliva who had a penchant for sharing conspiracy-laden blog posts about the virus to make the point that government-mandated shutdowns were the equivalent to “economic suicide.”

It would be hilarious if it weren’t so sad. See, what these two, and others like them, have done is make the case for a “socialist” government they hate so much.

They want to have their cake and eat it too. But it doesn’t work like that. Had Sweden not had the robust social safety net programs it has, it would have needed the same mandates Florida employed.

And if Florida wants to go Sweden’s route, they need to have those safety nets.

There’s also a very basic math calculous these Republicans are ignoring. Sweden is nearly three times the size of Florida with less than half its population. Its lack of density serves as its own social distancing mechanism. Sweden also lacks Florida’s booming tourism industry, which paved the way for the virus’ initial spread through various communities at its numerous international airports and massive cruise industry.

The sad thing is, die hard conservatives who look to constitutional conservatives for all the answers even if there’s a lack of data, evidence or science, will absorb the tweets and Fox News zingers and view that as all the reason they need to ignore the actual experts.

If we don’t make them stay home, they won’t.

Fortunately for Floridians, there are Republicans in this state who, even if Democrats loathe them, really do listen to the experts. For all of the grief I’ve given Gov. Ron DeSantis, his Phase One reopening plan was measured and cautious.

Does it suck to have to wait a little longer for a haircut? Sure does. But until Florida becomes the political equivalent of Sweden, this is the stuff you guys signed up for, whether you realized it or not.

Suck it up, buttercups.