I appreciated Scott Graber's column (“There will be consequences of this crisis,”April 16, The Island News) that began to envision our country post-coronavirus. We citizens can use some of this down time NOW to prepare for the important issues that are coming at us in the near future, notably in the elections in November.

I worry that, while we should be able to rely on the information from the White House, the President is not the person to offer unifying national leadership. When campaign theater subsumes facts, we are left with a fact void and a more partisan divide.

Respectable media outlets are trying very hard to dig into the hard questions from a variety of viewpoints, from all sides of the political world. They are providing data-based and thoughtful analysis, and this rare national pause gives us time to seriously consider our viewpoints anew.

In light of present events, can we afford any longer to ignore the role that wealth inequities, built throughout our history, play in everything from health to housing to education to food security?

We can build a stronger, more unified nation with decent political leadership. Perhaps Mr. Graber might offer examples of a range of reliable journalistic sources that he trusts? We voters need to prepare now to vote intelligently in November.

<b><i>– Carol Brown, Beaufort</i></b>