Gov. Roy Cooper may not even realize it, but he’s fallen into a weird pattern of announcing priorities.
Cooper issues executive orders — using broad powers granted him under the auspices of the N.C. Emergency Management Act — like a firefighter tossing out candy at a Christmas parade. That power, regardless of protests and lawsuits, continues unchecked.
Along the way, Cooper — again and again —uses a form of the word “priority.”
First, Cooper talked about keeping us safe and flattening the curve, a move toward keeping hospitals from becoming overwhelmed.
Hospitals, as they relate to the pandemic, are doing well. On Jan. 16, the state says, fewer than 2,000 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, down more than 1,000 in a month. So, the idea of flattening the curve, from what I can tell, is now a bit old-fashioned.