ED: WELCOME BACK TO OTR, AND IT IS TIME FOR THE SUNDAY ROUNDTABLE.
WE ARE JOINED BY MARIANNE ROYER -- MARY ANNE MARSH AND ROB GRAY.
MORNING.
JANET: JOHN KERRY IS BACK IN THE GAME, AND NOT WINNING THE PRESIDENCY HAS GIVEN HIM MORE PRESIDENTIAL -- POLITICS -- POLITICAL NIGHT -- LIFE.
WHAT IS GOING TO BE HIS BIGGEST CHALLENGE AND YOU KNOW HIM PRETTY WELL.
MARY: THE FIRST IS HE HAS TO DO EIGHT YEARS WORTH OF WORK IN FOUR YEARS.
YOU HAVE TO MAKE UP FOR ALL OF THE DAMAGE THAT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DID AND END UP AT THE END OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION MAKING THE PROGRESS HAD TRUMP NOT BEEN IN
OFFICE.
SECOND, REPUBLICANS AND THE SENATE ARE BIGGER OBSTACLES THAN GETTING ANY OF THIS WORK JOB -- DONE THEN OUR ALLIES, GETTING BACK INTO TREATIES AND ALL THE THINGS WE NEED TO DO.
TIME MARCHES ON AND SO DOES MOTHER NATURE.
ONE GOOD PIECE OF NEWS, GM THIS PAST WEEK DECIDED TO GO AHEAD WITH ELECTRIC CARS AND BASICALLY SAYING TRUMP, WE ARE JOINING ON THE BIDEN TRAIN AND JOHN KERRY WILL WORK WITH THAT.
JANET: IS A -- IS IT A SIGNAL TO A LOT OF COMPANIES.
ROB: I THINK OF -- WHAT HE DOES ON THE GREEN NEW DEAL WILL BE THE SIGNAL AND THAT IS ONE OF HIS MAJOR CHALLENGES, BECAUSE IT IS AN EXTREME PLAN AND WOULD CRIPPLE THE ECONOMY, BUT THERE
ARE A LOT OF PROGRESSIVE ELEMENTS IN WASHINGTON WHO ARE PART OF THE BIDEN COALITION WHO SUPPORT IT AND IT WILL HARD FOR KERRY TO NAVIGATE IT.
THE OTHER HARD THING TO NAVIGATE WILL BE TURFED.
CARRIE IS TAKING THIS NEW SUPER ROLE THAT IS ON OTHER PEOPLE’S TURF AND HOW HE NAVIGATES THAT WILL BE INTERESTING TO WATCH.
ED: LET US TURN BACK TO SCHOOLS AS K-12 PUBLIC SCHOOLS STRUGGLE AND SHUTDOWNS, BUT PRIVATE SCHOOLS REMAIN OPEN.
WHY THE DICHOTOMY, AND THEN CAN THIS CONTINUE?
MARY ANNE: PRIVATE SCHOOLS HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO GO TO SCHOOL AND BE SAFE, THEY HAVE TESTING AND TRACING.
ONE PREP SCHOOL IN MASSACHUSETTS DOES 1300 TESTS A WEEK AND HAS BEEN DOING THAT SINCE JULY.
THEY HAVE HVAC SYSTEMS, APPS TO CONTROL COVID.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE NONE OF THAT, AND MANY OF THE KIDS DO NOT HAVE LAPTOPS OR ACCESS TO THE INTERNET.
THEY ARE FAR LINK -- FALLING FURTHER BEHIND IN EDUCATION IS THE GREAT EQUALIZER.
THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE THINGS THAT THE PANDEMIC LAID BARE AND THE RICH GET RICHER AND THE POOR GET POORER.
ED: IT BEGS THE QUESTION WHY, WHY DOES THAT EXIST?
ROB: I THINK IT IS A SIMPLER ANSWER, AND IT COMES DOWN TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE TEACHERS UNIONS AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS DO NOT.
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN GREATER BOSTON HAS BEEN OPEN SINCE SEPTEMBER AND HAVE BEEN DOING FINE.
YES THERE ARE FACILITY CONSTRAINTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, NO QUESTION, THE MAJOR HURDLE IS THAT LOCAL SCHOOL COMMITTEES AND LOCAL OFFICIALS ARE NOT WILLING TO GO AGAINST THE TEACHERS
UNIONS AND THE STATE HAS LEFT THEM HANGING, IT IS A CRISIS IN PUBLIC EDUCATION, AND IT IS BAD.
A LOT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE NOT BACK IN PERSON YET, AND WE ARE IN SEPTEMBER.
JANET: LET US TURN OUR ATTENTION TO THE STATE BUDGET AND RIDESHARING COMPANIES ARE EXPECTED TO SEE FEE HIKES TO HELP WITH PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION DEFICITS AND --
UBER SAYS THEY ARE DOWN BUT LIVERY TRUCKS CONTRIBUTE TO CONGESTION.
DOES BEACON HILL DARE TO GO THERE?
ROB: THEY ARE GOING TO GO WITH AN UBER AND LYFT FEE, IS A SILICON VALLEY BILLIONAIRE ANSWER.
I DO NOT THINK UBER AND LYFT HAVE ANY SYMPATHY.
DELIVERY TRUCKS ARE ACTUALLY PERFORMING AN IMPORTANT SERVICE TO THE ECONOMY, AND LET US FACE IT.
THESE CARS ARE JUST DRIVING AROUND.
THEY DO NOT PARK IN INCREASED TRAFFIC.
THEY SHOULD BE CONTRIBUTING TO THE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE.
JANET: IS ROB RIGHT?
MARY ANNE: THIS IS A BIGGER ISSUE ABOUT THE LACK OF A COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM AGAINST PITTING EVERYTHING AGAINST ANOTHER.
WE NEED TO ADDRESS BIKES, ROADS, TRAINS, AND CARS AND WE NEVER DO.
NOW IS THE TIME TO HAVE AN INTEGRATIVE PLAN THAT WHEN WE FINALLY RETURN TO OUR LIVES WE DO NOT FORCE PEOPLE TO DRIVE SOMEWHERE BECAUSE EVERYTHING ELSE IS SO POOR, IT TAKES TWO
STEPS TO GET ANYWHERE.
IT IS SOME COMBINATION, AND NOW IS THE TIME TO ADDRESS ALL OF THESE ISSUES.
ED: RESTAURANTS ARE CLOSING AND SKI SLOPES ARE OPENING, AND SCHOOLS ARE HEADING FOR A HIATUS WHEN -- AND NO ONE KNOWS WHEN, IF, OR HOW SCHOOLS WILL GO BACK.
WILL WE SUFFER MORE BEFORE WE SEE A VACCINE OR HERD IMMUNITY?
ROB: WELCOME TO WINTER IN THE NORTHERN UNITED STATES, WE DO NOT HAVE THE OUTDOOR OPTIONS THAT WE HAVE ENJOYED IN THE LATE SPRING, SUMMER, AND INTO A SEASONABLE FALL.
I THINK IT IS GOING TO GET TOUGHER AND YOU COMBINE IT WITH THE DARKNESS, IT WILL BE TOUGH.
WE HAVE TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THINGS THAT SPREAD COVID, WHICH SCHOOLS DO NOT, THEY ARE A VITAL SERVICE, AND EXTRA THINGS LIKE ENTERTAINMENT, WHICH CAN BE CLOSE WITHOUT MESSING WITH A
VITAL PUBLIC SERVICE.
MARY ANNE: WE ARE IN FOR A TOUGH STRETCH.
WE SEE THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL.
WE ARE GOING INTO NEXT WEEK WITH 3000 CASES A DAY THAT WE WILL KNOW IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN AFTER THANKSGIVING, WHETHER WE SHUT DOWN INTO CHRISTMAS.
LESS PEOPLE DO, THE MORE THE CONSEQUENCES ARE, MEANING LESS OPTIONS AND MORE TIME AT HOME.