Napoleon used to say an army is guided by its stomach: and here we are running out of food, in the worst possible way.

When every bit of available food is used, it is merely a famine. When thousands upon thousands of gallons of milk are being dumped, it is fodder for civil riots. Our government, be it at the Federal level or each of our 50 states (semantics at this point) has to think “Got Milk?” among other things, and set up emergency measures for adequate distribution.

We are not talking about confiscating anything from anyone, but making sure the bounty of our land makes it to market. If we need the help of our National Guard to deliver potatoes from the heart of Idaho to the shores of Hawaii, so be it. If Detroit needs to continue to fabricate masks and shields for months and possibly years to come, so be it: nobody is buying American cars anyway.

Winston Churchill’s war treatise “While England Slept” could be an excellent illustration of what is NOT being done in the United States as we merely wait out the COVID-19 pandemic: now that we know (maybe some of us always did) this is neither a hoax nor a joke, the last thing we ought to do is obsess about “reopening for business”.

The mortality rate of COVID-19 is LOW by pandemic standards. Yet, as the richest nation in the world, should we look benignly at losing up to one million people? It will happen if we rush into “reopening.” Not to mention the fact ongoing protests and demonstrations do not make things any better in slowing the curve.

PS: I suggest you all cancel your vacation at Lake of the Ozarks!

Benoit Gateau-Cumin - Chief Recruiting Officer. Born and raised in France, Benoit managed to scoop up a French law degree prior to studying Hotel Administration at Cornell University. Upon graduation in 1975, he engaged in an eleven-year hotel management career that took him to Chicago, New York, Washington DC, San Diego, Istanbul, Jamaica and Hawaii. He held positions with Omni, Hyatt, Hilton International, ITT Sheraton and Méridien, as well as Honolulu’s unique Halekulani, consistently rated as one of the world’s best.

Benoit was bit by the “headhunting” bug in 1986, and has not relented yet. He founded The Boutique Search Firm in February 1992. His motto: small is beautiful. Benoit loves to mountain bike, take long walks with his wife Susana and their two dogs, and tinker with his budding collection of classic English sports cars.

benoit@boutiquesearchfirm.com / www.boutiquesearchfirm.com