I didn't mean to judge I'm just saying that it's not categorically the case that the US was underprepared, which is what parent poster claimed. If you want an

I didn't mean to judge I'm just saying that it's not categorically the case that the US was underprepared, which is what parent poster claimed. If you want an interpretation, it's that politicians like to prematurely take grandiose measures when smaller measures are more important, and for smaller measures like to make edicts when getting buy-in might be a better strategy for obtaining social compliance.