Across America there is despair hitting millions of people. For many, that comes in the form of the loss of a loved one to the corona virus. Over 70,000 have died with the vast bulk being people in their 70s or older who have other health problems as well. Roughly half of all the dead were patients in nursing homes when the virus first hit. Among the deaths for those under 70, the majority were in their 60s and nearly all the rest had other serious health problems prior to getting the virus. Put another way, the virus was fatal almost exclusively to those who were already sick and to the very old.
But that's not the only group that has been devastated. The response to the virus has cost the jobs of many tens of millions of Americans. Right now, a big bunch of those people are still getting income either through the Paycheck Protection Program or through unemployment payments. Many of the businesses who employ these folks, however, are in the process of going under. How many hundreds of thousands of restaurants will never reopen? How many hair and nail salons will disappear even once the okay to resume is given. How many small retail stores are vanishing from the landscape? The number of the departed among small businesses will surely be more than a million. Then there are the large businesses that will also disappear. Companies like hotel operators, tourism related companies (like car rentals, tour groups, provision suppliers to cruise ships, etc.) and the like will be going under too. Even with all the government support we may see ten million or more jobs disappear permanently as employers vanish. And then there are the people who get furloughed by companies that survive but which discover that they can get by with fewer people on the payroll. How many millions of jobs will that cost. And it's not just these groups. Come the fall, if full class schedules do not resume, how many college students are going to take leaves of absence for a year until school gets back to normal. Many people aren't going to want to pay for an education only to get lectures on line.
Think of the people who took a chance on the economy and put their life savings into opening a business. Now, through no fault of their own, they are being wiped out. Where will they get the cash needed to start over?
How about the children? Does anyone really believe that classes held on line are anything like real school, especially for the younger kids? How many parents just gave up trying to make sure that their sons or daughter study. And how many are going hungry as their parents have lost wages or jobs? All the programs help, but in many states, the unemployment programs still cannot even pay out weekly benefits for those who lost their jobs in March.
The point here is that the issue is not just saving people from the virus. We also have to save people from the effects of our efforts to fight the virus. Now that it's clear that the only groups really at risk from the virus are the elderly and those with serious health conditions, shouldn't we focus our efforts on keeping that group safe rather than trying to protect everyone, including those who are really not at risk? Those people can still isolate themselves at home. Everyone else, however, can go back to work while there are still jobs there to which to return.
We always knew that millions would get the virus, but the fear was that huge numbers of the sick would die. We know now that the fear was misplaced except regarding the old and the infirm. Let's not destroy America on the basis of a prior mistake. States that are locked down need to reopen. NOW.
But that's not the only group that has been devastated. The response to the virus has cost the jobs of many tens of millions of Americans. Right now, a big bunch of those people are still getting income either through the Paycheck Protection Program or through unemployment payments. Many of the businesses who employ these folks, however, are in the process of going under. How many hundreds of thousands of restaurants will never reopen? How many hair and nail salons will disappear even once the okay to resume is given. How many small retail stores are vanishing from the landscape? The number of the departed among small businesses will surely be more than a million. Then there are the large businesses that will also disappear. Companies like hotel operators, tourism related companies (like car rentals, tour groups, provision suppliers to cruise ships, etc.) and the like will be going under too. Even with all the government support we may see ten million or more jobs disappear permanently as employers vanish. And then there are the people who get furloughed by companies that survive but which discover that they can get by with fewer people on the payroll. How many millions of jobs will that cost. And it's not just these groups. Come the fall, if full class schedules do not resume, how many college students are going to take leaves of absence for a year until school gets back to normal. Many people aren't going to want to pay for an education only to get lectures on line.
Think of the people who took a chance on the economy and put their life savings into opening a business. Now, through no fault of their own, they are being wiped out. Where will they get the cash needed to start over?
How about the children? Does anyone really believe that classes held on line are anything like real school, especially for the younger kids? How many parents just gave up trying to make sure that their sons or daughter study. And how many are going hungry as their parents have lost wages or jobs? All the programs help, but in many states, the unemployment programs still cannot even pay out weekly benefits for those who lost their jobs in March.
The point here is that the issue is not just saving people from the virus. We also have to save people from the effects of our efforts to fight the virus. Now that it's clear that the only groups really at risk from the virus are the elderly and those with serious health conditions, shouldn't we focus our efforts on keeping that group safe rather than trying to protect everyone, including those who are really not at risk? Those people can still isolate themselves at home. Everyone else, however, can go back to work while there are still jobs there to which to return.
We always knew that millions would get the virus, but the fear was that huge numbers of the sick would die. We know now that the fear was misplaced except regarding the old and the infirm. Let's not destroy America on the basis of a prior mistake. States that are locked down need to reopen. NOW.
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