Skip to main content

It's Like The Blind Leading The Naked

A strange parade indeed, if the blind guide the naked down the route. In this case, all the blind need to do is take off the sleeping mask they use to hide what they choose not to see or acknowledge. And the naked? They need only to cloth themselves, but they will not do that.  Because if they do, they become like the rest of us and no one will look at them.

Think of who you are in this tale. You can be our elected leaders, who in an effort to retain their control of government make decisions that might cause harm and even death to us. They do this by blindly rejecting the opinions of their own advisors.

You might be those who are naked, who in this case cloth themselves in automatic weapons, confederate flags, and fascist slogans so they can draw attention to their naked anger at being told what to do. To be fair, not all of this group are racist, nationist, bigots, but these folks, still naked mind you, tend to be lost in the crowd when surrounded by the others.

Or, you may be watching the parade on TV. (As you shelter in place while keeping social distance during these trying times.) For some of us, the price of self-quarantine is mostly paid by the mental discomfort exhibited by loneliness. For others, it is more close to panic as they watch life as they know it fades to black like the last scene in a movie.

They sit in long drive-through lines to be tested for COVID 19 or maybe to get some food from a well-meaning nonprofit, they worry about how long their landlord or bank will put up with their payments in arrears. Can they afford groceries? Maybe the power will be shut off or their car will be repossessed.

What should we do with this mess?

I believe as the government is the last resort should heed the advice of the experts and follow strict guidelines while reopening the economy.

The governments should take care of the frightened citizen at least as well as they dole out welfare checks to the corporations and special interests. This will take the form of a guaranteed monthly income until this mess is straightened out.

$2000/month for an individual $4000.00/month for a family of four. This support should continue until the family is sufficiently employed.

We should guarantee the health of anyone infected. No one should go into debt because of this pandemic. All expenses accrued by treating these patients should be paid for by the Federal Government.

All student loan debt should be frozen. No interest should be accrued until the student is sufficiently employed and able to resume payments.

No funds paid to support industries or corporations within industries should go to management salaries, bonuses, stock buybacks, or deferred benefit programs.

Companies must maintain their employees on their health insurance programs for expenses not occurred by contracting COVID 19.

If the company receives funds to keep its employees on the payroll while not working they must verify payment and dismissals during the program.

Since the welfare of our citizens is vital to our national defense and security these programs should be included in the national defense budget bill.

I'm sure I missed some items of concern, but I think this is a good start.

Comments

  1. You are right on target with this.
    This is how it SHOULD be approached.
    You can't just throw a little "stimulus" money at the problem this time. The glaring problem of the poverty facing millions of ordinary Americans cannot be ignored.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Once A Young Man

 My late friend Jack had a saying that's lost on young people; it sure was lost on me. With his version of a Finnish accent, he'd say, " We are too soon old and too late, smart." I've never heard anybody answer the question about returning and reliving their youth that didn't include the covariate that they would know what they know now. Maturation and accepting the onset of the later years of our life goes a long way to mellowing our passions. Chicago Bear fans are less intimidating, and the members of the opposite sex who are age appropriate are far more appealing than we might have thought in our youth. Yes, I will admit some men still try to relive their youth in ways that defy logic. This facet of two late smart prevents athletes from realizing when their best years are behind them. More men than women seem to delude themselves into believing that members of the opposite sex half their age are suitable mates.  I'm not going to deny that some of us old...

Which Doctor Do I Call?

 It started with weepy, crusty eyes. Then my left leg started acting like it had a swivel for a knee. Suddenly, I was experiencing a lack of energy. To top it off, I wasn't getting a good night's sleep. Who do ya call? In my case, I'm calling my primary. My eye problem might need a specialist. Since I have CMT, my leg problem could be neuropathy or orthopedic. My cancer treatments might lead to my lack of pep. And despite using my pillows to attain perfect comfort, my aching legs and lower back keep me awake. I'm going to be cutting back a bit since my health seems to be melting before my weepy, crusty eyes. I've quit my tutoring gig. This hurts me. My student, six-year-old Aydn Collins, is a joy to be with. I had hoped my contribution to his education would be good for him. The biggest problem with the job is getting in and out of the school. Featuring long walks from and back to the parking lot and the mountain of stairs. The older schools are wonderful in almost ...

Watching the Oldies

Note: Last week's post was late. There is a reason. Read on.  Classic Film: From Here To Eternity The film opens in Hawaii in 1941. The film stars Bur Lancaster, Mongomery Clift, Deborah Carr and Donna Reed. It is before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The only scene I remember is a scene many people who never watched the entire film have seen. It shows Bert Lancaster and Deborah Carr lying on a sandy beach, kissing as an incoming washed over them. Given the popularity of that scene, it was amazing to me that that iconic image is only seconds long in the film. The story is about the innocence of army personnel with no idea what's coming. Lancaster literally runs the squad while his Captain lets him take charge so he can campaign for his promotion and cheat on his wife.  To make up for the disrespect he has for his commanding officer, Lancaster beds his Captain's officer's wife only to fall in love with her.  Clift's character suffers the humiliation of an offic...