I know.
It seems very dark right now.
And many of the steps we are taking right now feels like plunges into utter madness.
Our narcissistic leader is more concerned about his tv ratings and poll numbers and pending re-election than he is about human lives. We are short on essential supplies, and he is leading the cry to end social distancing.
More and more commentators are urging us to choose the economy instead of human lives. And more and more of us, to humanity's utter shame, are listening.
Our behavior is guaranteeing a devastating second wave. I don't see how that doesn't happen now. I pray that I am wrong, but everything about the way we are behaving suggests that we will not make it out of this without greater than necessary casualties.
There never should have been a choice between capitalist greed and mitigating this terrible coronavirus. We could have easily supported people instead of corporations. We could not have put people at extreme economic risk, and instead offered more direct support - universal basic income or guaranteeing a significant portion of base salary.
The ray of light?
That this will be enough to finish off the age of greed in the United States. That we finally recognize the need for a better social safety net, and for a restructuring of the flaws of capitalism.
That we recognize that healthcare is a basic human right and that we need to move away from an employer-based system and move towards a truly universal healthcare system. The best and easiest to put in place is the single-payer system known as Medicare for All. At the very least, I never, ever, want to hear another Democratic politician, like Mayor Pete or Senator Klobuchar or Vice President Biden, mutter some inanity about how Americans prefer their private plans. Yes, their private plans that can VANISH in a heartbeat when employers whim it different or you are laid off or fired. ENOUGH!
That we finally raise the minimum wage to be a LIVING WAGE. We all know and respect and cherish the vital work that our medical staff has done. But we cannot ignore all the working poor and middle class that we throw into the frontlines as well - grocery store clerks, restaurant staff, migrant farm labor, meatpackers, and many more. If I ever hear someone use the term "burger flipper" again..well, I will mercilessly verbally assault you. Maybe. Any rate, I will be very upset, and I will make that clear to you.
That we finally address global warming in a significant way. We have given the planet a major breather, and we need to figure out ways to NOT resume the horrors of fossil fuel consumption and all the myriad ways we pollute the planet and make it increasingly unlivable.
That we learn that there is more to life than mindless productivity and unlimited consumption. We need to reconfigure the economy around people and not things. I don't want to return to an economy focused solely on making reams of useless and disposable trinkets. Manufacturing jobs have been preferred jobs because they pay more than other jobs people with a basic education could get. We need to give the same dignity and pay to service work.
This is the tip of the iceberg as to the rays of light that I hope will come out of the other end of this crisis.
Is it likely to happen?
You don't want me to answer that.
Let's just stick to the rays of light for this one, OK?
As the world around you disintegrates into madness, stay as safe as you can.
Love,
Tom
I hope you're right about that ray of light. I think your posts are part of that light. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I probably have more doggy downers than puppy uppers, but I try not to be all gloom and doom.
ReplyDelete