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Official reports show that 33,000,000 Americans have filed for unemployment in the past month. The equivalent of the work force for half the states in the Union. Remember, that’s just the people who’ve filed. It doesn’t count those who haven’t yet filed or, more importantly in our gig economy, those who still have some sort of job but have seen their income drastically reduced either by less hours or fewer sales for the self-employed. I’m giving away more free books than ever, but selling less. But I have a job for which I am thankful.
There are lines for foodbanks in Geneva, Switzerland. We’ve seen the photos of miles long lines of cars at foodbanks here in the States. Meat-packing plants are closing because they’ve become hot spots.
Those in power want to normalize thousands of deaths a day. They compare it to car crashes, which is ludicrous. They say it’s only the old, which isn’t true. They are painting this as a binary choice: open or closed. When the smart path, is a slow, phased re-opening. But they’ve thrown out the re-opening playbook done by experts.
Yes, the economy is in the tank. Re-opening abruptly isn’t going to “re-start” it. Many jobs and businesses are gone forever. Many others will take years to recover. Because I’m a writer, my brain meanders. I often start pulling on a job thread. Driving past the…
