February 11, 2021

Relief and Recovery

By Glenn

Every day I walk my dog.  The daily pilgrimage started about ten years ago.  At the time empty lots lined the newly laid street.  Today it is a neighborhood with about 50 homes.

I watched each one built over the years.  Not one builder started with the roof.  Each started with the foundation and proceeded to add the infrastructure to support the rest of the home.

Just over a year ago, Covid 19 started to spread through our communities and devastated our economy.  It was similar to a hurricane or a tornado ripping homes apart.  Americans needed help.

Unlike hurricanes or tornadoes, Covid 19 was not a momentary event.  The Covid storm continues to batter our lives.  Saving lives requires mandatory limits on indoor activities like drinking inside of bars or dining inside of restaurants or teaching in closed classrooms. 

https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/01/19/958449203/400-lights-for-400-000-dead-to-illuminate-lincoln-memorial-reflecting-pool

Covid is like a flood that refuses to recede.  The longer the waters sit, the greater the damage to the foundation of our economy.

Last summer, the United States government passed a relief package that put a blue tarp on the roof.  Conservatives pushed backed liberal attempts to take care of the foundation. 

As a result, American millionaires and billionaires continue without even noticing the crisis.  The rest of us, however, see the waters of homelessness, job losses, and health costs rise all around us.  The tarp did little to provide comfort or safety.

Fortunately, America had an election.  The majority of us decided to rebuild the foundation.  President Joe Biden has asked Congress to prepare a new relief package.  Biden’s American Rescue Plan seeks to repair the foundation of our economy.

The plan would provide most adults with $1400 of immediate relief.  Experience shows that money will immediately flow into the local economy.  Americans will buy food, pay rent and visit a doctor.  This spending will keep Americans employed.

The American Rescue Plan also will provide direct aid to hospitals and states.  Detecting, tracing and treating Covid 19 is expensive.  The federal government will pay for more testing and public healthcare workers. 

Public education is another foundation of our economy.  Safely opening schools is a national priority.  Like the rest of America, schools need effective testing and protective gear.  Some schools need technology upgrades to deliver courses safely at a distance.

Covid 19 has been a national disaster.  It requires a national response.  Recovering and rebuilding starts with a solid foundation.  Putting people first will make us stronger, prouder and more secure.

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