Forty-second Entry

Tuesday, April 28th, 2020

Today, most of the news is about “reopening.”  
The President says, “Testing is not going to be a problem.”  
An Obama-era medical advisor projected that things would return to “normal” in Fall 2021. 

New York state’s budget will be cut by 8 billion dollars—no mention of where those cuts will fall.

The president plans to use the much-talked-about Defense Production Act to get the meat packing industry up and running, particularly the pork sector. Pork production has become a “critical industry,” to use his words. At the beginning of this mess, the president did not think masks or ventilators were critical. Pork is not in short supply yet, but “it could be,” he said. A few days ago, the pork promoters said that without help, they would not be able to keep their pigs going and would need to euthanize them.  

I grew up across the street from a farm that raised pigs. Though I never spoke to the farmers, it seemed obvious they could easily have kept their pigs for another six months or longer. The places mentioned in the news are likely not pig farms but pig factories.  

The use of the terms “first responders” and “critical workers” is expanding. These expressions refer to warehouse workers, people fulfilling Amazon orders, grocery store cashiers, and delivery people. Perhaps they will become the new heroes? It would be good if those people were noticed and, better yet, paid more. It might give rise to a real middle class again—like after WWII when America expanded economically. Then, the population increased, and though that growth was probably not sustainable, people bought homes, traveled, and educated their kids. Now, that wealth is inhaled by corporations and the few who own them. 

If working-class people made more money, they could spend beyond their monthly expenses – or even save – imagine that.  

Make America great again.  

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