Dealing with the Pandemic

I’m not a Doctor, Journalist and most certainly not a Politician. I’m just a life long businessman watching in horror with what’s happening in our Nation!

Folks, I know the shutdown is a controversial topic, but I fear history won’t recall that. Right now the business I run is running just fine, thanks, in no small part to it being deemed essential. But isn’t every business essential to the people who own it and further still all those who’s livelihoods depend on it? With some states Governors, including my own, extending closures, not just some but MOST, small businesses located there won’t survive!

Think I’m exaggerating?

Food services are one of the top providers of jobs in our country. When’s the last time you went out for dinner? The next time you’re allowed to it will be at a restaurant restricted to half capacity. Guess what business (at full capacity mind you) already fails more than any other?!

RESTAURANTS!!!

Your favorite local family restaurant more likely than not won’t be here in States which extend the lock down. And it will take all those jobs with it when it goes! You can’t just look at it as just losing your choices for dining out but rather another waiter, hostess and chef are losing their jobs while adding a part of their payroll to the long term unemployment sector.

…and yet another entrepreneurial dream forged through years of blood, sweat and tears gets destroyed through no fault of their own.

I flew for the first time since the closures through Ohare airport this week. One of busiest airports in America was basically empty. I landed in Atlanta which has just begun opening back up. It wasn’t busy but it wasn’t dead either! Guess what worldwide is the number one sector of employment…

TRANSPORTATION!!!

Education: Talk to a public school teacher, ANY public school teacher, and ask them how they think of full time e-learning is working for their students (and for them!)

I have a friend who’s wife is an English as a second language teacher. She’s calling her students at home, many of whom live in apartments. When she was asking them if they’ve been getting outside for fresh air and some exercise she was often told by them “our parents won’t let us” Obviously their parents are concerned and maybe a little confused with what they were hearing from the news and unnecessarily keeping their kids from venturing outside and getting sunshine. But then the kids added “It’s ok Mrs Johnson we get to go to Walmart a couple times a week” 😳

I have a kid in a private high school. It’s not cheap and up until now it’s been worth every penny. Now he’s on-line 4 to 6 hrs a day, bored stiff, while still training hard in anticipation of his fall sport. He’s been running his whole life, he’s the undisputed No 1 runner on his squad and now his Sr. Year is in jeopardy of not occurring. If our State Governor continues to choose to keep students from attending classes, we will choose to leave for another State where he can attend an actual classroom while also participating in the sport he loves and is trying to earn a College scholarship in!

That is, if the small Liberal Arts School that’s recruiting him is even still around.

It was estimated that 100 of our Nations 1,000 Liberal Arts Schools would close over the next 5 years because of a lack of funding. That estimate was BEFORE Coronavirus. Now they are saying 200 could be shuttered…over this next year!

Our oldest son won’t be going back to his school if it’s only on-line. We are paying for the experience and so far his best experience is being a part of the Debate Team. If there’s no sports there’s no Debate. Something tells me the kids on Debate today, might be our Leaders tomorrow

…or rather might have been 😢

I could go on and on and on about the impacts and future impacts of these illegal State wide closure orders.

I don’t know what good it will do though if every time I post something on this, people who seemingly never comment on a picture of one of my ponds or kids, start sounding off by posting all sorts of links to evidence attempting to validate these illegal stay at home orders. And in return others on the other side angrily reply with stats citing the complete opposite!

I DON’T CARE ABOUT STATS I CARE ABOUT COMMON SENSE!!!

Two weeks ago I deposited the largest single check I’ve ever deposited in my 29 years of owning my own business. The money was GIVEN to me by Uncle Sam. The only requirement with me taking that money, part of a now 659 billion allotment by the Federal Governments Payroll Protection Program was that I allot 75% of it for wages. I allotted more than that but it still sure feels un-American any way I slice it!

Simply put, the longer Governors illegally force States to stay on lock down, the more all these problems get exasperated. Government should have Executive Powers to protect the very people that elect them. They shouldn’t be allowed though to use those same executive powers in what seems, on every level, to be Government overreach.

I most certainly am not a Politician. I might just be a businessman. But foremost I am an AMERICAN!!!

I never believed I’d see the day where the Country I love was behaving in a way so antithetical to the one I was brought up in!

Indeed we are all in this together. Every American should want to keep us safe and healthy. And in turn that entails allowing
every small business to operate safely, preserving the livelihoods of those who depend on it.

And in so doing preserving the very freedom being an American affords us!!!