The Chaos Diaries - 5/11/20

Okay, I'm tired of all this.  I mean, I've been tired of it for a while now, but my tired is reaching critical mass. 

No, saying I want the country to open back up for business does not mean I hate old people and babies.  If you have old people and babies in your life that you're worried about, by all mean, shelter in place.  Keep them safe.  But don't ask the government to force other people to drop everything to protect the people you love.  That's your job. 

In fact, if you're pushing for the country to stay closed, it makes a case that you are the one who doesn't care.  That you're willing to put your fears for safety above the well being of people who are losing their jobs and struggling to make ends meet and fearing for their future and the futures of their children is sick and wrong.  See?  That fire burns both ways, doncha know.

I saw something on the 'net the other day, calling everyone who wants the country to open back up a bunch of whiny babies who can't handle being stuck at home for 2 months.  Yeah, that was my reaction, too.  =oO  It's not as simple as being stuck at home for 2 months.  There are a lot of people who don't have 2 months worth of income set aside in case of emergency.  There are a lot of people who don't have enough money set aside to pay bills at the end of this month, let alone enough to carry them for two.  They live paycheck to paycheck.  If this was back when I worked my last outside-the-house job, I'd be screwed.  I was barely stretching my income to meet each week's needs.  And I worked for a private school system that would most definitely be shut down.  Whether they would've continued to pay me - a non-essential secretary - through all this?  Your guess is as good as mine.  Most likely, Owl, Kira, and I would've been out on the street.


Even private school systems cannot afford to pay everyone indefinitely when there's no money coming in.  No business can.  And it follows that property management companies cannot continue to stay in business if people aren't paying the rents.   No company can. 

Sure, the $1200 helped.  But what happens when the $1200 runs out?  It was only supposed to keep us all afloat until the country reopened.  If the country doesn't reopen, what then?  Another $1200? And another?  From where?  The government doesn't actually have all that money lying around to throw at the populace.  It's like living off your credit cards.  Sooner or later, the credit limit is reached and the bill comes due.

And another thing...  I'm sick of the commercials with the supposedly soothing music saying we're all in this together.  And they're everywhere - even the site where I go to play mahjong has a hashtag about it.  Umm, no.  Sorry.  We're all facing the chaos, true, but I doubt seriously that the people who make those commercials are in the same boat as the people watching them.  They're on yachts when many people are in leaky canoes, trying to bail with sieves.  Of course, it's heartening to see I'm not the only one who's sick of the commercials.  I've seen a couple people in the past day or so say the same thing.  More eloquently or with more panache than I.

I mean, I get the sentiment.  Really I do.  But trying to make us all feel like we're one big lump of person instead of individuals smells of communism to me.  So, yeah, I'm railing against it.

I'm planning on going out into the world today.  I need ice cream.  Oh, yeah, and apple juice.  But mostly ice cream.  If they have any left when I get to the store.  

How are things in your world?