We are living the fruits of what I predicted would happen back over a year ago when we started shutting down everything over covid. I remember in several conversations repeating the same thing - That shutting down everything would not help us with covid, it would just add a 2nd pain, that being the destruction of our economy and employment. That is largely what has happened now. Covid still rampaged across the country. I never understood, and still don't understand, why so many intelligent people thought that government mandated shutdowns were going to help anything. I don't even say that as a partisan or as someone just wanting to make a political statement - I legitimately want to understand the logic behind how a shutdown was supposed to do anything. They allowed certain stores and business's to remain open, as they were deemed critical. Things like grocery stores, pharmacies, etc. Lowes and other big box stores also stayed open, in the middle of government mandated lockdowns...So the virus was always going to linger, linger, linger through the lockdown among the people still going out, and as soon as lockdown lifts BOOM a resurge of cases as people holed up in their houses came out after months of isolation. When its all said and done, Covid would still be there, and we will have added massive economic struggles on top of it. It all seems very logical to me how this played out. Id be curious to know how many lives were actually saved by locking down everything. I would be open to seeing that data if there were a legitimate way to quantify it, I am not blinded by partisan politics where I cant look at data and acknowledge a flaw in my logic or position.
I work for the government, as Ive shared on these boards before, and I can say in my little corner of the job market, Ive not seen the employment issues. Then again - most of us in my corner never shut down. We worked right through the pandemic as I work in a capacity that is essential. All of my co workers and others we network with are all still in place. I have seen the impact of the employment issues however here in stores, restaurants, and fast food places. My wife also, who is a director of nursing in a medical facility is struggling massively with staffing problems - in particular with CNA's. To those who may not know, a CNA is the lowest peg on the medical tree. (CNA stands for certified nursing assistant) CNA's do most of the grub work in a medical facility. They answer the buzzers, they bring your food, they help you shower, they wipe your butt and clean you up. They often do a lot of the harder day to day work. They also make up the majority of the workforce on the nursing staff. It is becoming impossible right now to keep CNA's. They are all leaving and working for agencies now. The fast food place right next to my wife's nursing facility is offering higher wages than CNA's are currently paid in the building. wipe butts and take care of sick people, or just flip hamburgers and make more money? Or stay home and collect unemployment if you meet the requirements and make more than both of them. Its something my wife is trying to address but its a mess right now in healthcare, an absolute mess. I could not work in her industry.
