It’s Really Not Bad Enough Yet, Huh?
How bad does it have to be before our “leaders” get serious?
Welp, they tried. Right? All those hard-working public servants in that swamp by the Potomac River — who seem to have just last week realized that over 30 million constituents were about to lose their $600 weekly lifeline — gave it the old college try. Really they did. But, oh too bad, it wasn’t enough. The benefit expires this week, but that’s not a good enough reason to keep those “leaders” in Washington, DC. Right?
It’s time for their vacation, dammit!
Apparently over 150,000 dead, a record-breaking economic freefall that makes The Great Depression look just kind of ok (but not Great), as well as record-breaking new infections daily in multiple states is, well, it’s really unfortunate and all, but it’s not enough to keep Congress from leaving for vacation. They’ve had their noses to the grindstone, sweating it out on behalf of those people still alive since getting back from their last vacation…three weeks ago.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
To be fair, yes, most of the, ahem, lawmakers are allowed to go back to their home states with the caveat that they be ready to jump right on a jet and come back in case things get to the point of a vote. Personally, I’m not sure that going “home” to millions of anxious, angry constituents facing foreclosures and evictions would make for much of a vacation but what do I know?
The disconnect between the reality we are facing and that of those pampered, clueless Senators and Representatives (I use the term loosely) is breathtaking. They really don’t seem to understand what is actually happening to their constituents. And when the reality of the situation does intrude on their happy little playground, they seem adept at putting their fingers in their ears and singing.
For example, Herman Cain’s death apparently wasn’t enough to put a little fear of God into these overpaid bean counters. There was a minute there, back when Boris Johnson got sick, and I mean really sick, that I thought something that now strikes me as ridiculously naive. Here’s what I thought: “Now they’ll have to take this virus seriously.” Can you believe I actually thought that? Yeah, me either.
So what will be enough to get the attention of those in power?
Remember that guy, the Pharoah in Egypt who refused Joseph’s request that he free the slaves? Sure you do. Yul Brynner played him in the movie. It was awesome. When the Pharoah said no, Joseph went off and had a closed-door conference with The Big Guy and, lo, plagues swept Egypt. There were frogs falling out of the sky and all the people turned up with boils and cankers and then the Nile ran red with blood. But Yul Brynner, I mean the Pharoah, was no quitter. Things were bad but they weren’t bad enough. No, the Jews would not be freed.
Then came the night when the Angel of Death passed over the homes of the Jews. Ok. That was bad enough. When all the first-born children of Egypt up and died, the Pharoah cried uncle and the Jews packed up and left for The Promised Land.
Is that how bad things have to get here?
I’m beginning to think so. If half the Senators’ kids get sick will that do it? If several select Senators from certain states get the virus and die, would that be bad enough to get the attention of the rest of those bozos? Do they really think they’ve got some kind of magic immunity?
I realize that I’m coming off as some kind of cold, heartless sociopath with these kinds of speculations…much like the ones heading off to dodge freaked out constituents and try to get some rest and relaxation in. I’m ok with that.
Let’s skip past sociopath and go full psychopath, shall we?
I am beginning to think that even that level of personal tragedy would not change the policy decisions of these people. I worry that parts of this country could slide into complete chaos with people being killed in their homes and their remaining stores of food being stolen and still these duly elected numbskulls would dither and equivocate from some bunker in a mountain somewhere.
The only thing that seems to make an impression on these people is when the markets drop.
When investors start pulling their money out of U.S.-based corporations and turn their hopeful faces to Asia and the ER, that’s going to get some response. If the government response to that makes things a little easier for the actual consumers who are the engines of this obscene economic machine, well, that’s ok too. But, for dear Christ’s sake, don’t let this country’s bond rating slip any further. That is their definition of catastrophe.
Here’s where our good news comes in, my fellow Americans. Let’s grit our teeth and get ok with having ramen every night for a while. The bond rating will slip. The economy, tied as it is to our spending (and the nincompoops are making sure that faucet gets shut off), is going to wither even further. The markets are going to get so anemic they’ll be on life support. The panic along the Potomac will hit nosebleed heights.
And those motherfuckers will blink.
Sure, a whole helluva lot more of us are going to die in the meantime. We will lose our homes and retirement savings and our kids won’t get educated. I would guess those still alive and ambulatory will be sure to vote and if any stable genius gets the bright idea to try and delay or otherwise tamper with the election, things could get very — shall we say — historic.
That’s how bad I think it’s got to get before these clueless, entitled, sheltered, greedy little people give back some of the money they’ve been skimming off our paychecks for decades.
The question then becomes, what do we want for ourselves after surviving this shit storm? Those of us who do survive, that is.
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