Were' Not Going to take it too long?

Ohnooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Oh, we're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
Oh, we're not gonna take it anymore

We've got the right to choose it
There ain't no way we'll lose it
This is our life, this is our song

We'll fight the powers that be, just
Don't pick our destiny 'cause
You don't know us, you don't belong

Oh, we're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
Oh, we're not gonna take it anymore

Oh, you're so condescending
Your gall is never ending
We don't want nothin', not a thing from you

Your life is trite and jaded
Boring and confiscated
If that's your best, your best won't do

Whoa, oh oh
Whoa, oh oh

We're right (yeah)
We're free (yeah)
We'll fight (yeah)
You'll see (yeah)

Whoa, whoa, we're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
Oh, we're not gonna take it anymore

We're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
Oh, we're not gonna take it anymore

No way

Whoa, oh oh
Whoa, oh oh

We're right (yeah)
We're free (yeah)
We'll fight (yeah)
You'll see (yeah)

We're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
We're not gonna take it anymore

We're not gonna take it (no)
No, we ain't gonna take it
we're not gonna take it anymore

Just you try and make us

We're not gonna take it
(Come on!)
No, we ain't gonna take it
(You're all worthless and weak)
We're not gonna take it anymore
(Now drop and give me twenty)

We're not gonna take it
(A pledge pin)
No, we ain't gonna take it
(On your uniform)
We're not gonna take it anymore

Twisted Sister

OK readers!

 I include a link to Twisted Sisters Video to open this blog post as it depicts (fairly well I think) of how a kid and his family locked up in “Stay at home” quarantine may be feeling right now.  Let me know if I am crazy!

This past week has been tough, particularly for those on the east coast in general and the New York area especially.  The “Good News” I guess (if you can call it that) is that this area seems to have “peaked” (we think!) in terms of initial wave of cases and deaths from this deadly infection.  If so great but I am no expert and the experts optimism on that front sounds hardly promising on any quick recovery and return to normal.  The descriptions of “normal” I hear are frankly frightening.  Meanwhile on the economic front news that 22 million people have been thrown out of work is out today, and I doubt that is the end.  That number boggles the mind.  Given the “known” deaths from this virus stands this am at about 34,000 and counting.  There will unfortunately be many more. 

A back of the napkin calculation of the number of jobs ended (yes maybe “temporarily”) yields a ratio of 647 lost jobs for each death so far.  I guess we might never know how many lives will be saved by these job losses but early estimates of 200,000 deaths were thrown around.  Assuming that in the end we end up with 75,000 deaths maybe we will someday say we saved 125,000 lives which if nobody else loses a job (right), means  hypothetically each saved life cost us  "only" 176 jobs.

But how about this for perspective:

One company, Best Buy, this week alone laid off 51,000 employees.  13,000 more that the deaths we have head nationwide so far.  The ripple effects are also hitting our Public Sector.  The City of Boulder laid off 751 employees this week.  Colorado has had 357 deaths so far so just with the one  City of Boulder you have 2 jobs lost for every death in Colorado.  Why? because of low Sales, hotel and restaurant taxes.  It’s tough to “reopen” restaurants if everyone must wear a mask.

Or how about this tiny perspective:

  I am on the Board of our local Lions Foundation.  We had a “zoom” meting this morning.  Every year we raise about $150,000 to support local “Non-Profits” like home health, hospice, kids rodeo programs, the local Family Shelter, etc. In all about 15 different programs.  We also give scholarships to High School Students.  This is a pretty big sum for a county with 14,000 residents. This year our hope is to maybe raise $25,000 if some social distance restrictions are lifted by the end of June.  Most will go to the scholarship program…since kids already applied.  The 100,000 for local non-profits, well if we are lucky (we have a hopeful budget now) maybe 10,000 will be available. Now the impact of Corona Virus here in our county has been a non-event, just 4 cases of the virus so far, and no deaths. Despite that encouraging stat because of this pandemic’s economic effect, our local hospice Non-profit will now l likely receive $0 from us versus say $5,000.   Multiply that by hundreds of Lions clubs around the country.  Not sure how that is in any “model”.

Observation:  The economic fabric of our country is teetering and so far the solutions offered by the “experts” do not sound promising. I sense that in a few places signs of “discontent” are already popping up. I fear that we are on a path that many of our fellow citizens will soon find impossible to support. Personally, I believe we need to find solutions that offer hope in the next 30 days or support for continued draconian preventive health measures will rapidly evaporate.  Everybody may have a different sense of the right cost of "per life saved" but for all their will be a limit (I assume).  I believe where one stands on his will cross ideological divides and it may create some interesting political realignment that cuts both ways. In any event signs that both red and blue state leaders realize this is a reality are appearing and that gives me a bit of hope.  It is hard not to realize that Twisted Sister has a legitimate message.

This blog post was intentionally brief, an I let Twisted Sister do most of my "singing" presentation. 

But a  few closing thoughts.

Nobody can predict the future, (well except of course yours truly).  Some good can also come from this.  Certainly, many have benefited from spending time away from work (although I wonder how much domestic violence has occurred). It certainly has been a time for reflection and introspection.  Perhaps we will gather a new sense of what is truly important, family and friends, and faith, and a sense we are all in his boat together.

So regardless of one’s politics, I hope many will get a new feeling that no side of the aisle, nor no “expert” has all the correct answers, we need to listen, reflect and speak, all with an open mind, and heart.  Even if it goes nowhere like Twisted Sister you can blow off  some energy!  I hope you all feel free to do so!

With that I bid you

Adieu 

PS I have no specific "cost per life" number in mind but you can likely tell by my math you might sense I think we are approaching it!