THE COST OF THE CORONAVIRUS...

IN SIMPLER TERMS
BY AARON J. ESCO

In the midst of perhaps the most devastating pandemic and economic

turmoil what’s at stake is truly not known yet. At this moment our elected officials
in Washington, D.C. are trying to figure out how to help the American people. This
involves business bailouts and possibly direct checks into the hands of Americans
because 90% of our economy is currently sitting at home, but what is most likely
not being discussed is the cost of this economic slowdown and the cost of the
stimulus bill being voted on.

The true cost of this catastrophe is going to be felt for a long time due to the
fact people are stuck at home with no job, keeping in mind that there is no real way
to measure the intangible effects this is going to have. If you have ever been
unemployed you know what that hole in your stomach feels like, especially if you
are living paycheck to paycheck, have financial commitments, or multiple mouths
to feed. This unemployment comes with no end date as well, during most instances
of unemployment there is a timeline and plan to get back to work but at this time
there is no timeline and the supply for jobs is about to be surpassed by the demand.
Ultimately what many Americans are most concerned about is not having any
control of this current situation at a time when it seems our lives as we know it are
in a downward spiral. Having control is a calming feeling, but when you tell entire
states that they need to stay home, close up shop and figure out a way to financially
support themselves for an undetermined amount of time the concept of control
seems inconceivable.

Another aspect of this experience is the ideological one because it does not
matter where you fall on the political spectrum, everybody is starting to look at the
function of our bureaucracy and question its function. It’s not that Americans
expect our government to operate as a perfect entity but we do expect it to operate
in the best interests of everyday Americans. I do not think there is one person who
disagrees that there needs to be some sort of economic relief dished out but what I
have found is that many people despite the risks would rather be out working
because no matter what, working for what you have is more rewarding than
receiving something for nothing. No that does not mean we should dismiss the
severity of the disease or the severity of the financial impact but I do think the
American people want some sort of say as to what is going to happen in their
 The Cost of the Coronavirus...In Simpler Terms
individual day to day lives. So many folks are starting to come to the realization
that due to the sheer size of our bureaucracy some if not most of our problems
cannot be fixed by a single bill or good intentions from those in Washington. This
realization should lead most reasonable people who argue for larger government
programs to rethink that ideology because it seems that as a consequence of our
vast bureaucracy we are sitting at home waiting to be saved by people who have no
concept of our individual existence.

When it comes down to it, we can argue whether Americans need a one-time
payment of $1,200 or monthly payments of $2,000 until this subsides. The cost of
the coronavirus is speculated to amount to a one time cost of $1.5 Trillion dollars.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, in 2017 the Federal
Government spent $945 billion dollars on Social Security just to put things into
context. Even though our Federal Government is getting ready to spend an
unthinkable amount of money, the true cost of the Coronavirus has nothing to do
with monetary figures. The social impact this is going to have moving forward is
going to drastically change our lives after this, it is going to change how we
interact, how we spend our money, how we spend our time, and it is going to have
an even larger impact on our view of the government; federally and locally.

Lastly, where do we go from here? Do we continue to move toward a larger

government safety net? Do we continue as we did before this crisis? Or do we ask
our government to act as bowling lane barriers instead of gatekeepers to freedom?
These questions are not only going to be answered in November but in five to ten
years from now when we face another crisis of this magnitude. I believe we will
come out the other end of this a stronger and more together nation but my hope is
that we learn from this experience as a whole to be more prepared socially,
financially, and morally.

liberum libertate quantum