The bottom line of Covid

I have my own conclusions, but someone needs to ask anyway:

Would we have been better off letting the Covid destruction rage anyway, overwhelming the medical system with suffering and dying bodies?

Do you feel the precautions you took were worth the effort? Why or why not?

Did you feel threatened by those who thought and acted differently?

Would you do it again?   

Remember, doctors and nurses weren’t immune, even after vaccines became available. Why should they sacrifice themselves?

Were some justified in asking themselves if the job was financially worth the risk?

 

Housing and home, sweet home

Like it or not, Covid had almost all of us spending more time at home.

Were you feeling cramped? What about the kids?

Did you have to make room for your job, too? How did that feel?

Were you always tripping over others in the household? Did you find ways to enhance your togetherness?

How much of your income is going for mortgage or rent, utilities, and taxes. How did these items shift under Covid? As for other home-related expenses like furnishings?

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We did see soaring prices of houses, many of them going to buyers from California or New York, sight unseen. Who can afford these mortgages? None of us in our old neighborhood could have moved in today. What about you?

Also, the relocation from big cities to small towns, for those whose jobs can be done from home. Will they stay or fit in? What will their impact be, especially in places that have been economically struggling? Can you speak personally about this?

Or the superrich and corporate takeover of American farmlands – and mobile home parks. Another blow to the middle and lower classes.

Qualified contractors, on the other hand, have been booked out solid, as has been the case nationally. (See above housing sales.)

Our new old house needs tons of renovation, but we were stymied. As my wife said, “I have money I want to give to somebody but just can’t find anyone to take it.” Well, if we had a crew lined up, there would have been the problem of getting building supplies, and then at prices twice what they’d been just months before.

We’re hoping that’s finally changing.

What’s your experience been regarding repairs, renovations, workmen, and supplies? What would you do differently? 

Health care and responsibility put to the test

Covid exposed systemic problems in the nation’s health-care system, including the uneven distribution of medical services. A fourth of Americans, mostly rural, have no primary physician, and many others are afraid to use the system because of serious past racial abuses. (These appear to be the leading reason many people have not been vaccinated.)

In terms of Talking Money, I’m guessing that many of us are unaware of the vast differences in these services. Acknowledging them is a first step in finding common solutions.

To start:

Do you have a primary care physician? Why or why not?

What does an annual physical exam cost you? Do you get one?

How close is the nearest hospital?

Even with health insurance, can you afford the deductible or other barriers?

Do you feel a moral responsibility for protecting others?

Do you socially know any health professionals? What did you hear from them about the pandemic?