Month: March 2020

I was searching for a quote that captures my thoughts and emotions about the crisis unfolding before us with this pandemic. Every morning I wake up to hear that the numbers of those infected by COVID-19 and those who have died has risen. That announcement is followed by the pleas of governors and healthcare workers for needed resources. We even sent our physician daughter in law six of our N-95 face masks to use at the hospital. I feel two emotions simultaneously: sadness and anger. The latter is born out of frustration and disappointment at the stupidity, lack of leadership, and lack of planning coming from the Trump administration. And then I face another day of working from home.

I chose a quote by an American writer who was completely unknown to me: Robert Tew. He said, “The struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need tomorrow.” That quote really hit the mark for me. And I hope it is true.

There is no doubt that we are in a struggle and our weaknesses and vulnerabilities are being exposed every minute, both personally and collectively. We can clearly see where we have failed and where the cracks are in our healthcare system and financial policies. These have exposed us to a public health disaster and financial ruin.

I’ll make my reflection short. There will be other crises moving forward because that is the world we live in. My hope is that this present struggle will make us shore up our healthcare system to be more about people than profit. I hope corporate leaders and government leaders will recognize that the present financial system that suppresses wages to the point that workers had no savings for these rainy days will rethink policies and practices to reduce these absurd levels of income inequality. And I hope that American voters will see the error of having a president like Donald Trump in the White House as his leadership has only worsened this disaster and choose to dump him this year.

This November, we will have the opportunity to make the country stronger by electing Joe Biden and senators who actually want to strengthen our healthcare system and reduce income inequality. We’ll be in a better position for the next crisis if we get this right in November.

At work this past Monday we were all in the building together maintaining social distancing which included our daily meeting via Zoom from our respective offices. By Thursday we were taking shifts in the building. By Friday the entire building was shut down and we were ordered to work from home. Thankfully, I was allowed to gather items I need to work from home and now once a week I will be allowed into the building for a couple of hours alone to handle critical tasks. Beyond the need for flexibility, this pandemic is teaching us important lessons. First among them is that leadership is important. Accurate information is paramount. Hope is not a plan. Technology is essential. Rainy day funds are necessary. And how we behave affects others. It is also highlighting our major failings.

I have a daughter-in-law who is an MD working at a major hospital. By virtue of her work, my son has been working from home for a while because her hospital made it clear that she will likely become infected and so will her household. They are young and healthy and so they take it in stride. But what does this say about our lack of preparedness? Hospitals, urgent care facilities, and doctor’s offices don’t have adequate supplies to care for themselves while caring for their patients. There aren’t enough masks, hospital beds, or ventilators. Our government saw this coming and did nothing. Hope is not a plan. Denial and closing borders is not preparation. It’s disheartening to hear doctors and nurses pleading with the public for the supplies they need to treat those of us who become ill without exposing themselves and their own families. We have to step up now and produce what is needed. The continued failure of leadership at the highest level is striking and dangerous.

Our other failing in this “information age” is not doing a good enough job convincing people that their behavior affects others. I get that Americans are rugged individuals who pursue their own best interest first. We aren’t a collective society that looks first at what is in the best interest of the whole. When faced with a situation such as this, our pursuit of individual fun, protection, and profit harms the most vulnerable among us. For a nation full of religious people, we ignore many of religious moral commands. We are in fact our brothers’ keeper and the way this virus spreads drives this point home. The college students enjoying spring break on Florida beaches, the hoarding and fighting in the grocery stores, the scammers looking to make a buck online using the virus are all evident of the failure of individualism. We need to strengthen our teaching around the greater good.

And finally, this pandemic has shown just how financially vulnerable most of us are. The poorest can’t take advantage of the technology that is making some life functions doable–like working, shopping, socializing, and learning from home. In addition, most Americans don’t have a rainy day fund to get through an economic emergency like this when income is cut off. I’ve listened to every financial advisor for years talk about setting aside at least 6-8 months worth of expenses. I realize that while we were in the position to do this, many people are living pay check to pay check because wages and income have not risen except at the very top. So, as jobs and paychecks disappear, in order to prevent a full-on economic collapse our government will need to give people money. I understand this. But all of us who are able should do extra too by donating to food banks, by giving or lending funds to friends and family members who are out of work. I think about my nail and hair salons that were ordered to close. We can’t visit our favorite restaurants because they, too, are closed. Theaters are closed. All those workers are now without income. Were they able to save 6-8 months worth of expenses to weather this emergency? It is doubtful. So, they won’t be able to pay their rent, utilities, buy food or other necessities without help. I’m going to give where I can. Perhaps this will be a wake-up call to Americans to save more and spend less in the future. Even more importantly, perhaps employers will start paying their workers better so that they can continue to spend and save, too.

There are a few bright spots in all this. Some employers like Mark Cuban are still paying workers who work during NBA games. Some singers like John Legend are posting living room concerts on YouTube to cheer people up. Some governors are taking leadership in ways our president has failed to step up. Most cell phone providers have eliminated extra charges for exceeding data limits. And technology is proving to be a life saver for work production and for teaching and learning in most places. And the brightest spot are by far our health care providers who are putting themselves on the line for the greater good.

This virus has exposed areas where we need to improve. But it has also exposed the generosity of some and the insensitivity of others. We’re all in this together and we rely on each other. So, I hope that is the biggest lesson we take from this pandemic.

This was a week of rapid changes nationally, personally, and professionally. A trip to several stores to purchase disinfectant wipes or sprays was completely fruitless. I hadn’t thought about additional paper towels or toilet paper until my daughter told me she couldn’t find any. My husband called me at work to say that there was a line inside COSTCO to purchase them and that by the time he got back there, they were sold out. And now public gatherings are being cancelled left and right. Many schools, including my own, have gone to online instruction. In addition, my University cancelled all conference travel, including a conference I was scheduled to attend this week. I wasn’t planning to attend anyway to limit my exposure. A cousin called to ask me about the family reunion I’ve been planning for this summer. My response was to extend the registration deadline because I don’t have a crystal ball.

And that’s kind of the problem. We simply don’t know where the end is. The only thing we do know is that the virus spreads easily among people and that it can be deadly for the elderly and people with underlying health conditions. My husband and I fit both categories and so we are extra careful. Social distancing is essential to slow the progression of the virus. I appreciate that another daughter who usually stays with us when she is working in California decided that she might not do that for a while given that her exposure to others is greater than ours. She isn’t afraid of getting sick, but she fears passing the virus to us. I’m happy to have raised a wise and considerate woman.

But really, this is precisely why schools are suspending operations or going online. It’s why college and professional sports have suspended or postponed events. It’s why theaters have gone dark and conferences have been cancelled. We all want to protect the vulnerable people in our lives. I heard someone jokingly call this disease the “Boomer Doomer”. I made a rather cynical remark to my husband that this is one way to cut the cost of Social Security and Medicare. He grimaced. But it is undeniable that there is a fiscal impact associated with this virus outbreak.

I think about the all the losses to businesses that provide services to sports fans, conference goers, work sites, and tourists. Just this week, I personally cancelled my hotel and travel. None of the restaurants I would have patronized for three meals a day over the course of five days will get my business. My daughter cancelled her flight to New York as all the theaters there went dark and her clients in numerous shows ceased to work. Last night, I picked up Chinese food from the local restaurant we frequent and my husband admonished me for it. We ceased eating out, but he doesn’t even want take-out. Will local businesses survive if we all adopt this behavior? I think of all the businesses that went under during the 2008 financial crisis and I get worried. Many businesses we patronized in our small community never returned.

I don’t have an answer. I just know that priority number one is to physically survive. Second to that is financial survival. I haven’t had the stomach to look at my stock market investments. I will continue to invest because I’m in it for the long run and its possible to view this as stocks being on sale. But it’s not easy. We may well be headed for a recession if the government financial package isn’t smart and adequate enough to assist people whose livelihood is adversely affected by the loss of work.

My immediate plan is to find toilet paper, disinfectant, and canned goods. I’ll only purchase enough for my husband and me. I won’t be a hoarder, recognizing that my fellow human beings are in the same situation and will also need these items should we become house-bound. But what we found in the four stores we visited Saturday was astounding.

First, we arrived at COSTCO 30-minutes before it opened and found the line to enter the store was wrapped around the building and extended far into the parking lot. We left. The grocery stores had many bare shelves with a glaring absence of essentials like milk, bread, and canned goods. We were shocked. I found and bought two cans of disinfectant at Home Depot and purchased two of the three disinfectant wipes that had just been restocked in Target by paying for one of them in a separate line from my husband. We were unsuccessful in purchasing toilet paper anywhere and opted for napkins and facial tissue instead. Thankfully, we already have about 20 rolls in stock.

However, without a crystal ball, I’m not entirely confident that this is enough. I’m just hopeful that we can curtail the spread of this virus and eventually get back to life as we’ve come to appreciate it.

I delayed mailing in my absentee ballot and ended up voting for Joe Biden in the primary. He wasn’t my first choice but he was the only viable choice left to me as a moderate democrat. I’m disappointed in myself and the American people because we don’t seem capable anymore of electing the smartest, most articulate, and temperate person as our leader. In my opinion, towards the end of this particular primary cycle the most capable candidates were Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, and Pete Buttigieg. But they pulled out, leaving behind two old white men as the only viable Democratic choices. Yes, Tulsi Gabbard is still in it, but her chances of winning the nomination are slim to none.

How is it that the same American electorate that put Obama in the White House for eight years gave us these dismal choices? Obama represented us around the world with dignity and was well respected. He was intellectually brilliant, thoughtful and articulate, put forth policies that uplifted millions, saved our economy from a depression, kept us safe from another 911 terrorist attack, was scandal free, was empathetic and caring, and was a role model for our children. His wife was beautiful and brilliant and put forth a platform that actually made sense. And then we elected an old white man with none of these admirable characteristics and a wife whose platform is incoherent if not downright hypocritical.

This November, we’ll be choosing among three old white men, each much older and each less capable than Obama. The incumbent is a lying criminal narcissist whose ignorance is on display every day. He has singlehandedly discredited the office of the presidency in the eyes of the world and has become a laughingstock among world leaders. No reasonable parent would point to Trump as a role model. But most importantly, he is a threat to our security, the planet, and our health and general welfare. And our choices now left to replace him are better, but certainly not the best we were offered.

There is Bernie Sanders who is calling for a revolution that will likely result in a government stalemate, getting absolutely nothing accomplished. He isn’t able to compromise and his years in the Senate have shown this. His ideas of socialism go farther than the countries he says he wants to emulate. And he can’t show exactly how he will pay for all these freebies he is offering. While I do believe that healthcare should be a right and I’m for a Medicare for all type of system, I’m not on board with everything he’s promoting. I believe there is dignity in working and investing to earn a living and too much free stuff is a disincentive and causes major shortages of everything. I believe his policies would ultimately bankrupt the country. Besides that, his personality is that of a grumpy old man and his supporters have taken on his nasty personality on social media. At least he is honest, but I don’t believe he is electable in November.

The third old white man is on the ballot is Joe Biden. He is a kind and temperate, empathetic and moderate democrat. His policies are good and less dangerous than both Trump and Sanders. However, he opens his mouth and who knows what will come out. He is likeable, experienced, and just smart enough. He is certainly smarter than Trump and more likeable as a human being than both of his competitors. He might embarrass us on occasion with a gaff here and there, but he won’t be a laughingstock around the world. His belief in science, the reliance on experts rather than his own “hunches” and knowledge of history and the world would make him an acceptable president. I hope that he chooses either Klobuchar, Harris, or Warren as his running mate. These are smart, capable, and temperate women who would be able to step in as president on day one if necessary.

And who knows, if Biden chooses Klobuchar, Harris, or Warren as his running mate, the next president of the United States in 2024 or sooner might just be a brilliant and capable woman that we can all be proud to call “Madam President”.

My great-grandmother Mary Wilson Carson died in the 1918 Influenza pandemic at age 32 leaving behind her husband and nine young children, including her namesake and my grandmother, 5 year old Mary, also known as “Doll” by family members. Every day we hear the number of Coronavirus infections and deaths, but I am keenly aware that behind each statistic is a family that is in mourning and forever changed. I am worried.

I’ve come to terms with the fact that I am among the most vulnerable populations to succumb to the Coronavirus, being over age 60 and having asthma. It doesn’t help that I constantly work with people who travel around the world. The thought of distancing myself from other humans is depressing, but I can see that as the virus spreads, this will become my norm for the foreseeable future. No more hugs and handshakes. Washing down my desk and doorknobs between appointments and washing my hands frequently. I learned the other day that hand sanitizers break down the PH in the skin and make it more permeable. So, plain old soap and water for 20 seconds is best and hand sanitizers are a backup plan. Breaking the habit of touching my face will take effort.

In my line of work, we have been monitoring the spread of the virus continually. I have students stuck in some of the most affected cities in China. In our office, trips to Asia have been cancelled. Even a K-pop concert scheduled in Los Angeles was cancelled. The economic impact this virus will have on the world is already enormous and we are not immune.

It starts with cancellations of travel plans and spreads to not going out to dinner as my husband announced this past week. It will affect schools, movie theaters, malls, churches, concerts, conferences and numerous public events will be rescheduled if not cancelled altogether. People work at these places and depend on patrons for their livelihood. It is no wonder the stock market is tanking. We could likely be headed for a recession as people are no longer able to afford to buy things and to pay their bills.

In times like these we need to be smart and to rely on the knowledge of the experts. I was disheartened this week when Trump put Pence in charge of the messaging around the Coronavirus and said that the heath experts in the administration must run things through Pence before making public announcements. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? This is scary stuff. Never mind the messaging that the Coronavirus is a hoax drummed up by the Democrats to tank the economy ahead of the election. People will die with this kind of attitude. The first death from the virus in the U.S. was just reported Saturday. Because of the lying narcissist in the White House, I won’t pay attention to our government because they are not a trusted source. And already the shameless profiteers are posting Coronavirus cures on social media. Buyers beware.

I’ll listen instead to the World Health Organization as they are reaching out directly to people instead of governments for this very reason. The politicians we have in place today are more concerned about preserving their power than protecting the lives of their people. The newest pandemic is on its way. The time to educate ourselves and to make smart preparations and to mobilize our resources to save lives, not the stock market, is now. All this will have to take place at the local level given the government we currently have in place.