Once in a while, I find something to rant about – since I own this site I figure I have the right to express my opinion as I step away from the weather for today.
I know people are getting restless to resume some form of normalcy in their lives however protesting the fact we don’t have a normal period now won’t change the bitterness we are experiencing. We must be forward thinkers now in the way we run our lives and businesses. Yes, times are hard for millions of people. We have faced these hard times before with WW2 and the Great Depression.
The Great Depression was the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world, lasting from 1929 to 1939. It began after the stock market crash of October 1929, which sent Wall Street into a panic and wiped out millions of investors. Fifteen million people (20%) were unemployed and around half of the banks failed. In our times we have unemployment and the banks are insured by the FDIC. During our pandemic, we have seen our system strain at the seams and break at times but the option of unemployment remains if one is persistent and patient.
President Roosevelt created the WPA to put Americans back to work creating National parks and our infrastructure of roads. The program built more than 4,000 new school buildings, 130 new hospitals, roughly 9,000 miles of storm drains and sanitary sewer lines, 29,000 new bridges, 150 new airfields, paved or repaired 280,000 miles of roads and planted 24 million trees. Perhaps we need a similar program to repair the system built by our hard-working forefathers.
WW2 was another hard issue to deal with but brought about courage and resolution to overcome. Back in those days, we had a mainly agrarian society of tough farm boys and women who had resolve and resilience to do what had to be done to overcome any hardship which came their way. This is why we call them the Great Generation.
We have a new enemy sweeping through the country and it is time to grow a pair (and a backbone) if we want to overcome this. Businesses will have to rethink the way they operate if they want to continue to create income for themselves and their employees. Sitting around whining about it won’t fix it.
In our times we have many modern conveniences to help in industry and at home. Many have forgotten or have never experienced hard manual labor in this mechanized era, so I wonder how many would be willing to do such things. Ask our farmers who can’t get American boys to work for them and have to buy expensive machinery or hire migrant workers to do the work American men used to do. OSHA would cringe if they saw what farmers have to do on a daily basis.
When I was a teenager I couldn’t wait for school to get out so I could go out and work on the farms in the area. We would work 60 hours or more a week bailing hay and straw, mucking out barns, and other ‘menial’ tasks for a buck an hour. I would still help farmers in my 20s and 30s because they couldn’t get the school kids out to the farm. I still remember the days we would go to the local feed mill and wait for the farmers to come in to pick the laborers they would need for the day – if you did a good job they would hire you for the summer.
I am guessing that being on the coattails of the Great Generation taught us to harden our minds and muscles to do what had to be done to keep America running while putting a little cash in our pockets.
Sure, this is all new to us, we may struggle to understand it and find new pathways through and around it. With understanding comes knowledge, with knowledge we blaze new roads to overcoming it. We need a knowledgeable president, governors and Congress to quit bickering and making this a political issue. We need leadership now in a partisan manner if we want to feel secure for today and in the future.
Sure, I am retired one may say this doesn’t affect me as it does those still in the workforce. I have lost a bunch of money in my retirement investments and I worry about getting my groceries without catching Covid 19. We are all dealing with this in one way or another. We are all on the same team and must focus on what is important: the lives and safety of our families. Being the optimist that I am, I know we will overcome this though we may see things change from what we are used to. Some don’t like being pushed out of their comfort zone, me included but we sometimes have to change to become better people.
Thus ends my rant…
See the clouds have rolled in brezze picking up and down goes the temperature!! What’s new great fire weather I guess …INDY
Great post MV. It is beautiful outside today. I was sitting out with some neighbors. I lost my bother n law who passed away. He put up a good fight to the covid-19. This past Sunday an neighbor that lived in the neighborhood where I grew up died from it too. When I see what happened in Lansing yesterday I don’t think they realized what this virus is doing to people. It is taking lives and hurting families. My sister has it but not in hospital. She has been fever free for so may days and if she continues she… Read more »
Sorry to hear about your brother. May your brother and former neighbor rest in peace. It makes it much worse when something hits that close to you.
Slim
Thanks.
Sorry for your loss and those protesters could care less about your family members that have died! They may be spreading the virus to many citizens and they could care less! Despicable people!
I agree with you 100% I see that some of the early to open states had some of their highest new cases today.
Slim
I have been watching the numbers in Michigan move from east to west and they are climbing here. I don’t understand some things like drs offices that canceled all of our appointments are now scheduling and say they are checking for symptoms before you go in. I will just wait. We really should not be opening anything too soon.
Thanks. I don’t think those protesters get it at all. I get that some of the things have not been easy for people but they are done for a reason – to save lives from this virus. All those protesters are doing is thinking of themselves.
So sorry Sandy.
Thanks.
Great rant!
Welcome to the best month of year MAY …let’s hope it warms up now done with the 30’s and 40’s…I’m burning a fire and getting drunk tonight let the world go on….it’s time to celebrate the month of MAY …INDY
Happy May Day.
Slim
Last May, 8 out of 12 of the first days of the month were in the 40’s and 50’s for highs. Much better this year!
Maybe I will bring my gun outside …LOL LOL LOL …INDY
Nice Rant post MV. This will be a long comment, but I might toss it up tomorrow in my post as well. As MV stated while many do not like some of the guidelines that have been put in place and yes some are more difficult then others. But the fact remains we are fighting a unseen enemy and we have to use all the tools necessary to not only fight this enemy but to protect ourselves from this enemy. While I understand that many people are not working at this time but that said they are for the most… Read more »
Slim,
I was shocked at the guns as well!!! That doesn’t seem peaceful at all… intimidation?!? I don’t know. Then I wonder when will their protest spread more since I didn’t see too many masks and kids there. UGH!!!
They are just trying to intimidate with their guns! Obviously no guns should be at a peaceful protest! This was a moronic show of ignorance!
MV…. agree with your rant. One of our kiddos asked I wonder what doing hay will be like this year. He doesn’t mind the hard work or the money he gets paid. We were at Walmart and he was buying something and an older gentleman said something to us. I said he is using his money he made putting up hay. He looked at our son and said way to go young man that is hard hardwork. Not many your age do that kind of work.Our son graciously said Thank You. As far as this crazy time… I love how… Read more »
One of the sad things that is becoming lost is shared sacrifice (way too much me, me, me). This should have been a great time for the United States to become united but instead it has become even more divided. In the long run that is what may end up being our down fall. I hope I am wrong but the hand writing is on the wall just the same.
Slim
I agree. We are to use to the liberties we share but not use to becoming united to share the sacrifices one must make to overcome powers beyond our control.
So the month of April did end up with well below normal temps! Who would have thought?
A whopping 3.8 degrees which means 2020 has still started off very warm!
For the year at Grand Rapids the mean so far is 35.4° the average mean for the 1st 4 months is 33.7° so at this time 2020 is at +1.7° Now a good case can be made that April 2020 was indeed well below average. But January 2020 was a whooping +6.9° so that has been the difference so far this year.
Slim
Your mean numbers don’t make sense. Something is wrong.
I see what I did wrong I have changes it.
Slim
Yes and the NWS clearly stated that is a much below normal disparity! Incredible cold!
60’s and 70’s and lots of sun the next 3 days. Doesn’t get much better!
70’s and 80’s would be nice.
Slim
Last May, 8 out of 12 of the first days of the month were in the 40’s and 50’s. Much better this year!
Very well put, Michael! I do believe I will print a copy of this for my 80 y. o. father in law, as well as a copy for my teenagers.
Happy May Day!
On a happy note: the sun is shining and we will see a warming trend. We have food in our bellies a roof over our heads and thousands of workers in the medical care area, the food and grocery business taking care of us risking their lives daily. A big hallelujah to them!
I 2nd that. Also our grocery store workers should not only get a big thank you they deserve extra money and better health insurance for their work.
Slim
MV for President! Remember 6 feet apart or 6 feet under!
No thanks, I don’t need that stress in my life especially with state and federal congresses fighting…