stimulus

Remember the good old days when all we heard about was building a border wall?  That, my friends, is old news in this pandemic.  I am reading and hearing talk about a stimulus payment that should be forthcoming in April.  In typical government fashion their response is to throw money at it to keep the economy from collapsing.  Hey...I'll gladly take the check.  But it makes me wonder why our public health system was gutted and deemed non essential awhile back.  The money could have been put there to help curb the spread of not only COVID but other diseases.  Coulda, shoulda, woulda.  

I can testify that our healthcare infrastructure is fatally flawed.  Most healthcare systems are for profit and not available to lower income folks who don't qualify for Medicaid.  Of course Tennessee turned away federal money by refusing to expand the Medicaid safety net.  Our homeboy, state Senate minority leader Jeff Yarbro explained all of this to a large group of Dyer countians during a town hall meeting.  He is one of my heroes, to say the least.  This is an emergency caused by a communicable disease.  Imagine if those of us sitting on the New Madrid fault were isolated by a major earthquake.  Bridges would be gone or unsafe.  We are totally not prepared for that either.  Even though I am a Bernie supporter, I am not in favor of Medicare for all.  It's not practical.  I do believe that the ACA needs to be fine tuned and returned to its' original intent which was to offer affordable insurance to those who don't have it.  It has been literally a life saver for me.

The tax filing deadline has been pushed to July.  Mine is already done and so is most everybody else's except for those who owe which means the rich.  I'm sure they appreciate the extension.  Meanwhile, I'm still paying back the IRS for a mistake on my 2016 return.  The real bottom feeders are the politicians who sold off their stock because they were privy to information that was not shared with us little people.  I hope they all go to jail, including Dianne Feinstein if she was one of them.  

We now have two confirmed cases in Dyer County according to the local newspaper.  It was only a matter of time.  Nobody is immune to this..rich or poor.  The most important thing is to social distance and wash those nasty paws.  One survivor described his ordeal as "being an inch from death."  I know that feeling all too well.  Had I not gotten the quick and intense treatment that I needed for a perforated small bowel I would have died.  God bless Baptist Memorial and Dr. Drew Turner.  

Y'all be safe and hunker down.  Things are about to get real ^j^