The Effects of a Quarantine on a Local Business

For me, this is now Day 28 of my self-imposed Shelter-In-Place ordeal in my one bedroom apartment in Suffolk County on Long Island. Yes, I have taken the liberty, as other people have, to escape my self-confinement by going out to the grocery store to do my own shopping, to my favorite 7-Eleven to get a cup of coffee and see some friends, and of course, go to my doctor appointments, as scheduled. But most of the time, I am on the couch, watching old Mets games, movies on TV or in my DVD Library, or figuring out what to eat for lunch and dinner.

Just like all of you.

On Friday, I had to pick up my insulin, since refrigerated items cannot be delivered. As I was driving to my local CVS, I took notice how many businesses were closed at 3 PM. It was actually very shocking. Only the gas stations, Mickey D’s and other fast foods, Dunkin, the 7-Eleven and the drug store were opened. On a Friday. In April. On a sunny afternoon.

I live in a lower middle class, predominately Hispanic community of hard-working, family-oriented people, who own the businesses in the area. Even in good times, these businesses struggle with the competition they face, especially as they have to deal with Big Box competitors who offer more product than these wonderful businesses do.

There are many restaurants along Suffolk Avenue, which offer delicious variations of the home country cuisine from where the owners came and they all maintain their prices at an affordable level that the community at large can spend without impacting their own budgets. But several of these restaurants are closed, or if they can afford to, are offering limited takeout service.

Keep in mind, that all these business owners either have to pay rent, or if they were lucky enough to own the building, the mortgage payment, which seems to come faster and faster each month. And they have to pay salaries and benefits to whatever remaining staff employees are lucky enough to still have jobs.

These are the same people in your own communities who thought they finally made it to own a business, no matter what the business was. You, as I do, generally shop in your community if for nothing else but the convenience and location of the store. And now, those business people are struggling in your neighborhoods as they are in mine.

So you are wondering, I am sure, what is the purpose of this commentary? Well, perhaps, you could find the time to write to your State legislators, Congressional delegations and Senators to look past their individual pet projects which have NOTHING to do with the impact of what the Coronavirus has done to small business and the working stiff, and instead, figure how to save these hard-working men and women, who are your neighbors and friends, from closing down their businesses for good, and declaring bankruptcy in the process.

THAT would also impact YOU, since the business would be boarded up, bringing down the value of the community at-large and the value of your home. The rolling effect would be devastating to your neighborhood, your town and ultimately, to us all.

I wonder if Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell and others in our Federal government really understand the impact of their intransigence is having on the American economy? I also wonder if they also understand the oath they took to uphold the Constitution and the real meaning of its Preamble?

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

I wonder if they really understand the meaning of the words I bolded and the real impact their pointless politicking is having NOW on our country and to our children and grandchildren?

I saw yesterday as I travelled through my community and realized how much is really needed to save the driving force of the American economy. SMALL BUSINESS.

I did. Do you?

The Mask vs Bail, or The King Abuses His Power

When the Governor of New York appears on television for those outside New York to see, he comes across as Presidential, for Democrats to override Barack Obama’s endorsement of presumptive nominee Joe Biden, as the sane voice of the coronavirus solution. As a New Yorker, I can tell that he is not any of these.

Instead, he is a shrill voice demanding that the New York legislature name the new Tappan Zee Bridge for his father in the dead of night, threatening ALL Americans to take away their rights under the Second Amendment, emptying New York jails indiscriminately and instructing police officers to NOT arrest anyone for any crime short of murder. And now, King Cuomo, the tax robbing Robin Hood of hard-working New Yorkers, has written and proclaimed an Executive Order DEMANDING that New Yorkers and anyone who come into New York MUST wear a mask when they are out in public beginning this Saturday.

Local governments would enforce the order, but no fines would be assessed at the present time, probably because if there were fines, the first challenge would throw the order out because it is UNCONSTITUTIONAL. Essentially, he wants to instill the fear of God and hope for voluntary compliance.

He also could have vetoed the No Jail No Bail law the legislature foolishly passed, and if his veto were overridden, he could have issued an executive order forestalling the implementation, while allowing his order to make its way through the lawsuit and appeals process in New York.

This is the man the lame stream media keeps shining its limelight on, the man who talks big and hides behind others when the going gets tough. He claims his hands were tied when he allowed criminals, some of them rapists, drug pushers and murderers, to be released from prison under a law which endangers the general population. BUT, because he is a glory-hound, he threatens the same law-abiding citizens with a proclamation (abuse of power) that they would be breaking a law (with no real sense of enforcement) if they don’t wear a mask, trying to talk tough and making non-New Yorkers think that he is decisive.

Ah, yes, the King has proclaimed a new law, which New Yorkers know is bull$#!+ and will be thrown out in court. In the meantime, the rest of America is watching this and will be interested to see how hard the wannabe Emperor will try to push against the United States and this President when the rest of the country begins to re-open for business in May.

It will, for sure, be an interesting and entertaining show which will engage all Americans in the coming weeks. STAY TUNED.

Liberal Elitists and Their Cowardice

How many of you are tired of wealthy, liberal/socialist elitists telling us that they are angry/annoyed/disappointed, etc., in those in government who want to save taxpayer money by stopping the US fund every single anti-American entity in the world? I KNOW I am.

The latest is Bill Gates, who is reported in Yahoo News  to have slammed President Trump for his decision to halt payment to the World Health Organization (WHO) until an investigation is completed for its handling in the CoViD-19 crisis and its Pro-China action at the beginning of said crisis. All I will say is this: If you are so concerned, Billy-Boy, write a check and shut your trap. No one cares what you think.

This is the same man who wants to inject us with some sort of monitor to show we are not going to infect others with this terrible disease. Hey Bill, you go first.

In fact, all you people who support this idiot and his causes can certainly take your place in front of me. I am not ready to submit my independence and freedom to a cranky elitist or his beliefs because he is so “smart”. If you wish to do so, that is your affair. If you want “Big Brother” to keep tabs on you, by all means that is your right… until it isn’t.

When I read 1984 back in the 1960s, I took it as a cautionary tale, not as something to which we should aspire. Even if George Orwell were a “democrat socialist” (where have I heard that before?), his writings are characterized by lucid prose, biting social criticism and opposition to totalitarianism. Apparently, Billy and his elitist friends have taken this book as a guidebook to voice their mantra in support of the New World Order.

So, what will it be, Billy? Is your mouth really as big as your wallet? Or, instead, are you just a big mouthed, rich bully, who has no intention of putting his name to a check to support his cause? Honestly, I think you are the latter. Most bullies are just cowards at heart. I DARE you to shut your mouth and write a check to support “your current cause.”

In fact, Bill, I “TRIPLE DOG DARE” you to do what I know you really don’t have the guts to do.

The Evolving Benefits of Banking

When I went to the Bank this weekend, it was a bit shocking to see the branch closed on a Saturday. I will share that I am a retired Banker who began my career in May, 1972. That first week was the week Saturday banking made its entrance into our business psyche.

Now, there have been times during my career the Banks I worked for would close on a Saturday: Christmas, Independence Day, any other floating Federal holiday, a Bank acquisition. Short of these occurrences, no Bank I worked for was closed on Saturday.

Through the 70s and 80s, and into the 90s, Banks spent millions of dollars developing the services we enjoy today, like ATMs, Telephone and Internet Banking, and in the 2000s, Mobile banking. The concept was to become more efficient, providing real services which benefited customers and reduce the need for inefficient and unproductive activities.

The premise was to reduce branch hours and manpower while providing access to your account 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. But in the late 90s, Banks like Commerce Bank, TD Bank and others decided that MORE hours actually would provide BETTER customer services, which evidence showed, it did not.

Fast forward to current day. I looked up the Bank’s web page and saw that it cut all branch hours from eight hours to five hours per day. In addition, supermarket branches are opened only for three days a week, five hours only. Any location which is opened on Saturday is only opened until Noon. Hence, the branch I went to at 2PM was already closed.

Perhaps, CV-19 has forced executive management to take a sober look at the inefficiency of long hours which clients have proven over time are not needed. We are, after all, a social being, able to adjust to any situation and actually not complain, especially since we are not being denied access to our money.

Certainly, when this is over, the current hours should be reviewed and each branch’s staffing and hours should be adjusted accordingly, based on overall activity. In addition, NO ONE should be terminated outright. Instead, through attrition, staffing levels would be adjusted to meet the needs of the branch and the specific neighborhood where the branch resides. Similar concepts should be considered for supermarket branches.

Now, I admit I am an old-time, retired Banker. But I was deeply involved in the development and advancement of many of the technologies we all enjoy today for the Banks I worked for, especially in the 80s and 90s. So, during this crisis, I can point to the reasons why people were able to stay in touch 24/7/365 with their accounts.

Finally, we have discovered in our lives that the only thing constant is change. We have seen many changes during this crisis and we have adapted accordingly. Maybe, we have learned that there are so many efficiencies across our lives that we were not aware of before. This awareness has shown us that in this fast-paced life we lived up until this quarantine, the ability to enjoy our “free time” needs to be cherished and enjoyed to live a truly fulfilling life.

And the best part is that you can still be in touch with your accounts if you need to. Thank goodness for the technologies of Banking.

Hope SPRINGS Eternal

There is so much I could write about that would be negative: Nancy Pelosi, the Coronavirus, the Media (again), the overwhelming unemployment numbers. But instead, as we are in the midst of another Passover and Easter upon us this weekend, I decided I could only look at what inspires hope and rebirth this second Friday in April: Spring.

With Spring, we say good-bye to Winter, its cold and biting wind, its sometimes overwhelming ice and snowstorms. We begin to look forward to Summer, although once Christmas is done, I want 80* temperatures (at least) and I care not a wit about how high the humidity might be.

With Spring, we see the first signs of rebirth in that first crocus flower making its way through the mud, leaves or snow in the front garden. We see the buds on the poplar and dogwood trees, and on the azaleas and rhododendrons. As an aside, it has been said that Jesus was crucified on a Dogwood, hence the red bloodstains on the tip of each corner of each flower. Then, we see that first ray of hope, as the daffodil makes its way to the surface. Soon after, the tulips, carnations and roses decorate the garden, too.

With Spring, we can hear the sounds of children playing, in their yards or in the street. That sound is refreshing to your soul, knowing that the kids are riding bikes, playing some sort of ball game, and are no longer cooped up in their rooms or basements. Instead, they are showing us, again, how to enjoy the new life which the calendar has given us.

With Spring, we can also hear the sounds of the ice cream truck, as the driver rings the bells or replays that annoying little song that even parents run with dollars clutched in their fists to be first on line to get that pop or cone. It is that little reward we deserve after listening to the sounds of the power mower all day.

With Spring, we can hear the birds singing at 5:30 in the morning, as they welcome the early signs of daylight. The Canadian Geese, which began laying eggs along the Meadowbrook, or Northern State, or on most grassy areas near your home in December, are now seen standing guard around their hatchlings, protecting them from man and beast alike.

With Spring, we can feel the last vestiges of Winter have finally gone away, replaced with windy days and rain, rather than with howling winds and snow, but also with temperatures increasingly climbing toward that 80* I mentioned before. For now, the mid 60s and 70* feel wonderful.

With Spring, the evidence of longer days with more hours of sunlight begin to make its mark, as there are more grills being fired up, as the “chef of the house” makes his or her favorite meals outside with a cold brew in hand, rather than in the kitchen with the kids screaming and the TV blaring.

With Spring, the possibility of a walk around the block is greater, since the sun is setting well after 7 PM rather that at 5. You even enjoy walking the dog or pulling the wagon filled with kids because you tell yourself you are “getting in shape” after sitting in the house all Winter long.

And, finally, with Spring, you know that time is on your side, you are not just twisting the night away, and it’s getting better all the time. Now that you are singing each song, are you hooked on a feeling?

I AM!

Today's American Media and Fairness

It is amazing to witness how the people of the United Kingdom and the United States react so differently to their leaders. Presently, the British, no matter whether they are Liberals or Conservatives, are supporting Boris Johnson as he lays in the hospital in intensive care, and unable to directly lead his people through the current CV-19 crisis. Conversely, there is a huge disconnect between Democrats and Republicans, Liberals and Conservatives, and how each group reacts to the efforts of President Trump and his direct leadership as he leads the United States through the crisis.

Why is that? Could it be how each country’s media reports on its country’s leadership? After all, PM Johnson and his Government is a Conservative entity, and as here in the US, its media is predominately Liberal. Yet, for some reason, the media in the US cannot bring itself to drop its hatred for President Trump and react as fairly as its counterpart is acting in Great Britain.

Hmmm…

Could it be that the US media, as a collective entity, does not know how to be fair? After all, the face of today’s current media is none other than that dumb@$$ clown Jim Acosta. Even ABC’s Jonathon Karl has, in his memoir, "Front Row at the Trump Show," claimed that Acosta was "playing into the explicit Trump strategy of portraying the press as the opposition party."

 "The surest way to undermine the credibility of the White House press corps is to behave like the political opposition," Karl wrote. "Don't give speeches from the White House briefing room."

“Regarding Jim Acosta, to paraphrase Voltaire, I will defend to the death his right to report from the White House, but I have some issues with the style in which he has done so. We can be tough, we can call out things that are not true, we can be aggressive in our questioning, but I don’t think we should act like we are part of the resistance.”

Perhaps other members of the White House Correspondents Association should take a lesson for Mr. Karl and not from Clown Acosta.

As you know, I am not a conservative or a Republican, nor would you say I was liberal. I read several different publications so I can decide for myself from the information I read, what I think about each issue, as I apply what I learned to my own moral and ethical standards fairly. While Mr. Karl is not a reporter who one would say is in the President’s corner, I have generally found him to be fair in his treatment. That is all one could ask from the media, like they are doing in Great Britain.

I have seen memes on Facebook and other places saying we would be better off if the media would “shelter in place and not come out” until this crisis is over. I disagree. We need our free press to report the latest on ANY issue to keep us informed.

But, as I learned in my Journalism classes many years ago as I minored in this subject, “a free press, in order to remain free and be trusted, must also report its story fairly.”

Perhaps, the rest of the media could learn a lesson from its sister British entity. And read Mr. Karl’s book.

I know I will.