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?
No comments:
Post a Comment