The disparity of covid

During the time of prosperity, the elite accumulated more wealth, gained more power, controlled more institutions. During the time of crisis, it is the commoners that scarify the most, loosing their livelihood and even their life to get society out of the crisis.

None as more obvious as right now during this Covid-19 crisis. The uneven distribution of burden has put all the weights on the blue collar and healthcare workers. During the boom of the decade prior, blue collar workers wealth shrink as a percentage of global wealth. Wages fall fair behind cost of living. Particularly real estate boom has caused unreasonably high prices with a mass transfer of wealth to the elite.

Then comes Covid-19, it is now the blue collar workers are considered as the essential worker, the workhorse to keep society on surviving mode. They continue having to risk their life to be exposed to the virus. The healthcare workers are praised as hero without cape but they are facing with serve shortage of PPE, the basic armor and ammo of the battlefield. It is more like hero with out PPE. While the rest of the society either work from home or collect unemployment check.

With the current federal government assistance, the unemployment check could be as high as $950 a week. That comes out to be over $60K/year salary before tax, or $28.5/hr rate. In a way blatantly unfair for those who are risking their life in the front line. Those delivery person, those grocery workers, they are getting roughly minimum wages, not where close to $28.5/hr rate. The healthcare workers surely are better off. But this benefits has unfairly extend to some group of people rather than reward those who are scarifying. Those who are in the front line not getting any more but health risk and empty praises. Even promise for a big worthless parade. Give them PPE, give them at least $28.5/hr above their normal rate, give them a true sense that society is behind to support them.

Social Distancing and Election

Map for social distancing score board has an interesting correlation to US election map. Particular when zoom into each state. https://www.unacast.com/covid19/social-distancing-scoreboard

The Fandemic of 2020

Every year there is a season wild fire, then come the Australian bush-fire that burned almost half the continent. If it wasn't separated by mass of water, the whole world would probably have burned down.

Every year there is a season of influenza that spreads across our population. Then come this year, the COVID-19, one in a hundred year kind of virus that have the potency to wipe out 20% of the population.

Looking at these two phenomenons have of many common patterns and characteristics. From the conditions that facilitate the spreads, to the responses, the outcomes and the affect of such disasters on its subject.

Given the ripped condition of high heat, drought, over logging, irrigation and human impact, forest are less resistant to fire. Fire are more frequent and severe. California has the worst fire season in the recent years. Then come the Australian bushfire that engulfed over 29 million acres and killed over 1 billion animals.

For Covid-19, it has found its fertile ground of such large over populated cities. With a well connected world, large aging population, ignorants along with fake news all have contributed to the formation and rapid spreading of this virus. Other outbreak has happened in previous years, SAR, Zika, Ebola, etc... but none has evolved to be so effective to exploit the current human population.

The effects of an over populated urban cities with much crowded environment resembles of an overgrown and dry forest prone to fire. The well traveled and connected world is like having high wind condition to carry the spread far and wide in its initial period. Wind can't be stopped as people can't all be locked in. There is no rain yet in sight until a miracle vaccine is discovered and mass produced.

The response to each calamity has some interesting common characters. Begin with containment and locking down certain area with trenches. First responders are always on the front line, risking their lives to fight these fierce battles. When containment failed, the government start dumping fire retardant from the sky as the federal reserved just dump cash with unlimited quantitative easing. Soon the Congress will pass its stimulus bill to dump cash on every business and family.

Once this is all over, the forest will renew, the old and weak are all burned out leaving behind fertile ground. It is a cruel and uneven destruction to society. The poor, the old, the small businesses will be hurt the most. While the big business and heirs of the rich will benefits greatly after this ordeal.

Stay safe and hunker down. Let the fire pass, so we can come out of it stronger.