Volume 8, Issue 11
Canceling institutional, iconic events such as the NCAA Basketball Tournament, college spring athletics, and for the first time since 1945, the Kentucky Derby, is a realism, until now, void as a possibility in our consciousness.
The coronavirus will be conquered. This alien invader, attacking without prejudice or purpose, will be brought under control. The economic consequences are another matter. A deep gouge has been carved out of the national economy to an extent that we cannot yet calculate. It is devastating enough to suspend the NBA and the MLB seasons. It is another thing to suspend the activities of restaurants, bars, theaters, and activities in all public forums. The damage to our economy is top-down and bottom-up. This has not occurred in the United States since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Also, the wound to the economy will take at least a year to heal.
There are things the federal and state governments can do to alleviate the economic pain. Paying employees to work from home, extended paid leave, and relief from payroll taxes are just a few examples. Now being discussed is a direct payment of $1,000 from the federal government to every U.S. household. All of these ideas have merit, and the government must do everything it can to provide the American public with not only the means to provide for their families, but the hope and assurance that the economic chaos caused will not result in their own personal tragedy.
A time of reshuffling the deck is coming. Italy and Spain will require financial aid as sovereign nations. Businesses throughout Europe are being disrupted by the coronavirus while the U.K. negotiates Brexit protocol. The stress on the European system could not be greater. The world’s oil and gas industry was already under pressure with falling prices due to lack of demand before the coronavirus hit. To say that these are incredible times is an understatement. The reshuffling of the deck will include changes in the hierarchy of banking and financial systems, worldwide government institutions, and sovereign alliances.
In all of this restructuring, the government strategy must take into account the axiom of inertia. Newton’s 1st Law of Motion states that objects in motion tend to stay in motion, and objects at rest tend to stay at rest. He further noted that objects at rest require an external force applied to re-engage motion. This law of physics also applies to economies. Economies up and running tend to stay running. Economies brought to a halt, tend to remain so. It took World War II to get us out of the Great Depression. We must be careful that the stimulus we apply does not cause the reshuffling of the deck to result in a new economic system that is antithetic to our values of freedom.
The discussion of giving $1,000 to every adult U.S. citizen must be thought through carefully. The idea of the policy is to stimulate the economy. However, many people might use it to cover essential current expenses. Others might save it. The real need of government funds right now is to get people the relief and liquidity they need to pay their everyday bills. Approximately 18% of the public is employed by the government. This includes teachers, firemen, policemen, judges, elected officials, the military, research institutions, support staff, and so on. Twenty-two and a half percent of the public is currently on welfare. Twelve percent of U.S. citizens receive Social Security. The federal, state and local governments will meet their obligations. The cash flow of these citizens should not change. (Local municipalities may need assistance if the economic crisis lingers.) That leaves approximately 47.5% at direct risk. It may make more sense fiscally to give money directly to those who are now being laid off or losing a weekly paycheck. There are 160 million adults in the United States. Giving each one $1,000 would cost the federal government $160 billion. It is not that this is too much money. It is not. We must do what we have to do to support each other, maintain individual financial security, and keep families whole. The point is to provide economic assistance that will not become the new normal. The free enterprise system is still the best system in the world to protect individual freedom from government overreach.
What’s most important in these times of disruption in our daily calendars is to stop with intention to reflect on our principles, our values, and our priorities. We often think that if we just had the time to restructure our lives, pursuant to what is really meaningful, we would be more complete and happier in our pursuits. We fall short of personal reform and restructure because our time is always under such demand. We now have an opportunity in the next few weeks, wherein virtually every activity on our calendar has been canceled, to commit to the individual reformation and renaissance of our spirituality, recalibrating our moral objectives.
Of course, we have to do what we have to do to make it through each day. But anxiety should not be the enemy of peaceful reflection.
I attempt to write this report with the analysis of Christian values applied in the secular world. My point is to demonstrate to all Americans that there is nothing to fear from the Christian point of view, whether it be economic or governmental policy. Yet, I would be remiss if, on the eve of these most extraordinary times, I did not profess my faith. I believe in an Almighty God who created the universe, and each of us individually, for a purpose of righteousness. He is all knowing. He is still active in the affairs of mankind. I know, in the peace of my heart, that God has a plan for His children and disciples in times such as this. Through His Son, He can calm any storm. And He will not abandon us in this one.
I can only say to all people of the world that I wish everyone the same peace of mind that I possess in these times knowing that ….
My God has this.
My name is Marc Nuttle and this is what I believe.
What do you believe?