Reacting to This Morning's Headlines

The rain has stopped and the sky is blue this morning. The sun's rays are striking the trees and the green canopy is nearly fully deployed on the trees and shrubs around my house. It is like a green face mask protecting my home from the world.  

The economic toll of COVID-19 continues to climb. I read that Hertz, one of America's largest car rental agencies is filing for bankruptcy. I understand it--if no one is traveling, then the need for rental cars is very low. But, Hertz? Wow! I consider Hertz to be one of the stalwarts of the rental car market. It could be the beginning of the expected major shuffle of companies in the travel services industry. 


The number of Americans filing for unemployment this past week was 2.4 million more, bringing the total to 38.6 million Americans who are jobless according to most major news agencies. I am quoting from The Washington Post. Despite this, the most important thing being reported by Fox News is Joe Biden's misstep which pales in comparison to some of the President's statements which were life threatening. When that is the biggest lead story, one wonders why they are trying to cover-up? The Wall Street Journal, conversely, led with a story titled,  The Job Market's Long Road Back. 

Remember, when we are talking millions, sometimes the faces get forgotten. Using my loose math, 38.6 million lost jobs equates to about 115.8 million Americans living in homes where jobs have been lost and that now equates to roughly 35 percent of Americans overall! 

It May Not Look Like It--but This Church is Open

And the most important thing our President is interested in is getting the churches open! Churches are important, but they are not going to get Americans back to work! By focusing on visceral issues that directly impact his a percentage of his voting base, the president marginalizes the remainder of Americans when he should be focusing on coronavirus testing, control, and tracking to help the governors get their states reopened and get people back to work in a safe and sane manner. 

The truth is that churches have not been closed during this crisis. No one closed churches! Large gatherings have been banned, but churches are still open. The effective ones are finding ways to bring people together via the web and many are thriving and meeting people's needs on a daily basis. The idea that churches have been closed is false. Faith and church is not something that can be turned on or off.

Let's focus on real issues with real solutions for a change. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD