Editorials – Everett Leader Herald

The Pandemic conundrum

All of us have watched and experienced to the fullest, nearly everything the pandemic has thrown at us.

Some have lost loved ones. Others have lost businesses and their jobs. Many others cannot pay their rent or meet their mortgage obligations. Many, many thousands of people now unemployed cannot find jobs.

In the meantime, the economy sputters along.

Mostly everyone in the restaurant business is trying to survive. For restaurant employees and gig workers who work for themselves, the pandemic has been a disaster.

At least the next Stimulus package will provide for adequate unemployment compensation to carry these displaced employees for months to come, and to provide checks for families making $150,000 or less and for younger people out on their own over 18.

Small businesses will qualify for aid and on and on.

The conundrum comes because we are again lulling ourselves into complacency as though the pandemic is over.

It is not over.

Two-thousand people a day are dying all over the nation. Seventy-thousand is being infected every day.

Photographs of Mars

Many of us have stared with wonder at the photographs from Mars being sent to us from the probe hat recently landed there.

Think about it – landing a rover on Mars and then receiving brilliant photographs of that planet showing it in all its grandeur.

Think again about traveling millions upon millions of miles over six months to get to Mars…only to find when you get there, piles of rocks, ash, craters, and mountains. No life flourishes on Mars.

In fact, we could travel to the closest star system and planetary system to Earth’s solar system; a place called Alpha Centauri.

Living inside a revolution

FEBRUARY 20: The Grace Food Pantry Everett line on a winter morning. (Photo by Jim Mahoney)

This pandemic has taken 500, 000 lives and made millions sick.

In one year, the world, our world has changed.

The nation forced to close down for a while. All public schools and universities closed down. Bars and major sporting events with large crowds ceased. Crowds of every kind evaporated. All our great cities became ghost towns with thou- sands of small businesses going out of business overnight. Then came a partial reopening followed by a giant spike in COVID-19 cases across the land and here in Everett.

For a long time, masks weren’t required, science wasn’t paid attention to, and what was bad got worse.

The 25 MPH speed limit

The city council has suggested that the city consider lowering the speed limit to 25 MPH.

Our belief is that such a speed limit would be a welcome relief to speeding automobiles that makes getting around this city so dangerous for drivers and for those crossing streets.

There is one caveat, however, to lowering the speed limit with an order.

What is the problem?

The only way to have the driving population lower its tendency to speed up and down our crowded streets and highways is by Draconian enforcement such as the city’s drivers have never experienced.

Not many will pay any attention to it.

Showing strength and steadiness

Representative Joe McGonagle has defeated all comers the last two times out in elections that were never close.

He has solidified his hold on the rep seat from Everett with hard, smart work.

He has done this without much help from others.

He should be proud of his success.

Taking on McGonagle in a political battle has been shown to be a difficult task.

In fact, it is a losing battle.