Just came across this lovely NYTs article today, titled “On the Post-Pandemic Horizon, Could That Be … a Boom?”. Oh man, give me a break. I am sure that markets will start to explode as capital is once again massively circulated. Many people have been waiting patiently to go back to some “normality”, and their excited spending will drive stocks higher.
I can envision it all now, blue checkmarks patting each other on the back, Biden and his economic team receiving praise, and Trump’s defeat launching us into a bright new future. Companies will allow for a modicum of freedom to relevant employees. More working from home, flexible hours and other changes that continue to cushion white collar workers lives.
These changes are not bad, and I am glad that the breaking of the 9-5 grind has begun. But the comforts that the educated, office work force has gained this year, will negatively effect the massive, important systematic changes that need to occur. The US just passed 500,000 COVID deaths, and yet we have seen no push towards healthcare reform. Texas just suffered massive infrastructure failure highlighting the weaknesses of our old grid and the perils of privatizing sectors that should be government controlled and regulated. The country was racked with political and social unrest all summer surrounding BLM and police brutality, and yet no large scale police reform has been enacted. And after January 6th, many of the people holding BLM signs all summer are advocating for more comprehensive police surveillance and power.
Those examples are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of massive institutional changes that need to occur in the US to see real progress. 2020 easily highlighted many of the problems we face with easy, concrete examples to point to. But I am afraid that we will see a regression in terms of political will that is needed to create this change. The big bad that was Donald Trump was defeated, and as things get better for some, they will loose the will to continue to fight for all those still suffering. Hopefully, continued discourse will surround important issues that need to be fixed. Smart and passionate people are out there slowly solving the problems. But as the good times roll in be ready to see people claiming victory while ignoring the massive amounts of work that still needs to be done.