People with/without income during this time

This is more of a response to what I am seeing on Facebook daily.

I see people who are still working (whether from home or going in) getting paid .. bad mouthing those who are calling for change to start reopening as soon as we can w/new protocols keeping people as safe as possible

Then there are those who aren’t working, whether we work for ourselves or someone else , Not getting anything from unemployment, who are in tears wondering if the last decade+ of building a business that supports your family Will survive even another day. We are spending our days fighting for our right to conduct business to those who would feel comfortable coming into our stores or even curbside exchanges.

From what I am seeing on my SM is those who are getting an income are downright belittling those who want a chance to earn their livings again. Sounding like cuomo staring we don’t value human life. We DO value human life, we also value human livelihoods.

We closed down for 6 weeks to flatten the curve. Most of us were on board to help the hospital max overflow, to get. A handle on what this is and what to do... but now? I feel like it’s time to be able to make our own choice with our own lives. If I feel ok with wearing a mask and going to kohl’s for a shirt , or walking into one of my towns little cutesy shops for a gift, anything really - why can’t I?
A lot of us on here believe in the right to choose? Why is this choice any different? It’s a choice in my life for my life. If you are afraid, you can choose to continue to shelter in place. I want to be able to choose going back to work. Opening our business doors to our clients who are desperate for our service (dog grooming)


I don’t understand it. I just wish that those who have income would try to look at the other side a little bit. We are not monsters who want to kill our fellow humans. We are people who want to continue to live and grow and pay for the things we’ve worked so hard for. So many are seconds form losing everything. remember that when your paycheck hits your bank account, others are seeing overdraft fees.

Message edited 5/10/2020 9:09:54 AM.

Re: People with/without income during this time

For the record I still have my full income and can work from home indefinitely and DH has a pension and medical benefits for life and I STILL agree with you 110%.
If Target can be open, Kohl's can be open- with all the same precautions in place.
If Walmart can be open, a mom and pop gift shop or clothing boutique can be open... same precautions.
And the right to CHOSE is the thing.
Nobody can force you to leave your house if you so chose- that is your right. You have the right to weigh the risk vs. reward for your family.
But I should have that same right.
If I wanted to smoke, I know the risks. But I still have the right to do it.
If I want to drink booze to excess, eat myself to morbid obesity, drive without a seat belt, I, as an adult can choose those risks.
People skydive- it's risky! But they chose it as an adult.
That is what I am not understanding.
We have a lot of people at my job who would be willing to go work in the office tomorrow. We have a lot who would not be comfortable. Why can't we make that choice for ourselves?

And OP- I am so sorry you are going through this and you are feeling this stress. And I am sorry for the thousands upon thousand others like you
And when I see people on the news protesting and rebelling, I look at them as heroes to be honest. Because they are standing up for their rights and their livelihoods- and the rights and livelihoods of others who can't or won't

Message edited 5/10/2020 9:22:29 AM.

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I’ve said from the start that the ability to hunker down this long requires a lot of privilege and it would be nice for the people who ARE that privileged to acknowledge that and be empathetic to others who are struggling, but it seems that many privileged people are not capable of that. It’s uncomfortable to acknowledge your own privilege- it’s easier to pretend that “we are all in the same boat” when some of us have yachts and some have canoes. I have a dinghy, maybe a tugboat in case anyone was wondering ;).

I was chomping at the bit to scale back the restrictions, but the recent news about children dying has sent chills down my spine and is giving me serious pause and so I am choosing to extend my own draconian restrictions for longer - I will not send my neurotypical children to camp; I will carefully weigh the pros and cons of sending my disabled child if and when his program opens up; and I will possibly consider hiring a private instructor to reduce exposure while still providing his badly needed, very necessary healthcare services - but I do not resent anyone who has to go out and earn a living! I am CHOOSING to stay in, choosing to make a compelling case to my boss for extension of my WFH, and if she isn’t on board, my ex and I are thankfully in compete agreement that we will have to survive without my income, adjust child support, and I will stay home with them. But again - this is what I choose for my family’s safety - I don’t expect other families to not eat.

I am privileged that I can forgo my income and survive (not as well, but I can do it) - not everyone can. At this point in the game, people have to do what they HAVE to do, although we all have a social obligation to mitigate unnecessary exposures. But earning a living is very much necessary.

Good luck to you, this all sounds very stressful :(

Message edited 5/10/2020 9:54:20 AM.

People with/without income during this time

I agree with you 100%. My husband and I are working from home and still getting our pay direct deposited every two weeks. It’s unfair that so many people have lost their livelihood in this pandemic. I think if someone wants to open, they should be allowed to. I think this shutdown is causing just as much trouble as the virus.

Re: People with/without income during this time

never mind

Message edited 5/11/2020 11:32:53 AM.

People with/without income during this time

I’m an essential worker in a hospital and my DH is working from home so we are very fortunate and continue to support local businesses as often as our budget allows. I will say with absolute certain that I whole heartedly support closure and social distancing in places such as beaches, parks, sit down in restaurants, as I’ve seen people congregating in parks and places and NOT taking precautions such as wearing a mask etc. every Friday before my shift I go get a bagel from a local place wearing a mask etc but seeing others not following the same. I think that businesses should be allowed to start opening with restrictions such as not allowing anyone in without a mask, spacing out service, restaurants changing a bit to offer carry out etc. as much as I see people dying daily and it’s extremely traumatic, it’s traumatic mentally for people to loose all they worked for. I work in mental health (psychiatry) as was redeployed to medicine during this so I totally get mental health. I think there needs to be a concrete plan saying businesses need to meet A, B, C criteria and you can open. I’m so sorry you are going through this. If you move to a mobile grooming service please let me know my dog stinks and needs her nails cut!

Message edited 5/10/2020 9:42:25 AM.

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I agree 10009% and won’t add anything extra, as I’ve posted similar thoughts already.

They should allow dog grooming businesses to open, they are allowed to operate here in NJ.

Message edited 5/10/2020 10:07:16 AM.

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And this is where I challenge the Us and its laws with regards to unemployment. There is a whole system here to prevent what you are going through.

I’ll do it briefly. It’s a cascade effect. You had to shut down your small business. There is some sort of insurance to protect you. Small businesses close down. Then there is Kurzarbeit (the small business pays your unemployment of about 60% +health and pension and TV tax). When that runs out, you go on unemployment 1 (ALG1). That pays your health and pension and lasts for as long as whatever your contract was. When worse comes to worst, then it’s welfare unemployment 2 (ALG2). That can go on forever. It isn’t much, but it helps.

They have a whole thing for freelancers and small business owners to get their stimulus (about 4,500-10,000) for the next few months.

At this point I’d question your government.

It’s a ****** situation. The US did not handle it correctly. It can’t be fixed overnight.

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Message edited 5/10/2020 10:17:08 AM.

People with/without income during this time

The whole thing is fukked up.
I am essential so still working and being paid. My DH is furloughed but collecting unemployment. He works as a manager for A retail clothing store that is currently closed, but was very busy. I think this whole thing is a disaster. I don’t know why DH was able to get the unemployment so easily and others are still waiting. If we need to close, send everyone a monthly or weekly stipend based off their last tax return. Look at the whole loan program that was intended to keep payrolls going. Disaster. Much of it went to big corporations. Ran out of money in matter of days. I have to be honest though, idk if I want my DH goin back to work when this over because of how many people he will be coming in contact with. We also don’t know what will happen with schools come September. I really feel for those going in 8 weeks of no income. I predict many businesses (restaurants, bars, gift shops, even some larger retailers) that have lost all this income probably either won’t reopen or will close permanently within the year. It’s a sad situation. I really don’t know what the answer is...

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I feel for u PhyllisNJoe and many, many other ppl in the same exact situation.

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Message edited 5/10/2020 10:27:49 AM.

People with/without income during this time

I am sorry about your business and current situation.

Both DH and I are currently getting paid and we agree with you 100% - it’s time to start reopening.

I think those who are against reopening don’t understand the overall ramifications of this extended closure and feel that this will make the virus go away - which it won’t.

I agree with Nell too, if certain stores can be open, why can’t others? I went to Target yesterday and although I didn’t feel unsafe - i would feel just as safe, probably even safer, in a smaller business in town.

The people complaining are going to be the same people complaining are going to be the same people complaining when things cost more.

I feel we need to take a step towards normalcy! If we don’t start trying the safer things - how will schools ever reopen!

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Same here, agree with you and I am working from home while hubby is essential. We are both still getting paid as well as having a child who is getting unemployment (and taking home more than I do smh).
I feel for everyone who is losing their businesses and not getting paid. It is just horrible,

People with/without income during this time

I agree with you 100%. I don't work but my husband is getting 100% pay and working from home indefinitely. The whole point of quarantine was to flat the curve and to make sure we do not over run the hospitals. Both seem to be in good shape right now. What I think the problem is that people are not willing to wear masks. Out in the open air, there are constantly people not social distancing and not wearing masks. Every time I have been to a store, there has been an issue of someone not wanting to come in with a mask. We had a whole thread on our Facebook Mom's page that one lady's son who is special needs and won't wear a mask. She was saying it was discriminatory to make him wear one. I also have special needs children and if they cant wear a mask they stay home. If everyone would just follow those simple rules I truly believe we can open almost everything, even if its at a smaller scale.

Just FYI - the groomers by us are open. They are saying that if the customer has a note from the vet that the grooming is essential, they can go to the groomer. All the vets are giving the letters.

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What the local non essential stores near me did was to print huge signs with their phone number. Then you can call the number and they will text you photos of what they have in stock. You pay for the item and the do contactless trunk delivery or drive it to your home in town. The toy store and local clothing/accessories stores near me are all doing this. They have a flash page on their websites with the instructions. You are not going into the store. The only person in the store is the store owner.

My husband is an executive that made the decision to not fire anyone of the 150k employees. Some people have not been able to work since mid March. People that were supposed to be RIFED and had been notified that was happening for March 31, were still kept on as full employees with benefits. He and other executives forgo bonuses to keep these employees on the payroll because it is the right thing to do. I am exceptionally proud of his decision.

I think that this is a very difficult time, and many people are suffering. My friend lost her brother. He was 46 and in excellent health.

I also am cognizant that this country will suffer for a while and inflation is coming, if not already here in certain industries.

People with/without income during this time

I will repost what I put in another thread.
I am not in denial. I can't speak for others, but I would like to hear all of the facts before I panic. Nobody knows yet how many of these children had other health conditions. There are some children who tested negative for both the virus and the antibodies. I am not saying there is no correlation, I am saying I refuse to put myself into a state of hysteria just yet.
Believe it or not, it is possible to be concerned about this virus, want to protect the vulnerable of society, and still be worried about the economic ramifications of this. Today the NYT times put out a projection of a 25% unemployment rate by June 1st. Cuomo himself has said we are quickly approaching a time when teachers, health care workers, firefighters, and law enforcement will begin to get laid off, because there is no money to pay them. How anyone could not find that terrifying is beyond me.
I saw an article where someone at a food pantry said they had to turn people away because there was no more food. Imagine waiting in line for hours, desperate to feed your child, only to be told there is no food. Has anyone on this board ever had to deny their child a meal? Have to spend day after day worrying that their child will starve? That you will all wind up in a shelter or on the streets?
Overall, I think LI is a very privileged area of our country. Most people here just can't comprehend what some people go through. Go into the poorest areas of the 5 boroughs, and guarantee your heart will break. I've seen children picking through trash with their parents hoping to find something to eat. Please stop telling people who truly fear for the financial future of this country that they are in denial and just want to throw our kids back in school and go out to dinner. This problem runs far deeper than that. There but for the grace of God go I.

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I totally agree and have been very vocal about this. Everyone I know who wants to stay locked up until there is a vaccine has had no change in their income. When people say “having no money is better than death” it really shows me that they really do not understand what is going on. And when they say “oh stop complaining that you cant get a haircut” it further shows their complete ignorance.

And a lot of it does not make sense. I still wonder how liquor is essential. And yet my family cant see a dentist for a year? I can walk into a crowded grocery store every day, but cant get curbside pickup at a retail store? I can play golf and go fishing and walk the beach but I cant take my own son to a park to throw a ball?

FYI. I dont know if anyone saw this reported today, but 15 days after reopening their state, Georgia hospitalizations are at an all time low.

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I know I am definitely one of the lucky ones right now - I am working from home, at full pay and my job will not be effected by this. That being said, I think I am in a somewhat unique position to understand the other side of this. My father died when I was 7 and my brother was 4. My mother never expected to have to financially support us - she was "supposed" to be the stay at home mom and my dad was "supposed" to go to work every day and provide the financial support for us. Needless to say, our lives were far from what they were "supposed" to be and my mother somehow found a way to make our lives as good as possible - but nowhere near as financially secure as it would have been. And I think about it often - if something like this shut down happened when I was a kid, my mother, in all likelihood, would have lost our family's only source of income. And we would have suffered significantly. So, yes, I do get both sides and do not think there is any easy answer.

I do think if we open things up, the rate of infection will skyrocket again. Yes, it's under control now. But, if we opened everything up tomorrow, it would skyrocket again - quickly. And we'd have to "start" this all over again. I know it will never go away completely. And until there is a cure or vaccine, we will have to do things differently, but I also get that we cannot let our economy completely collapse on the backs of small business owners and workers. I get why people are angry. I get that people are truly hurting. I even get why people are protesting - but not why they don't do so in a way that protects themselves and everyone else there.

This is not the same as the right to choose and abortion. That decision effects only the body of the woman making that choice. The choice to congregate in crowds now effects everyone in that crowd, everyone that those people come into contact with, could potentially effect my ability to get the healthcare that I might need, and effects the healthcare providers ability to do their jobs in a safe and sane way.

I am not overly afraid of getting this virus, personally. But I have seen and heard of true horror stories - multiple family members being killed by this virus, young and old. It's beyond horrendous. I am afraid for our economy and what is happening. I realize we cannot keep going like this, and that millions of people will be financially devastated. I don't know how those two things are reconciled.

I don't have any answers. Just because my income hasn't been effected, doesn't mean I would belittle or judge anyone who has been hurt financially and wants to open things up. But, those who are careless and cavalier about this situation - that I do have a problem with

Message edited 5/10/2020 1:26:29 PM.

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