The Observation Deck

Mr. Kindt has been pointing out many aspects of Life in Lakewood over the past couple months. I have found over the years, that Mr. Kindt has a refreshing if somewhat dark view of Lakewood and where it is headed. ME on the other hand, see Lakewood, as my home and family. With all the good and bad that comes with those thoughts.

HOWEVER

Mr. Kindt, with his background in Law, and Government, has pointed out one of the most disturbing trends in life in Lakewood, Ohio, and the USA. Basically a complete absent of critical thought, science, and responsibility.

First was the massive failure of the National Government to address this pandemic in any way shape or form. Had we actually followed the knowledge based that existed in February of this year. The government would have ramped up mask production, while instituting safe distancing, and regional quarantines where needed. Simply put, the problem was too big and too big of a nuisance in an election year.

When that passed us by, the Federal Government dumped it the states. And some states like New York, ricked the response, with a heavy handed attitude. Today New York is one of the few states in the country with a transfer rate of less than 1%. Which means, the virus is dying out in New York. Schools are now open, businesses reopening. But here in Ohio the much applauded Gov. DeWine promised testing for 2 months. He made masks mandatory, well not really. He made a shit down mandatory, while not really, he demanded safe distancing, well except where it didn't work or people didn't want to. Which is why we are at a plateau slightly going up. Hence Schools are a mess, businesses are a mess. Travel and rules are a total mess.

Again a total failure of governmental response.

So, this brings us to Mr. Kindt's thread. "The Burden." Recently government has negated and financial responsibility of businesses or government. Simply put, their mismanagement has dumped the entire mess on our individual lap. Not just staying healthy, but all of the financial messes that come with it. Everyone else has been given a free pass. Get COVID from a restaurant, (the number one place to get COVID), they hold no responsibility. Catch COVID at work, as a server, ZERO claims for your health or death. Think about it. While many dwell on the Death numbers, the real damage is in the healthcare. Average COVID hospital stay about $110,000. Now thanks to the Bush administration, there is no bankruptcy for medical bills! So that is a number you are stuck with until it is paid off.

Which gets me to the real point of this post. Look at your friends and neighbors. I am sure, they are like mine, running from the flaming liberal, to the hard core republican. From heath freak to mask and COVID denier. These are now the people we are being forced to depend on, to not get us sick, and crushed with a bill we cannot afford. Two months ago, on Olive Ave. a family's son caught it, the rest of the family caught it. All told about $1 million in hospital bills. Loss of jobs, quarantines, and quite possible, loss of insurance.

How you feeling now about life in 2020/2021.

Just because you are sick and tired and over COVID-19, DOES NOT mean it is over.

Right now those without critical thought are leading the march to Herd Immunity and a death toll over over 2,000,000 Americans. People that desperately need to drink, and socialize leading a charge. Parents that are sick and tired of being with their kids, because of anything from loss of education, to disliking their spawn, to needing to get back to those affairs. And of course sports. We need sports so that life seems normal, and we have something to do at the bar. These are the people we are counting on to help us get through this pandemic. And make no mistake, it is a very serious pandemic. COVID just became the 4th largest killer of Americans. Just behind the Civil War, WWII, and the 1918 Pandemic, which is should surpass before Christmas.

So for anyone to think, this is no big deal, is just NUTS. To think it will go away, or we can wish it away, is nuts. And now we know not only with the government do nothing, they have greased the skids for all businesses, schools, government officials to do as they wish.

We are headed for a truly dark place. Hold on.

I thought things were bad when so many fellow Lakewoodites turned their heads the other way as the community hospital was pillaged. But now, it’s across the state, across the country - it’s all ME ME ME!

People dying because we lost the hospital was easy to ignore because it was abstract - the deaths were not in your face. But now they are. 200,000 fellow citizens dead, gone, and we seem to think that’s OK as long as the stock market is doing well and the bars are open.

What have we become?

The latest mid September numbers reveal some curious trends. Ohio ranks rear the bottom, which is good, all those states that jumped up following the May 1 re-opening (ie FL, TX) have settled down again, while other states like WI are at the top.
https://rt.live/
Hidden in the middle is NY which has apparently ticked up recently. This is disturbing as to me this indicates a possible "second wave" has arrived. This has also been noted in Europe, which in Feb-March sent the first wave of Covid to NY and on to the rest of the country. NY was the first state to substantially control the pandemic, so we are justified calling this a second wave if it it is true.

It's not pessimism; it's not paranoia if it's real.

Dan Alaimo wrote: It's not pessimism; it's not paranoia if it's real.

Dan

The virus is no longer the big problem, while it sits as the 800 lb. gorilla in the room. We also have an elephants in the room called, 50% of the country. Which sits next to the hippo in the room, the economy, which is lined up next to the whale, the failing work force, next to...

Back in the 80s I watch a documentary, and though it has stuck with me, and I mention it now and then, I forget its name. It was about the End of the World, or more appropriately the end of the world as we know it. It was a fascinating study as it was not about a comet, or earthquakes, or sun exploding or even nuclear holocaust. It was a very simple premise. With worse storms, there is more destruction, but slowly. With drier conditions, more fires, but slowly. The temperate zones widen, and with it comes tropical disease and animals. And then something happens medically, and eventually the insurance companies fail, worldwide. After all most insurance can be traced back to a small group of international companies. When the insurance companies fail. How does one rebuild after a fire? After insurance companies fail, how does one pay off accidents, health issues, even businesses? Without insurance you are literally betting everything you own, when you get in your car to go to the corner for milk.

While it seems impossible, how many years in a row can insurance companies balance their books on years of this?

Which brings us to 2020 and the election.

No matter what happens, America goes to war against itself, in the middle of a pandemic.

At a period of time, when America should truly be at peace with itself and the world. A period when we understand so much about science and each other, it falls apart.

We shall see.

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Which brings us to 2020 and the election.

No matter what happens, America goes to war against itself, in the middle of a pandemic.

I’ve got my soup and tuna cans ready!

Here Is What I Know

It is simply this:

If civic leaders convert public assets and public funds to the use of private parties, those public assets and public funds will NOT be there when the public needs them.

Guess what? They aren't!

Mark Kindt wrote:Here Is What I Know

It is simply this:

If civic leaders convert public assets and public funds to the use of private parties, those public assets and public funds will NOT be there when the public needs them.

Guess what? They aren't!

Mark

I just do not understand how people cannot understand the concept of a slippery slope.

We warned of such when it first raised its un-thought-out head.

So this becomes permanent, Cocktails to go is now permanent, and next will be...

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Mr. O'Bryan, I greatly appreciate your thoughtful essay here and your long-term leadership in the Lakewood community.

Bravo! Keep up the good work!