All our lives have been impacted. All our lives have changed.
Some more than others. But the most annoying and problematic part is economically. The US was a nation of small businesses. It may be again, but not nearly to the degree we were prior to Covid. The main outcome of the lockdowns and distancing is that larger firms have benefited.
When this started, and people commented how lockdowns would kill businesses (and, as I pointed out, hurt landlords and even renters, depending on legislation in your given state or locality), I read mocking articles, and heard statements from pundits which put forth a concept: "Isn't Capitalism about entrepreneurship, ingenuity and risk-taking? Won't these all come back, what are you worried about?" These were designed to taunt believers in Capitalism and push a misleading agenda of Leftist/Progressive economic thought.
The answer is no, I'm not worried they won't come back. Many will. Unless the government regulates more (and it may well do that, under Biden), risk-takers still exist in the United States and they will 'do their thing' and start businesses. However, the loss of these businesses is a classic example of the "Broken Window Fallacy" which Bastiat wrote about. More work and opportunities will appear or present themselves. But lost value, lost wealth...families torn apart or made desperate by economic loss...these losses are tremendous and mocking Leftists, telling all of us that we are "heartless" because we don't "care enough" to protect people...well, the Leftists have shown they simply do not care about the poor proletarians at all. If they did, why don't they care about the job losses? Why mock those who understand the system?
This morning, I experienced another way our lives have also changed. Having been exposed to Covid, Mrs. Bulldog, myself and our son (who is staying with us) went to get tested after quarantining for a week. We got our tests and they were all negative. It took 4 hours to get a test which took all of 10 minutes for 3 of us. The line was very long. Even with the vaccine, we're being told this may be the 'new normal', and I have a sinking feeling the germophobes may well win this battle. They've managed to freak people out to such an extent, we're seeing calls for 'vaccine passports' (which I WILL NEVER GET, even if it means I have to stay home rather than travel). I've even heard some companies may require tests and some kind of assurances to return to work. These assaults on personal freedoms and our lives need to stop...but I doubt they will under our likely dementia-ridden new president. "May I see your papers, Mein Herr?"
Our lives may never go 'back to normal'. Our economy may recover, but it, too, is fundamentally changed forever. More people will work from home going forward. More virtual meetings will take place. More virtual learning will take place. I am certain the push for lockdowns was to do a dry run for Universal Basic Income, and the government has managed to covince a good many people that it 'works' - because they do believe (incorrectly) that we are a consumption-driven economy. The only consumption-driven economy is a subsistence one. Modern industrial and post-industrial economies are production-driven (getting more for less so more can have access or more of what is available). UBI is nothing more than a new form of state-driven feudalism. Only a belief that there is nothing more to learn, discover, or produce would lead anyone into a mindset that stipulates UBI can 'fix' anything or 'make life better'. That only happens with a special kind of stupid, because it presumes the initiative to learn, produce and generate quality is innate and doesn't require some kind of reward.
If you can think of other ways you see life changing, or believe it will change, share your thoughts here.
As a PS: there were 6 people in the room with us a week ago. 3 of the people in the room had already had Covid, including myself. 1 is the person who called the next day to tell us he'd tested positive. 1 tested positive with the rapid test, he's waiting for the results of the PCR test but feels fine right now, is getting lots of rest, taking vitamins and staying hydrated. The 6th is Mrs. Bulldog...who is a self-proclaimed "Viking". She shared food with me when I was sick (before we knew), we were in very close contact early on before we knew, and shared the house with me and our son (who turned out to have it asymptomatically). She's now avoided it twice...she was the person with the closest contact with our infected friend last week, having sat next to him for about 2-3 hours with little distancing. I told the doctor "If she didn't get it from me, she ain't never getting it." My wife has monster blood. Good for her.
