Corona, poverty, and the way from here

In his best-selling book “Tightrope,” Nicholas Kristof contrasted life’s journey for affluent, well-educated Americans (“a stroll along a wide, smooth path, forgiving of missteps”) and for those lower on the socioeconomic ladder (“a tightrope walk … for so many, one stumble and that’s it”). Even before Corona, a full third of Adams County residents did not achieve a minimal living wage. This number remained stable before and during the 2008-2009 recession and throughout the recovery. Quite simply, the Adams County economy doesn’t produce enough living wage jobs to support its population.

The pandemic laid bare not just the vulnerability of large segments of our society but a fundamental inequality as well. For those who can work from home, the pandemic is an inconvenience. Takeout Chinese food, Netflix, and Zoom make social distancing almost tolerable.

But for many others, the experience was an economic catastrophe. Before the pandemic hit, 1% of the Adams County labor force (550 people) was receiving unemployment compensation. Within three weeks, that number exceeded 5,900, more than 10% of the workforce. The actual unemployment rate was far higher and many business owners faced possible ruin. Business at the food pantry doubled almost overnight, while supply from the state food bank was reduced.

And the system sets traps for the newly unemployed. The most vulnerable workers are also least likely to have sick leave or family leave. Those who lose their jobs almost inevitably lose their health insurance as well, just as their need for it increases. Newly unemployed people may find themselves in a Catch-22 situation, where their eligibility for SNAP benefits—which they didn’t need when they were employed—is now frustrated by newly enacted work requirements.

As Adams County moves into “yellow” status and businesses begin to reopen, the inevitable question is “what comes next?” Local government, business, and community groups worked hard during the shutdown to help small businesses survive the crisis and developed guidelines for a smooth reopening.

But the recovery is going to be slow and painful. Today’s economy is driven by consumer spending and consumers who had to negotiate payment extensions or shopkeepers who were shuttered for two months or laid off restaurant workers are not going to be buying new riding lawnmowers or patio grills or refrigerators—the durable goods purchases that traditionally mark a recovering economy—any time soon. Entire sectors of the economy—aircraft and airlines, tourism related businesses, hospitals, mass entertainment and sports, colleges, and state and local governments—have suffered serious harm and will be slow to recover.

Things in Gettysburg are going to look different. The crowd control and safety measures will serve as reminders that “normal” is far away. Unemployment will remain above pre-Corona levels. The Park and the Foundation are trying to develop plans to control crowds and operate safely. The school systems and Gettysburg College are desperately trying to figure out how to open and, in the case of the schools, how to make up for lost time, especially with special needs students. The agricultural sector is concerned about an adequate workforce for the harvest.

And many fear that Gettysburg’s reopening may be made more difficult by the divisive way that our president and some of our local leaders have chosen to govern. In past emergencies, notably World War II and 9/11, the president reached out to the entire country, communicated with them, and attempted to enlist everyone’s support and involvement. There was an immediate “rally ‘round the flag” response. This time, the most divisive president in our history took a situation crying out for a “we shall fight them on the beaches” speech and chose instead to make daily accusations against Obama, Biden, and Democratic governors. He’s even chosen to make wearing masks a political litmus test, with Trump supporters deriding people who follow the government’s advice as “cowering in fear.” And some local merchants hesitate to reopen for fear of confrontations about a simple safety device.

In the wake of the virus, things will change and lessons will be learned. The question is, which ones? The concentration of wealth, the loss of jobs with benefits, and our employer-based health insurance system created this economy where half the population risks financial ruin with one or two missed paychecks. Will we address long-developing inequalities in the system? Or will we say as long as my business can open, hey, we’re good?

The US government didn’t create the virus, but the length and severity of this crisis are the direct results of the most sustained display of government incompetence in our nation’s history. That is partly the result of the unique pathologies of our current president but also results from nearly 40 years of “government is always the problem” and “strangle it in a bathtub” attacks on the public health system and other vital services. Will the aftermath bring a renewed sense of the importance of an effective federal government? Or lead to even more mistrust?

Will this lead to a reform era? Or “return to normalcy?” If there was ever a time…

Leon Reed is a former congressional aide and is the author or co-author of five books on military history. He is the chair of Gettysburg Democracy for America and its Government Accountability Task Force.