While most 8 p.m. howlers have gone silent, two little girls in Blue Lake are still making themselves heard in support of frontline workers. We’ll talk about them and reasons, the practice fell off, including pandemic fatigue, which has real consequences. We’re also taking a look at the toll on restaurants and staff when employees test positive or are exposed to COVID-19. Get weekly updates on Humboldt’s local stories by hitting subscribe.
This article appears in The Last Howlers.
I’ve yet to read in the mainstream news-media how when the COVID-19 crisis began, the most influential, and maybe even the first, voices to have the ear of governments likely were the largest corporations, particularly the airlines.
The result was resistance against an immediate halt in international commerce, including overseas flights, weeks of delay that may have translated into many COVID-19 deaths.
A common refrain prevails, especially among Western capitalist nation governments and corporate circles—that best business practices, including what’s best for the consumers, are best decided by business decision makers.
Other than what’s best for bottom-line corporate profit margins, this was proven false by, as a most consequential example, Boeing’s decision to keep its ill-fated 737 Max planes flying, regardless of indicators, including employee warnings, they should be grounded and serious software glitches corrected.
(Frank Sterle Jr.)