Re: 'Do we permit a virus to destroy our economy?' [Village News, Miller Letter, 04/02/20]

This is a response to some of the things addressed by Diana Miller in her letter.

Bringing back factories from offshore is a great idea. To do that will require a totally new way of thinking about our culture and the way we live. For many years, since at least after World War II, the people of the U.S. have wanted to be the highest paid workers in the world with the best benefits.

We also want to buy a lot of “stuff” at the lowest possible prices. Business, doing what it does best, goes off shore to get the “stuff” that we want at the lowest possible prices. Their costs are lower because of lower labor costs, fewer environmental and safety requirements in those other countries.

Buying things at the lowest cost is also a normal thing to want to do. Are we now willing to pay more for our big screen televisions and the millions of other things “we have to have?”

It would be great if people had enough savings to get them through the rough spots. Many people do spend more than they should on various luxuries, dinners out and the many other things that advertisers try to get them to spend our money on.

However, many people, although they are working very hard, do not make much money. Many make the minimum wage or maybe a little more. Frequently they do not get medical or other benefits. Have you looked at how much health insurance costs or how much rents are? Things are tough out there.

Do you think that the Democrats are the only ones who larded up the recovery bill recently passed by Congress and signed by the president? Did you know that huge tax benefits were given to those connected to the Republicans? Take a look at the bill.

The recovery bill passed almost unanimously by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump has a provision that requires that an inspector general be appointed to both oversee the distribution of the $500 billion that is to be given to businesses as well as report to the public in a short amount of time how the money has been distributed.

In his signing statement, Trump said that he was going to ignore the inspector general. He said that he was going to be the oversight. Do you trust Trump to do the appropriate oversight? I don’t.

Boeing, a very important business to our country, is, apparently, being given $17 billion to help support their business. Did you know that Boeing has spent $43 billion in recent years to buy back their stock?

Stock buybacks tend to add to share value which enriches their stockholders and executives that have bonuses tied to stock prices. Why didn’t Boeing save for their rainy day, like Ms. Miller suggests that individuals do? That does not even address the problems they seemed to ignore as they developed the 737 MAX.

Some measure of the problems we are now having land at the feet of the president. His maladministration, downsizing public health agencies, downplaying the problem with COVID-19 until a couple of weeks ago have certainly contributed to making the problems worse.

There is plenty of blame to go around. This is not solely the problems created by the Democrats that Ms. Miller would like you to think.

These are just a few of the issues that are ignored by many. I hope this will encourage people to look at the entire picture.

Mike Reardon