All in Columns
I should have written this column about two months ago. Like most of us, I have been distracted. Today’s subject is crucial to our local, state and national government. The census still contains a few questions I think are unnecessary. For instance, I am not sure what questions about ethnicity or marital status have to do with apportioning representation in the U.S. House, but I answered those anyway.
I was asked recently to submit a prayer for businesses that would be a part of a National Day of Prayer series for Neuse News. I immediately thought of all the small businesses that are struggling and many that are closed right now. I am intimately acquainted with the struggles of small businesses and small business owners. My grandfather opened and ran a small family business.
Tammy Kelly, director of the Lenoir County Extension Office, reached out to the Lenoir County SPCA and a number of pet owners to pull together a special project. The goal is assisting pet owners struggling to provide for their pets during the economic shutdown surrounding the COVID-19 virus. Here’s how you can help.
One more question about the Wuhan Virus: What was China's purpose for its development in the first place? If the purpose was to wage warfare on the rest of the world, which seems to be the case, then it's the equivalent of China sending its aircraft over our country and reigning bombs down on us indiscriminately.
If you give North Carolinians a binary choice — lift all restrictions immediately or keep most of them in place for another month or two — most will opt for the latter option. But those are not the only choices. There is a middle course, a phased reopening that starts within days and gets people back to work while keeping hospitals from being overcrowded.
In my opinion, the only thing as easy as a crock pot and forget it recipe is a sheet pan dinner! I know we are all running out of great meal ideas that may are healthy, easy, and require few ingredients.
People are not the only ones impacted by COVID-19. Reports are beginning to surface detailing the impact the virus is having on pets. When economic pressures come, lack of finances often causes people to struggle with providing for their pets. Some pets eventually end up at shelters because their owners are no longer able to provide for them.
For many Americans, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in an immediate need for funds that can provide financial stability. In response, lawmakers have lessened financial burdens through stimulus legislation that includes several temporary rule changes to retirement account withdrawals.
China's release of the coronavirus may have been more deliberate than accidental. Folks, at the very least we should hold China accountable for this horrendous assault, and insist that Wuhan Province be closed. What China has done is equivalent to a declaration of war, and it must not go unpunished.
We often hear about the Consumer Confidence Index, which is down drastically, but what about the confidence of Small Business Owners? We’re often touted with support in political campaign ads and yet the federal government has overpromised and severely undelivered. Without Small Business Owners’ willingness to take risks, the costs to our economy could dwarf the EIDL and PPP investments.
Last week, funds for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) officially ran out. The $349 billion small business assistance program is a part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress on March 27, 2020.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a column arguing that while a stay-at-home order might be justified as an initial response to an immediate and poorly understood public-health threat, it wasn’t “sustainable” for more than a few weeks. The piece generated more than the usual amount of snark and hate mail. I was being “ignorant” and “reckless” and “irresponsible.”
Most of us have heard the term “unintended consequence.” The term refers to the fallout, usually unanticipated, of an action or situation. Two of my older grandchildren are being impacted by unintended consequences of the coronavirus shutdown on high school and college students.
We are only days away now from President Trump's announcement concerning the direction our country will take in dealing with the coronavirus, and getting our economy going again. By working together we can emerge even stronger than we were before this "silent plague" came our way. There are creatures among us that can help us understand how important it is to work together, and how we can live our lives with more meaning and purpose just by observing them.
As we temporarily shut down Church services as well as many other activities throughout our land, there are several things we should keep in mind. First of all, this is not the time to panic.
A lot has changed in the last month. For many of us, we have seen changes in how we live, work and shop. One thing that hasn’t changed, is that local farms, farmers markets and garden centers are (mostly) still open. These businesses are considered essential services in accordance with statewide stay at home orders.
I did not know I would endure my own trio of “deaths” over a four-day period. First, my wireless router died, turning my home into a Wifi wasteland. Next, my longtime friend, an HP8600 Printer, began to send me multitudes of error messages. In the end, I had to pull the plug. Then my Samsung 58-inch smart HD TV went black and no amount of coaxing could bring it back to light.
