by Luma44
I’m a father, a husband, a taxpayer, a full time employee.
I’m working hard to provide for my family.
I’ve never accepted a handout. I’ve fortunate enough to say that I’ve never needed unemployment. I’ve never filed an insurance claim. If I need more money, I’ve been lucky enough to have opportunities to work harder or longer and get what I need.
Since schools have been closed, I’ve been a full time infant caregiver, a full time toddler entertainer and teacher, a full time homemaker, and a full time employee. My pay has been cut but my hours have not. I’m scraping by. 23 hours a day are scheduled and chaotic.
I should be one of these people petitioning to the government to reopen Arizona. I should be begging for normal again.
But I’m not.
I’m terrified. I’m immunocompromised. I’m asthmatic. I’m unsure what my odds are going to be if I should get sick. But they’re worse than 100% chance of staying alive.
We must remain closed, isolated, working from home, protecting ourselves and each other. Protecting healthcare workers. Protecting our children. Protecting the government that isn’t working for us. Fighting this disease with all we have.
This is America.
We can get new jobs. We can get more money. We can work hard and do great things.
But we can’t do great things from the grave.
I feel like our leaders are all too willing to dig hundreds of thousands of graves just to give a little boost to the stock market, or the economy, or their reelection super pacs. I don’t want to be cannon fodder for the economy. I don’t want you to be either.
We are in this together. I care about your health because it’s your being healthy that keeps me and my family safe too. Please. Stay at home. Stay safe. It’s not time to reopen. Not yet. Listen to the experts. Please.
I’m begging you. If we open too soon, it’s because our leaders have decided that we (all of us) do not matter.
Disclaimer: This is a guest post and it doesn’t necessarily represent the views of IWB.