Time for another stimulus package
I can't help but feel sympathetic toward Albany County Executive Dan McCoy. Whatever he envisioned when he first ran for office, I doubt he hoped to one day become Albany's spoilsportin-chief, making daily appearances on television to excoriate county residents for the crime of congregation. But before we condemn Mccoy, we should remember the maxim: Don't shoot the messenger. The problem here isn't the messenger, it's the mixed messages we've been getting.
One messaging failure is evidenced by the depressingly large number of people who think this virus is a hoax and say the media is making a mountain from a molehill. This ignorance does real harm, and political leaders who downplayed the virus's severity have blood on their hands.
The other, more pernicious mixed message is the one that tells us to change nothing in our economic lives while sacrificing everything in our social lives. By refusing to extend economic relief, the federal government is forcing Americans to act like nothing is wrong during our working hours. Is it any wonder we resent the officials interfering with our hard-earned leisure time?
The truth is, local officials simply lack the tools to navigate our communities through the COVID-19 catastrophe. The federal government, on the other hand, has the authority and the ability to do more to improve conditions for average Americans. They can pass a stimulus package that alleviates our collective pain, signals the virus' severity and strengthens social solidarity. The fact they choose not to is unforgivable. Galen Heins Colonie