Recently I had a debate with a legal expert over the anticipated future of America following the pandemic and forced business shut downs. Yes, even I can be drawn into the question of what is going to come next and I tend to look at life with a little bit of horse-sense.
Our debate was over the economy and who was going to win and who was going to loose. His attention focused on the booming housing and stock markets. My focus was on the renters who didn't own a home and the middle-class business owner who is being forced to close due to shutdowns. Two perspectives but very much of the same. He sent me an article today saying we were "both right." The sad thing is the rich will always get richer and the poor will often remain poor. Because of the shutdowns, even more of those people who were living on a shoestring are now facing homelessness as the middle-class disappears.
This is what Socialism looks like.
The September 24, 2020 article my friend sent me was from a Channel 4 News online article by Leticia Miranda. In the article (now 3 months old) Leticia reported that, "The Housing Market Is Booming, But Millions of Americans Face Eviction—and the Gap Is Getting Worse." https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/how-coronavirus-has-widened-chasm-between-rich-poor-n1240622. The article gave several examples of people living off their savings, running up credit card debt, and dipping into IRA accounts just to survive. Renters who spent their rent money to keep their heads above water now find themselves fearful of being homeless on the streets. Credit reporting shows the majority of low and middle-class Americans are so far in debt they may never recover. People are more fearful of the future than ever before because the government continues to hurt the healthy in the name of preventing CoronaVirus outbreaks. But the math isn't adding up anymore and people are starting to push back.
I heard someone say at the beginning of 2020, "Here comes food lines and rising costs" and man, he was right! Prices have soared even while our ability to purchase has disappeared. People wanting to remain in their comfort have now learned the true cost of it. Others less fortunate are frantic to sell their excess to pay for food and housing. Adult children have moved home with their elderly parents to pool their resources. The multi-family home is getting crowed as 3 and even 4 generations all share the same space. So many people are in holding patterns waiting to see if the next Presidency will save them or let them fail.
All I can say is it's going to be a bumpy ride no matter what happens. Tighten your belts, sell what you can, focus on collective savings, and find someone to hold on to. Now would be a great time to get right with God and pray for a better tomorrow. Do what you can to prepare financially and be ready emotionally as well. Faith casts out fear and faith is all we have at this point.