Coronavirus Thoughts Week 3

"We are fighting for survival" This is the statement I heard from an employee and a restaurant owner this past week.  Both restaurants are still open with limited hours and a minimal crew.  Some restaurants in Connecticut will never open again due to the governmental decree of two weeks ago closing them to the extent of only allowing take out and delivery service to stop the spread of Covid-19.  Many businesses besides restaurants have closed and or are on limited hours to stop the spread of Covid-19 with thousands of Connecticut workers having signed up for unemployment benefits due to these closures.  This is placing a massive economic strain on the limited amount of money in the state's poorly run Unemployment Compensation system.  Many small Connecticut businesses applied for the state's new no interest Recovery Bridge Loan Program.  More than 4000 applications flooded Connecticut's feeble Department of Economic and Community Development system thus they are now unable to accept more applications due to the overload.  Supposedly Round 2 of these loans should be coming at some point.  I will believe it when I see it. 
"We are fighting for survival" This statement echoes in my ears constantly. 
Fox News reported after $2 trillion dollar Coronavirus relief bill was passed that there was a great deal of special interest group/lobbyists "pork" (spending that is unnecessary and unrelated to the bill) spending that was found in it.  I have found it very difficult to actually view the bill and what it contains.  Our Congress obviously wishing to hide the bill from the public so there would be no Taxpayers questioning it and the "pork" in it.
Here is a brief summary of the "pork" in the bill.
$10,804,687,000 for international development.
The African Development Fund (ADF) $513,900,000, the African Development Bank (AfDB) $7,286,587,008, and the International Development Association (IDA)$3,004,200,000.
$350,000,000 for refugee resettlement.
$93,000,000 Congress ($25 million of which is for "salaries and expenses" unknown as to how it will be allocated).
$75,000,000 for PBS stations.
$75,000,000 for the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities.
$75,000,000 National Endowment for the Humanities.
$50,000,000 for the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
$25,000,000 for the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.
$7,500,000 for the Smithsonian Institution.
Why are we allowing this much non related Coronavirus spending to take place in this bill?  The bulk of these spending add-ons were made by Democrat Party members of the United States House and Senate led by Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.  How does this non related Coronavirus spending help people who have the virus and businesses impacted by the virus?  The silence is deafening by Senators Murphy and Blumenthal and our illustrious Democrat members of the House in responding to these pork questions.  Billions of Taxpayers dollars are being spent on totally non related Covid-19 matters.  Why?  To me we are seeing of the complete ineptness and disregard that our Congress especially the Democrat Party has in the time of a crisis to the people it supposedly represents.  And if you are questioning what they are doing with this non related Covid-19 spending you are labeled an obstructionist, anti-American, insensitive, etc.  I wonder what steps Africa is taking currently to help our country in this crisis with the amount of aid they just received?  The $11 billion dollars that was given to these African entities could buy a great deal of food, shelter, surgical masks and ventilators for our country.  Just a stupid thought on my part.
"We are fighting for survival" Words that should be heard.
And we are somehow supposed to trust our government on a federal or state level in the time of a crisis?    I really think we need a new Congress.  With the exception of a few brave individuals this Congress does not represent American Taxpayers in any way shape or form.  It only represents the special interest groups that put them into office.  The swamp called Congress needs to be drained.
"We are fighting for survival" This statement has become deafening to me. 
I will repeat from last week's column.
Do not fear.
We will overcome this crisis as we have the others.  All will be well in our country. 
Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."
Words to live by.