So far, I’ve escaped the flu.
It’s not because I’m lucky. In October, I got a flu shot.
Used to be, I didn’t bother to get the shot. I’ve always been pretty healthy. Even though the News-Press offers shots for employees at a deep discount, it didn’t seem worth the hassle.
Then one winter, a nasty virus attacked. I’m not sure if it was the flu, but I would have gladly paid $5 to have avoided it. The next year, I was at the head of the flu shot line waving a $5 bill.
Pretty amazing things, those shots. A little pinch, as the nurse warns you, but then you seem practically invincible. I haven’t had the flu for the last six years and even colds are not as severe as they would be otherwise.
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a similar inoculation for the economy?
I would have gladly paid $5 to avoid going through what we’re experiencing now. St. Joseph is home to some of the world’s best animal health pharmaceutical makers with expertise in vaccines. Too bad they can’t bottle a recession inoculate and spur some local development.
Looking back, it would have been worth it to feel a little pinch instead of getting laid low by a recession virus. It might have taken more than one vaccine to have avoided this meltdown.
Automakers are stretched out on the gurney, their arms hooked up to an IV, moaning for a fresh infusion of cash like a hit of morphine.
Maybe they should have taken the pinch earlier and considered fuel efficient cars as more than just a novelty. Auto unions, now heartsick over losing full health care coverage and benefits that could support a small country, might have considered if they were robbing from the future.
St. Joseph has always had an intriguing relationship with its unions. Smurfit Stone Container workers shocked the community by going on strike during the worst economy in recent memory.
From all indications, workers are not as upset about wage levels as they are about how they feel they are treated by management. As the cold wind picks up, no doubt both sides will be wondering if some genuine concern and communication could have prevented the whole situation.
A few financial institutions could have taken a little pinch and said no to flimsy practices. Now they’re shuttering banks and sweeping loans out with the trash.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, the saying goes, and this bailout is getting heavier by the minute. Next recession season, let’s hope we’ve learned our lesson and built up some immunity.
