Editorial -- Why Won’t People Work? Long COVID

A Sunday NPR Weekend Edition piece found that at least 4 million Americans don’t work because of Long COVID. They used to be productive workers, but now, they don’t have the energy to work as much. Common symptoms include brain fog, fatigue, fever, indigestion, and elevated body temperature. The 4 million figure is based on data from the Census Bureau, the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, and Lancet, one of the world’s top medical journals.

One possible solution would be to enforce the Americans with Disabilities Act. Such a situation would qualify as a disability under the law, and employers would be required to make accommodations, such as lighter workloads, more flexibility in hours, more work from home, or giving them a different role. These accommodations have to be done individually; durations and symptoms vary widely among individuals. Sometimes, symptoms come and go. Some people may even qualify for Social Security Disability income.

Another solution would be to keep improving access to vaccines. My dad had long COVID symptoms for months, but when he got the Moderna shot, he got better.

Another possible solution would be Basic Income. The object of a Basic Income is not to be a substitute for work, but to eliminate poverty, allow everyone to participate in the economy, and allow people to have a safety net when things happen through no fault of their own. This is why we advocate a $1,000 a month UBI. 

Yes, we know that certain people may misuse it. We all know the type. But God created each of us, including Adam and Eve, knowing that we would all sin and fall short of His glory. By the same token, should we abolish police because certain cops misuse their authority? Should we abolish teachers because certain teachers take advantage of students in ways that traumatize them for life? Should we reject God because certain clergy misuse their pulpits?

The US Department of Labor is soliciting ideas from both employers and workers that would help address Long COVID. You can leave comments at https://longcovidatwork.ideascale.com/ until the middle of August.

Elevator Bids Come in $50,000 Over Grant

The County Commission found that the bids for the elevator project came in $50,000 over the projected estimate. The Northwest Missouri Regional Council and Roger Versules, the engineer for the project, are working to cut the costs of the project. The county was unable to get extra money for the project from the state. One option for the county would be to turn down the grant and reapply based on the bids.
The commission set their next meeting for Wednesday, August 6th due to election day.
Mary Carroll was appointed by the commission to the Library Board.
The commission voted to authorize Dallas Ruth to set up a horseshoe pitch in the courtyard subject to commission approval.
Commissioners Bill Mozingo and Lorace Waldeier and County Clerk Lisa Hargrave were checking for a surplus truck that could give better mileage than the current one that Road and Bridge foreman Jim Fletchall could use to check gravel.
There was gravel washed off some roads and debris that was caused by the flooding last week. The commission authorized Jim Fletchall to get pictures and documentation in the event the county was declared a FEMA disaster area. Rain was not heavy in the west part of the county, but East Commissioner Bill Calhoon said that he got 3 inches of rain and the northeast corner of the county got 6. There was brush on the road near Jerry Cook’s, while the flooding completely submerged the Mosbarger bridge and the Nonneman bridge needed shoring up. In addition, there were some ditches that needed to be graded back into shape once the roads had sufficiently dried. Emergency Management Director Pat Kobbe said that she was doing preliminary estimates on damage.
Among other work, the Lynch road needed blading while a tube on the Kerwin road needed repair and the road by the Jerry Dignan was caving in. Fletchall said that the county would need to order some more tubes before the year was out. Richard Supinger told the commission that the repair work on the road west of his house help up against the rains and flooding of last week.
Len Green will look at the lock on the trailer that was broken.
Treasurer Linda Brown reported that the state had reimbursed $53,000 for Barb Foland’s office. The county is waiting on $7,000 that the state owes the county for prison restitution.
Fletchall reported that United Electric was working on an overhead power line at the Missouri Taylor bridge; after that project is complete in a couple of days, the project would be ready to start.