Columnists

There's a classic routine featured in the early silent comedy films. Action begins when a worker digs a big hole and walks away, leaving no warning sign. Next, an innocent walker falls into the hole.

The denouement takes one of three forms: In the first, the walker falls all the way through the earth and exits in China. In the second, the walker falls onto a trampoline and bounces out of the hole. The third outcome is when the walker falls for awhile and then lands on something such as coal car or an underground river or a (fat) policeman.

Here in California, as a result of the pandemic-inspired shelter-in-place order, we've fallen into a hole. Many of us are in free fall.

I'm not afraid of falling all the way to China. But I know people who are: restaurant workers who don't know when they'll get another job and can't pay their bills. Or gig workers...

On the other hand, I don't expect to quickly bounce back. We've been sheltering in place for three weeks and don't know when it will end. But I do know folks who are carrying on with their (more or less) normal jobs: government employees, healthcare workers, and folks in essential trades. -more-

Our economy, at a reasonable guess, is analogous to driving a car on the freeway with the gas gauge pointing to just below empty--we have massive unemployment, and we are being told to stay at home to slow the spread of a deadly communicable disease. How does this affect people on a psychological level? I could not begin to assess such a thing, and someone better than me could probably write volumes about it after we extricate ourselves from this predicament. However, in this week's column I will talk to you a bit about how it is affecting me.

As a mentally ill man, I am affected by this when I watch television news and when I interact with people and see a number of people wearing masks in public--when I go out for essential trips. It seems surreal. But, does it trigger my symptoms? Of course, it does.

I am halfway into a change of residence that is mandated by needs of my family unit. At the same time, there is an acquaintance who would like to make their problems into my problems. I have to deal with details on a number of fronts. And I am not prepared for a lot of what I'm up against.

Life was already difficult enough when I was not in the middle of moving, something which is a major life challenge, and when there was not a pandemic at the same time, which affects moving and adds additional strain. -more-

Reading the handwriting on the wall, you suspended your campaign, acknowledging that “the path toward victory is virtually impossible.” Yet, you will stay on the ballot to collect delegates for the convention, "where we will be able to exert significant influence over the party platform.” That sounds like one foot in and one foot out of the race. -more-

Recasting the Forecast -more-