[fChk]

I feel you, the forums have been very lacking recently and it's hard to have quality conversations when it is just a core of us responding to each other. 

Nothing new here!.. That's the norm not the exception!..

As for the US and my perspective, yes, this virus is raving our people and economy worse than some of the 3rd World Countries around the work and we have only received 1,800$ over the course of a year to help with expenses such as rent and our utility bills. Restaurants and small business across the city I live in have closed down for good, only to have opened within the last year and then not being able to make money or pay their own bills. 

Does that really cover the cost of life -even for 1 person- a year-long in the US, regardless of which state one lives in?!..

The Neoliberal economics model did hit hard for the working class inside the World cheerleader for it!

As for employment.... I got COVID in late April/early May and I had to fight HR for two weeks after returning to work to get my Emergency Covid Sick leave. I would say our labor system is very much a slight of hand magic trick system, where with misdirection folks feel safe and secure while unspoken policies are making it harder and harder for people to be employed while the elite of companies continue to walk away with large sums of money while those actually keeping the show going are barely able to pay their bills or put food on the table.

Sorry to read that!.. Hope you're doing OK as of now!

what does 'HR' stand for?...

I kind of follow closely the US foreign and domestic (especially at the federal level) politics, and Man!.. that kind of sucks from the Working class perspective..

... The US is a Big Corporations Heaven -indeed- but a Working class graveyard for Sure!.. No wonder why it's relying on Immigration to sustain its M.O... Something that Trump did never get!!.. Did He?.. You can never please both the Big Corps that rule the US and the majority of the Voters... unless you appeal at some deep rotten ideology.. Something Trump did pull off once but couldn't do it twice!.. People always wise up in the end!

P.S.: I had to place these comments somewhere. This was the opportunity.