Empathy

The April 4th. unemployment rate in Tippecanoe County was up 7,748.3% from last year.
The April 11th. unemployment rate in Tippecanoe County was up 11,547% from last year.
(www.hoosierdata.in.gov)

All of which makes this month's West Lafayette Council Resolution #9-20 reallocating various CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funds for "Small Business Stabilization Grants" seem like a very good idea.

Now, while we are good at economic development, we are not particularly good at saving businesses. If we were, the Iowa Pacific would still be hauling passengers to Chicago. Our monthly $16,667 checks to INDOT in support of passenger rail bought us nothing. If we were, Fresh City Market might still occupy The Fuse building's ground floor.

Our resources are minimal. It is a constant challenge to explain state property tax caps to the people of West Lafayette. Reduced income and sales tax revenues will reduce our income even more.

Perhaps if the timing is just right we may be able to make a small difference for some little firms not receiving other federal funds in our low-income census tracts. Our grants will be largely irrelevant. If Purdue moves students on-line and reduces their residential population, small West Lafayette businesses will fail.  If Purdue boosts residential enrollment above 45,000 in order to make more money, small West Lafayette businesses will grow.

But we want Town and Gown to reopen. We want The Pint's patio full. We want Rubia to prosper. We have been inside Cumberland Pointe, and while "Boomer Remover" is a clever tag, we want that residential community to be safe. Since Purdue students are immortal and may blow off social distancing for beer pong (FYI - I am NOT giving up my ventilator for those kids.), we still need to send someone to say that's stupid behavior. 

The federal government is its own disaster. Don't drink Lysol. Pence, wear a mask. Forget the conveniences of wealth. #notdyingforwallstreet

But we get it. We live here. We will try.

We will try to protect the old and the frail and the occasional random 20 year old from disease. This in spite of the "give me liberty or give me death" crowd. It's not socialism, it's parenting.

We are somewhat protected from Covid-19 by the accident of distance. We are somewhat protected by the absence of some 40,000 of our usual residents.  But we will ask others to remember that we live not far away from Logansport and the Tyson plant and that we are down the road from Chicago where yesterday's 144 deaths was a new worst daily death total. We are not exceptional.

We will try and help our friends and neighbors make enough money to stay here. We would miss them if they were gone.

It's community. Love your neighbor as yourself. Empathy.