Can we talk about EIDL?
Dear Krystal and Saagar, I hear you talk a lot on the show about how covid relief programs are ending and how that is impacting American workers. Can you please bring some attention to the issue of Economic Injury Disaster Loans? As a small business owner, my covid relief program from the government was a LOAN. I had to essentially take out a mortgage to keep my business alive during the pandemic. While I consider myself fortunate to still be in business at all, I am a SMALL business owner and the thought of paying back these premiums while my business continues to struggle is a literal nightmare. The EIDL money is gone, we are not back to normal, and I have about $200k from the federal government @ 3.75% that I am married to for the next 30 years. PPP was a joke- while my PPP loan was forgiven, I was approved for less than two months of wages. Additionally, the government seems to have flat out lied about unemployment relief for small business owners. They rolled out a fancy app for me to file for Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, claiming that small business owners like me who are typically not eligible for unemployment would be able to file, but I never saw a single dime of that money. The fight is not over for anyone, but for small business owners in the United States, it has truly just begun.
Corbevax, too little too late?
Dr. Keith Martin, executive director of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health in Washington, D.C "CORBEVAX is a game changer". "It's going to enable countries around the world, particularly low-income countries, to be able to produce these vaccines and distribute them in a way that's going to be affordable, effective and safe." NPR article dated 15/22 claims the Texas team has developed the vaccine that will change the course of the pandemic. Omicron is in a sense inoculating the rest of the population that have not received the mRNA vaccine (more contagious, less deadly). Is it too little too late for the Corbevax vaccine? Your thoughts as always are appreciated.
Office vs Remote Work
I keep hearing 'businesses are desperate to get people back in the office'. My question is Why??? What is the big deal if the business is still making money (and they are!) and the people are still being productive (and they are!), then what makes them desperate to fill cubicles? It is almost like they sensed there was joy in Whoville and now must crush it.
What books to read to get a foundation for the broader implications of news headlines
I’m someone who only within the last 6 months to a year has become more interested in the news. I’m 26 and haven’t given it too much thought until this past year. I find it interesting to read things from multiple points of view, but I often find that I don’t have a great understanding of the broader issues around things like the economy, the incentives that large institutions have in conjunction with their ties to large corporations, and other things like that. I’d like to know where to turn (books, podcasts, lectures, whatever) to begin learning tab out the broader implications of what happens in the world of the news. Thanks so much!