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Earth Minute 4/29/20 –  Do we really want to go back to “normal”?

The COVID-19 crisis is exposing the moldy, stinking underbelly of Capitalism in new and amazing ways.

Tens of millions in the US are out of work. Some, like so-called “illegal” migrants who harvest the fruits and vegetables that feed us, are totally abandoned. Other panicking people, in the midst of a unprecedented push to put every aspect of our lives online, cannot get past crashing websites to apply for assistance.

And perhaps the greatest irony. Front-line medical personnel are buying their own PPE while hospital staff are being laid off without pay. The pandemic is not profitable enough. Schools are not far behind.  With states in crisis from falling tax revenues, some schools are being told to expect 20% budget cuts.

But the billionaires are doing just fine. An Institute for Policy Studies report found that Jeff Bezos, whose Amazon employees are picketing for better working conditions, amassed an additional $25 billion since January 1.

Do we really want to return to “normal”?

For the Earth Minute and the Sojourner Truth show, this is Anne Petermann from Global Justice Ecology Project.