TZUTC: -0500   
   MSGID: 153.canada@1:2320/105 26680d09   
   REPLY: 1:153/757.21@fidonet f92cacbd   
   PID: Synchronet 3.18c-Linux master/dcb003099 Dec 31 2020 GCC 7.5.0   
   TID: SBBSecho 3.12-Linux master/dcb003099 Dec 31 2020 GCC 7.5.0   
   BBSID: CAPCITY2   
   CHRS: ASCII 1   
   RM> ...the gov't has passed out a huge amount of money trying   
   RM> to support as many people as they can and they can't keep   
   RM> doing it forever.   
      
   AA>The same gov't has made it difficult for many small businesses   
     >to qualify for particular handouts too. Instead, a lot of those   
     >businesses decided to close permanently out of frustration.   
      
   I know you speak from your own experience, and not everyone was   
   able to get access to help, but I would be willing to bet that   
   Canada passed out more money to businesses for Not working than   
   almost any other country. They tried to 'purchase' the most   
   protection for the economy without totally bankrupting the   
   country for the next 100 years.   
      
   Of course ANY concessions from financial institutions is   
   always a surprise if you ask me.. And the only way the gov't   
   could control what banks charge would be to take them over.   
   The only time the gov't ever had any control over banks was back   
   during the mortgage meltdown a few years back, controling things   
   like the bonuses the higher ups gave themselves, but the banks   
   sure paid those gov't loans back fast to get control over that   
   stuff back.   
      
   It should maybe be noted that the number of business bankruptcies   
   per year during the pandemic was LOWER than in the 2 years before   
   the pandemic started.   
      
   The situation sucks for a huge number of people, some a Lot worse   
   off than others, but this thing was thrust upon us and there's   
   really no way to prepare for something that only happens about   
   every 100 years or so. Honestly I was amazed the gov't did as much   
   as they did. Maybe moreso since we have a Conservative Premier in   
   Ontario and I really expected him to err WAY on the side of keeping   
   people at work rather than protecting their health..   
      
   The system was far from perfect, no question. Not nearly enough   
   monitoring of things. They wanted to get help to people Fast rather   
   than controled. A friend of mine who owns an Automotive place   
   almost went bankrupt because the gov't made it so easy to get the   
   CERB payments. He lost his 3 mechanics because all they had to say   
   was they found it 'safer' to stay home than go to work, and he was   
   blocked from replacing them, their jobs were protected as long as   
   the place didn't declare bankruptcy. Meanwhile, you could go into   
   one of those 50% capacity bars in town and find those mechanics   
   there getting drunk with their friends on their 'paid vacation'.   
   I'd say that a mechaninc who doesn't even have to talk to customers   
   and each having their own garage bay shouldn't be too terrified of   
   getting Covid at work.   
      
   I doubt you could find anyone who hasn't lost something through   
   this thing, even if it's just shortages of things and higher bills   
   but I don't feel the powers that be totally blew things, regardless   
   of choices made that excluded some people from more help.   
      
   It could have been a lot worse for a lot more people.   
      
   ---   
    * SLMR Rob  * Be naughty--save Santa the trip!   
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)   
   SEEN-BY: 15/0 105/81 106/201 129/305 330 331 153/7715 229/110 317   
   SEEN-BY: 229/426 428 664 700 282/1038 292/854 301/1 317/3 320/219   
   SEEN-BY: 322/757 396/45 712/848 2320/0 105   
   PATH: 2320/105 229/426