Submitted by Jerry Snyder
Like everyone here, I am afraid. I am afraid about a lot of things. I am afraid that people I love will get sick. I’m afraid that people I love may die. I’m afraid I will catch the virus and not know it, and that I will make other people sick. I’m afraid I will catch the virus and die. I’m afraid that my business will die. I’m afraid that John Prine will die. I’m afraid that my friends will not have jobs. I’m afraid that billions of people will suffer. I’m afraid no one will be able to make art. I’m afraid that my daughter is starting her adult life at a time full of fear.
I’m afraid that my country has lost its way. I’m afraid that the world will break.
I don’t know how to evaluate how much I should be afraid of any of these things. I’m afraid I won’t ever know.
I go to sleep worried, I often have anxious dreams, and I wake up with a new fear.
Lately, this is starting to worry me: I am afraid that we will get through this, and that nothing will change.
I’m afraid that we will ignore all the weaknesses in our social structure that this crisis has exposed.
I’m afraid that we won’t make any effort to make sure that everyone has access to health care.
I’m afraid that we won’t do anything to take care of the powerless.
I’m afraid that we won’t do anything to house the homeless.
I’m afraid millions of children will continue to rely on school lunches as their primary source of food.
I’m afraid rich people will keep getting richer and we will tell the poor and marginalized that they are on their own.
I’m afraid that we will continue to bail out corporations that use extra cash to pump up their share price through stock buybacks.
I’m afraid that when the economy recovers, we will give away another massive tax cut instead of preparing for the next recession.
I’m afraid we will keep paying teachers too little and CEOs too much.
I’m afraid that the entire federal bureaucracy will continue to be held hostage to one man’s vanity.
I’m afraid we won’t prepare for the next crisis.
I’m afraid that we will continue to ignore science.
I’m afraid that we will fail to do anything to prevent climate catastrophe.
I’m afraid this crisis won’t be the wake up call we need.
Jerry Snyder has been practicing law for nearly two decades in California and Northern Nevada, both in private and government practice. Jerry has represented individuals and businesses of all sizes, from small entrepreneurs to large public companies. Jerry has worked with individuals, companies and communities, and excels at delivering sensible solutions, regardless the size of the client or the scope of the situation. He has extensive experience litigating cases in areas of construction law, water law, corporate governance, real property law, business torts, and intellectual property.
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