2020 was the "bad" year that exposed inequality. Good riddance as far as the big wigs and corporations. Happy 2021???

Throughout the day both on radio, TV and print people have been talking about a terrible 2020 and better 2021. Has it really been that terrible or has it just been an experience? 

The number of positive COVID-19 cases and the possibility of mutated ones was a "shock" to the system. The number of deaths were intolerable. A human made structure called the economy crashed in many parts of the world and shrunk in others. These were some of the negative consequences of COVID-19 in 2020. 

On the other hand COVID-19 exposed the differences between the haves and the have nots in both poor and rich countries. (I am using the word poor and rich very loosely.) In Canada for example the CERB (Supplemental Income) ,which in by in no means was perfect but, still existed for those who had lost jobs. Income assistance was provided to employers to kept their employees and the wages for those employees to my understanding were subsidised by upto 70%. In the United States, many people who lost their jobs also lost their employer provided health insurance, considering health insurance is generally private ( I am not talking about the public option in the City of New York, Dinsaur in Vermont or Medicare and Medicaid). There was a little bit of hope when they passed the heroes act when there was a $1200 plus up. Both the house and senate found the time and money to help out major corporations and the military industrial complex but not regular people. You can tell the how sincere the government is when a person like Nikki Haley the former US representative to the UN and former exec at Boeing had no problem asking the government for money when she was at Boeing but has major issues with it when it comes to the general American public. 

The Philippines, at least to my knowledge in Metro Manila, has imposed curfews on vulnerable populations who live in "tent" cities. Many of them who could barely meet ends were cut off from their meagre cheques and were therefore scrambling for food. The people were more worried about dying of hunger than of dying as a result of COVID-19. 

2021 may be a better year for the "back to brunch" crowd, as result of the 3 COVID-19 vaccines, but I really doubt anything is really, as president elect Joe Biden put it during the primaries "going to fundamentally change". The vulnerable will always remain vulnerable. 

(I do support the work of Bernie Sanders (I), Josh Hawley (R) with regards to the plus up for the American people)