Two Roads Diverged - Jadyn C

  Due to the current world-wide COVID-19 pandemic, the global economy has had an unprecedented crash. Consumers are forced to stay home, all nonessential business has been halted, and most trade has stopped causing many corporate titans of industry to fall. The pride of America, the oil industry, has fallen so far from the throne it once claimed. America is a capitalist society, meaning that consumers drive the market. Since consumers all over the country have been ordered to stay home and only leave their houses for essential items, many industries that relied on having an active consumer base such as airlines and the oil industry have failed. This led to companies laying off workers in mass, causing people to spend even less money because they now live without an income.
  The US government is currently trying to mitigate the effects the virus will have on the economy long-term. The actions they are taking include bailing out bankrupt corporations, sending stimulus packages to the many citizens, and trying to increase confidence in the stock market again. However, there is no denying that the economy cannot bounce back until the coronavirus is contained world-wide. I think the Dow will continue to slowly increase in the coming weeks until the US sees the number of coronavirus cases rise again due to resuming business as usual too early as it has in Florida. A second virus wave occurring in the fall could also plummet the economy even more. However, once the virus is controlled and a vaccine has been distributed, the Dow will rise and continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
  The global health crisis has revealed many flaws in the United States' healthcare system and economic model. We are now at a pivotal point where it would be most easy to make major changes in this area. If Joe Biden is elected, he will likely use the outbreak as a learning experience and create an America that is more focused on health, the environment, and economic equality rather than capitalistic values. If Donald Trump is reelected, America will continue much in the same manner as it has for decades. Because our oil industry is failing, we have the opportunity to fund more sustainable energy sources rather than bail out companies that are destroying our planet. Because the flaws in our healthcare system have been so clearly shown, we can fix those problems rather than turn a blind eye. Finally, because we can see how lower-income minorities are contracting the virus at a higher rate because they are the ones working "essential jobs" that expose them and have little to no health care, we can work to close the wealth gap and provide everyone with safer working conditions rather than sending more people to die in a fast-food restaurant. Or we can ignore the lessons taught in 2020 and continue to build up a system that has already failed us.