We’re a Broken Society, and There Is No Vaccine For That

America is falling apart, and some political experts want you to believe everything is okay.

Shooting and murder rates are surging, and people cannot afford to live anymore. COVID-19 cases are increasing, and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla is trying to sell the public another vaccine that stands to make him billions of dollars.

These horrible trends are forcing school districts to close, and no politician cares enough to offer real solutions to any problem.

If we don't address school problems, nothing else matters. So we will move from health crisis to talent crisis. Keeping kids at home have huge consequences on our society, and no one loses more than our kids.

School districts are in danger.

School districts from coast to coast, reporting a surge of student misconduct after returning to in-person learning. Fort Worth ISD is struggling to keep kids in class, teachers healthy and keep their schools open.

Last fall, Jacob Sanchez reported, "Results from this spring's State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness showed more students in the district not passing the math and reading tests, mirroring a statewide trend, according to Texas Education Agency data."

The data is clear, young kids can't read anymore, and older kids can add or subtract. Teachers can't manage an online and offline teaching environment simultaneously. In addition, Kid's social skills are regressing daily.

Don't be quick to say; teachers can offer kids online intervention. Stop expecting teachers to be parents, social workers, janitors, therapists, and nurses simultaneously.

We can't have the school system carry the burden alone. The government should step in and provide every school district with access to unlimited rapid tests, financial incentives for teachers, and tax breaks for every parent who desires to vaccinate their kids.

Teachers, kids, and parents are struggling.

Keeping kids at home and placing more pressure on parents to be providers, protectors and teachers don't serve our nation.

We live in the greatest country on earth, and we need to find a way to educate our children and keep them safe at the same time. Kids don't know how to behave in social settings anymore.

WSJ reported last month, "Schools have seen an increase in both minor incidents, like students talking in class, and more serious issues, such as fights and gun possession. For example, in Dallas, disruptive classroom incidents have tripled this year compared with pre-pandemic levels, school officials said."

Say goodbye to families.

Single-parent households numbers are rising as well.

I can explain this trend by discussing the decline in marriage rates, rising births outside of marriage, and unrealistic expectations of couples in relationships.

A survey done in 2019 showed the U.S. has the world's highest rate of children living in single-parent households. According to Pew Research Center, "Almost a quarter of U.S. children under the age of 18 live with one parent and no other adults (23%), more than three times the share of children around the world who do so (7%)."

I want the CDC to remember this number every time they ask parents to keep kids at home. In most cases, they essentially are asking single mothers to quit their job and stay home with their children.

Mothers can't do this any longer.

Mothers are talking about their pain, but no one is listening.

One mother told Mckinsey and Company, "I'm feeling long-term burnout. I'm someone who always prided myself on being in control and having strong, emotional resiliency. And I am not doing great. My manager checked in on me, and I know he's trying to empathize, but he said something like, 'Oh, so-and-so keeps calling me to make sure you're okay. We know you're a flight risk."

Another mother said, "We're all aware of the social context we're operating in, especially women working in corporate America. Yet, I keep thinking, am I going to be another one that falls from all this? I'm fighting so hard, but it feels like the odds are against me, and it hurts."

Women made tremendous progress in the last 50 years, and thanks to policies that don't support families, women are seeing their progress being reversed. If the government doesn't pay attention to schools, daycares, and the status of our families, say goodbye to America as you know it.

Companies will move from health crisis to talent crisis.

Women are working four shifts.

One is in the home, the second is their jobs, the third is extra duties because of the pandemic, and the fourth is the additional responsibilities that many have assumed in the workplace.

If we don't pay attention, we will move from a health crisis to a lack of talent crisis.

Losing women in the workplace will create a crisis that none can handle. Data shows the pandemic has reversed women's progress in the workplace. For example, women's labor force participation rate has plunged 2.5 percentage points since February 2020 compared to 1.7 points for men. This is not a sustainable trend.

Instead of paying incentives for people not to look for jobs, the government should pay incentives for employers to offer flexible schedules, remote work options, daycare allowance, and longer maternal leave.

It is time to stop making fun of France.

When the pandemic forced every employer to lay off people and shut down their businesses, the French government made great decisions.

Don't give people an incentive to stay home.

Instead of enhancing unemployment benefits, they offered subsidies to employers to keep workers on the payroll.

This simple solution kept workers employed and connected to their employers. When the vaccines became available, it wasn't hard to convince them to come back to work.

The government should never discourage able Americans from rejoining the workforce by providing incentives to stay home. Likewise, businesses should never compete with government benefits.

Let people work.

Keep daycares and school open.

Instead of forcing parents to choose between their kids or jobs, the French government opened their daycares and school early.

French President Emmanuel Macron decided to reopen schools and daycare centers, citing the impact of school closures on children and working parents. The French government knows that keeping school open means freeing parents, largely mothers, to return to work.

No parent should choose between feeding their kids or educating them.

Pharmaceutical companies shouldn't manage this crisis.

So far, every solution that the government has offered is to help pharmaceutical companies to sell more vaccines.

Last week, mainstream media offered Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla access to every home in the country to tell them the omicron vaccine will be ready in March. This man shouldn't be managing this crisis.

If he convinces the CDC to recommend the fourth vaccine, he will gain billions of dollars. Last week, he told CNBC, "This vaccine will be ready in March. We already started manufacturing it."

We need a solution that helps kids, teachers, and parents. Not Pharmaceutical companies.