Starbucks cups, bottled water, leases, rental units: All these things are disposable, and that’s the new capitalist way. It’s the new consumerist way: own nothing and conserve nothing.
Norwalk, Connecticut is a small, seaside city 30 miles northeast of New York. It’s a fun town for young people, the home to the No. 1 TikTok star, Charli D’Amelio, and the home of the Blue Cactus Grill, a popular little spot that’s been flipping burgers and hawking cheesesteaks for over a decade.
A few years ago, owner Vic Amereno turned its success into an expansion, emptying his savings to open a second location a few miles up the coast in the picturesque beach town of Fairfield. He turned a steady business and was thriving; even during COVID lockdowns, they went on, converting their small, 1,000-square-foot restaurant into a takeout joint. But when it came time to hire back staff and reopen, they hit a wall.
“It is with a very heavy heart that we are announcing that our Fairfield location is closed,” a message posted in the window, and reprinted by the state’s Yankee Institute, read. “We truly enjoyed being a unique part of this community. Business was great and we sincerely appreciate all who patronized.”
Then, the message took a different turn:
We were forced to close simply because we were unable to staff the business. We tried everything for the better part of eight months to hire people including Indeed, Craigslist, ZipRecruiter, [Connecticut] Unemployment office, even probation and parole offices to no avail. All of our efforts yielded only two applicants in those eight months. We hope the state is happy with the decision to extend unemployment and bonuses and hope everyone sitting at home is having a good time. A thriving small mom and pop business went down the drain for no good reason. I guess the state of Connecticut wants to be filled exclusively with corporate garbage. This is a serious industry-wide issue and we feel for all the other businesses that are struggling. Enough is enough.
The message wasn’t up for too long. Honesty doesn’t pay, and Vic likely realized this.
Like many other states in the union, Connecticut is still paying an extra $300 a month on top of preexisting unemployment benefits to anyone who wants to stay home instead of working. For small businesses especially, this is a problem. The economy is reawakening, and even in deeply pro-lockdown areas like the District of Columbia, businesses are at full capacity while everywhere employers complain they cannot get enough staff in the door.
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Without a doubt, Trump is the champion of small business. Biden, is dedicated to destroy it.