The 26th Week of Covid-19: No School Shootings, More Grasses in the Chester River
Muriel Cole • September 15, 2020
How are Eastern Shore seniors doing in the pandemic? How it has affected our health, our lifestyles, and our frames of mind here? Fortunately, most of us have not had to suffer a job loss or covid-induced economic hardship. But what have the effects been during this period that are new to all of us? I took a very informal email survey of older adults living in the Chestertown area and talked with numerous others. I received 30 very thoughtful and candid replies. We agree on a lot.
What do we miss the most? Many immediately zeroed in on the lack of social interaction: not going to restaurants or seeing friends, missing visits with grandchildren. At least eight mentioned the disappointment of cancelled trips. One who was planning a cruise said, “Don’t know if/when we will feel comfortable on a boat with 150 others again.” “I miss the easy camaraderie with friends who Zumba danced with me,” said another. Phil Cicconi of Rock Hall summed up the impact on his life, “The whole experience is life-altering with some good and some not so good.”
Do we feel safer here than if you lived in another area? “Yes,” “Definitely,” “Most assuredly” according to all but one respondent. “I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else!” said Cynthia Saunders. Several said that they still do not go into supermarkets but depend on home delivery. The most concern about safety centered on the perceived lack of facemask usage.
I asked for ratings, on a scale of one to 10, about the levels of satisfaction with the local services, e.g., Health Dept. advisories, local government response, testing availability. Most gave these services very high marks, with several giving a grade of 10. The Health Department and the Chestertown Spy were commended, while several think that testing availability has been inadequate. (I reached out to the Kent County Health Officer but did not get a reply as of this writing.)
Those of us living in our own homes know we should plan ahead for the time, if and when it comes, when we no longer feel safe or comfortable living in and maintaining our home. Has the pandemic influenced any short- or long-term plans for moving from one’s present home? Fifteen specifically said their plans have not changed. Six now live at Heron Point, a senior community, and all expressed having a positive experience there, with lots of support and a sense of security. Conversely, two have had “second thoughts” about relocating to a continuing care retirement community. One has postponed consideration of moving to be near children, and one said, “Everything is on hold until a reliable vaccine is made available to all residents.”
“The value of having friendships and family has been reinforced,” said Carol Nelson. “No school shootings, greenhouse gases down,” noted John Leek. Cynthia Saunders praised a neighbor who ordered an office supply-sized carton of toilet paper and shared with all those on the street. Sandra Jackson is taking a RiverArts online watercolor class and is delighted to be growing vegetables as well as flowers. Liz Clark believes people are more aware of “the bravery of health care workers.”
Several described initiating regular Zoom calls that have given them great pleasure, connecting with friends and family (though one quipped that Zoom get-togethers are “a shadow of the real thing”). “My cats love me more.” “The community has a more cohesive, solicitous feeling.” “Have you noticed the great amount of grasses in the Chester River?”
Three could think of no positives, and one worries that in the winter months she expects to feel more isolated.
But respondents have gardened more, cooked more, cleaned more, read more. Personally, I am extremely grateful to my needy garden, to Netflix, and to my eclectic, beckoning bookshelf for saving me from boredom.
The biggest take-away from this little project may be that seniors have learned the value of positive thinking.
“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” – Henry Ford
Muriel Cole is co-chair of the Kent County Commission on Aging. She has a Certificate in Gerontology from the University of Maryland. She writes from Chestertown. She has tested negative for covid-19.
Common Sense for the Eastern Shore
Right now, Congress is working on a fast-track bill that would make historic cuts to basic needs programs in order to finance another round of tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations.
The House Agriculture Committee recently voted, along party lines, to advance legislation that would cut as much as $300 million from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program, helping more than 41 million people in the U.S. pay for food. With potential cuts this large, it helps to know who benefits from this program in Maryland, and who would lose this assistance. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities compiled data on SNAP beneficiaries by congressional district, cited below, and produced the Maryland state datasheet , shown below. In Maryland, in 2023-24, 1 in 9 people lived in a household with SNAP benefits. In Maryland’s First Congressional District, in 2023-24: Almost 34,000 households used SNAP benefits. Of those households, 43% had at least one senior (over age 60). 29% of SNAP recipients were people of color. 15% were Black, non-Hispanic, higher than 11.8% nationally. 6% were Hispanic (19.4% nationally). There were 24,700 total veterans (ages 18-64). Of those, 2,200 lived in households that used SNAP benefits (9%). The CBPP SNAP datasheet for Maryland is below. See data from all the states and download factsheets here.
Apparently, some people think that the GOP’s “big beautiful bill” is a foregone conclusion, and that the struggle over the budget and Trump’s agenda is over and done. Not true. On Sunday night, the bill — given the alternate name “Big Bad Bullsh*t Bill” by the Democratic Women’s Caucus — was voted out of the House Budget Committee. The GOP plan is to pass this legislation in the House before Memorial Day. But that’s not the end of it. As Jessica Craven explained in her Chop Wood Carry Water column: “Remember, we have at least six weeks left in this process. The bill has to: Pass the House, Then head to the Senate where it will likely be rewritten almost completely, Then be passed there, Then be brought back to the House for reconciliation, And then, if the House changes that version at all, Go back to the Senate for another vote.” She adds, “Every step of that process is a place for us to kill it.” The bill is over a thousand pages long, and the American people will not get a chance to read it until it has passed the House. But, thanks to 5Calls , we know it includes:
Let's talk about our Eastern Shore Delegation, the representatives who are supposed to fight for our nine Shore counties in Annapolis, and what they actually got up to this session.
For the first time in recent memory, Virginia Democrats have candidates running in all 100 House of Delegates districts — a milestone party leaders and grassroots organizers say reflects rising momentum as President Donald Trump’s second term continues to galvanize opposition.
The 447th legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly adjourned on April 8. This End of Session Report highlights the work Shore Progress has done to fight for working families and bring real results home to the Shore. Over the 90-day session, lawmakers debated 1,901 bills and passed 878 into law. Shore Progress and members supported legislation that delivers for the Eastern Shore, protecting our environment, expanding access to housing and healthcare, strengthening workers’ rights, and more. Shore Progress Supported Legislation By The Numbers: Over 60 pieces of our backed legislation were passed. Another 15 passed in one Chamber but not the other. Legislation details are below, past the budget section. The 2026 Maryland State Budget How We Got Here: Maryland’s budget problems didn’t start overnight. They began under Governor Larry Hogan. Governor Hogan expanded the state budget yearly but blocked the legislature from moving money around or making common-sense changes. Instead of fixing the structural issues, Hogan used federal covid relief funds to hide the cracks and drained our state’s savings from $5.5 billion to $2.3 billion to boost his image before leaving office. How Trump/Musk Made It Worse: Maryland is facing a new fiscal crisis driven by the Trump–Musk administration, whose trade wars, tariff policies, and deep federal cuts have hit us harder than most, costing the state over 30,000 jobs, shuttering offices, and erasing promised investments. A University of Maryland study estimates Trump’s tariffs alone could cost us $2 billion, and those federal cuts have already added $300 million to our budget deficit. Covid aid gave us a short-term boost and even created a fake surplus under Hogan, but that money is gone, while housing, healthcare, and college prices keep rising. The Trump–Musk White House is only making things worse by slashing funding, gutting services, and eliminating research that Marylanders rely on. How The State Budget Fixes These Issues: This year, Maryland faced a $3 billion budget gap, and the General Assembly fixed it with a smart mix of cuts and fair new revenue, while protecting working families, schools, and health care. The 2025 Budget cuts $1.9 billion ($400 million less than last year) without gutting services people rely on. The General Assembly raised $1.2 billion in fair new revenue, mostly from the wealthiest Marylanders. The Budget ended with a $350 million surplus, plus $2.4 billion saved in the Rainy Day Fund (more than 9% of general fund revenue), which came in $7 million above what the Spending Affordability Committee called for. The budget protects funding for our schools, health care, transit, and public workers. The budget delivers real wins: $800 million more annually for transit and infrastructure, plus $500 million for long-term transportation needs. It invests $9.7 billion in public schools and boosts local education aid by $572.5 million, a 7% increase. If current revenue trends hold, no new taxes will be needed next session. Even better, 94% of Marylanders will see a tax cut or no change, while only the wealthiest 5% will finally pay their fair share. The tax system is smarter now. We’re: Taxing IT and data services like Texas and D.C. do; Raising taxes on cannabis and sports betting, not groceries or medicine; and Letting counties adjust income taxes. The budget also restores critical funding: $122 million for teacher planning $15 million for cancer research $11 million for crime victims $7 million for local business zones, and Continued support for public TV, the arts, and BCCC The budget invests in People with disabilities, with $181 million in services Growing private-sector jobs with $139 million in funding, including $27.5 million for quantum tech, $16 million for the Sunny Day Fund, and $10 million for infrastructure loans. Health care is protected for 1.5 million Marylanders, with $15.6 billion for Medicaid and higher provider pay. Public safety is getting a boost too, with $60 million for victim services, $5.5 million for juvenile services, and $5 million for parole and probation staffing. This budget also tackles climate change with $100 million for clean energy and solar projects, and $200 million in potential ratepayer relief. Public workers get a well-deserved raise, with $200 million in salary increases, including a 1% COLA and ~2.5% raises for union workers. The ultra-wealthy will finally chip in to pay for it: People earning over $750,000 will pay more, Millionaires will pay 6.5%, and Capital gains over $350,000 get a 2% surcharge. Deductions are capped for high earners, but working families can still deduct student loans, medical debt, and donations. This budget is bold, fair, and built to last. That’s why Shore Progress proudly supports it. Click on the arrows below for details in each section.
