Here is a map of the zip codes in my state. I've showed it before. I'm in the dark blue areas circled in red. We have lots of apartments, lots of Central American immigrants, and lots of old folks homes.
But, hey, what the deal with with that one area in the flat, agricultural Eastern Shore part of the state?
That's Salisbury, Maryland. A smallish town, surrounded by 'country.' But like Logansport Indiana, it is the headquarters of a particular industry. Chicken processing, instead of pork. Purdue is headquartered there. So they get a few cases, too, because of peculiarities of that industry.
"What peculiarities T-bolt?"
Well, killing and cutting up animals for food is a hard job, but does pay at least somewhat decently. It attracts poor people that want to go to the next step up above flying a cash register at WalMart or Family Dollar. And it doesn't require much education. You can be a 6th grade dropout and get work. But, no, it isn't pleasant, and folks burn out or get hurt with all the repitition. There are incentives besides personal ones of self enrichment to keep you from tapping out for a day, taking a break. Some places pay you an extra dollar or more an hour if you work a full 40 hour week. To cut back on absenteeism. But these perverse incentives work against a community during an epidemic. Because it encourages folks to work even when sick. And then the virus spreads among workers, who take it home to the small apartment with roommates, and the not so good healthcare coverage... So you get a darker blue zip code.
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
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