A west-side restaurant owner authored a recent article in ElPasoMatters.com.
He tells us that he is angry. Yet he does not tell us with whom.
I think most of us can read his article and understand his observations. It seems that he has decided to remain closed. He is taking responsibility for his situation and I respect that.
No one is forcing him to either open or remain closed.
Who does he want to do what?
What would ask be changed?
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
The title of his article seems to point out who he is angry with government. You also claim no one is forcing him to close. The City restricted restaurant operations weeks ago. You imply he is doing everything of his own volition but that isn’t even remotely true. Not to mention the perverse incentive for workers to stay home and collect extra unemployment.
The article is pretty clear, he is upset with disparate and seemingly conflicting orders from various government entities. Why open a mall if public gatherings are prohibited? It is straight out of Alice in Wonderland.
You either see this and choose to ignore or you do not see the reality of the current landscape for entrepreneurs. Either way your “questions” are silly and the point you seem to be making is specious.
LikeLike
Duh. It’s a complete mystery what the article says. Except it’s not, really. He is asking that government rule be sensible and fair, as opposed to ridiculous and nonsensical. He seems to be upset that Abbott left these decisions to local officials who are inept. He also seems to disagree with reopening in general. I don’t agree with everything he says, but he isn’t being mysterious in what he claims. The mystery is how anyone could read the article and not understand what he is saying. He is staying closed because he doesn’t agree with local government’s decisions. He gives several examples. There is no mystery here. Where is it required for him to provide answers to other questions, such as what should be changed? He isn’t the official in charge, he is upset at what their decisions are.
LikeLike
This entire shitshow is ©2020 The Republican Party of America, from top to bottom. President to the mayor.
Thank you for voting for this America.
All we can do is vote these idiots out in November.
LikeLike
Eloise is a good bistro that sources local food and I am a customer. My heart goes out to him and the other good, local bistros, too. I worry that Ripe, Crave, Ardovinos and the others may not make it but Applebees and McDonalds will. We’ll always have corporate calories but the local, small restaurants are fragile.
LikeLike
Personally, I see it as a classic nanny state rant. Georgia has been open for more than two weeks with similar restaurant rules and there is no difference in their average infection rates compared with closure. Arkansas never closed. He might as well give up on his restaurant if he is waiting for an end to infections. Put tables six feet apart, print disposable menus reflecting your higher costs, require staff to wear masks at all times, require diners to wear mask anytime not seated at their table, do not allow patrons to talk with folks at other tables and depending on whether their are gender specific bathrooms or a single unisex bathroom, assign 1-2 gender appropriate staff members as restroom attendants continually wiping stuff down. The guys that figure out how to do that will stay in business. The guys that don’t are gone. Our government can’t fix this. We need to use common sense to figure out how to safely operate in a COVID world.
LikeLike
It was not a nanny state rant. If you want to use Arkansas and Georgia as role models, good luck with that.
LikeLike
This situation with Covid19 is a tragedy for so many people. I read a article in the New York Times yesterday that told of a plan to open restaurants in parking lots and parks in San Jose, California. The Greeks and Italians have always done it. They find a shady spot and set up chairs and tables. Don’t offer bathrooms or refills on tea. We are brand new beggars and the world has changed. I think the reason the owner of Heloise feels dismayed is because of a lack of leadership, lack of testing, and lack of any plan of action. I was watching a interview with David Petreus and he mentioned the four tests of a strategic leader. Getting big ideas right. Inclusive, transparent process, no one is smarter than another. Communication and doing that relentlessly. How well do the individuals perform their tasks ? Taking responsibility for all your unit does or fails to do. As surge of ideas change, refine and augment. Relentlessly work to set up new ideas to address the issues. These are notes I scribbled as I watched the interview which was a old one. We need to evolve. We had to grieve after 911, we had to grieve after the financial crisis of 2008, we are now grieving the tragedy of Coronavirus. These were all preventable tragedies. The leadership was and is the Republican Party. I disagree with Mr. Trump and Mr. Abbott on everything. The proof is in the pudding ❗️
LikeLike
I’m happy to eat the pudding. Hate to live in your fantasy world, where unemployment and poverty reign.
Of course, if everyone’s unemployed, you can build your fantasy world that requires governmental dependency.
LikeLike
For inspiration listen to Tracy Chapman’s song New Beginning. The recipe for a better needs to be formulated. The greedy are never delicious.
LikeLike