I'm fortunate enough to have a job that has insulated me from the financial stressors of COVID. But hundreds of millions of people have not had the same economic protection to see them through this pandemic. They have lost their income if not their businesses, and in return they

have received next-to-nothing from the governments that are mandated to provide them with the necessary relief. In seeing this latest relief bill coming out of the US wherein individuals will receive $600 whilst billions of dollars are squandering on foreign projects rooted in

ideological dogma should be the ultimate eye-opener. If in the current pandemic, the government is unable to establish its priorities in a way that places its own citizens ahead of pet global projects, it is truly time to reconsider the way that governments are run. Ideological

zeal has downstream consequences and we are seeing this play out in front of our eyes. To grant $600 to a person who has lost a business that they spent 20 years to build whilst relief money is going to advance gender studies in Pakistan is what an idea pathogen looks like.