This will not be a highly nuanced missive. I’m specifically writing this to reach a wide audience, simply to warn about what the lasting economic legacy of the COVID-19 crisis will be if nothing changes.

In 1873, the US Government discontinued coining the Silver dollar, leaving only gold as the metal that people could have coined into money. (Amazingly, many members of Congress didn’t even know the bill they were voting on would demonetize silver, but that is another story for another time.) The Silver dollar was very popular outside the big cities, especially in the growing western states. Without it, economic growth suffered tremendously. Discontinuing coining the Silver Dollar contributed to a long economic Depression called “the Long Depression” that lasted until 1896. During this period, big business thrived and small/medium sized business suffered greatly. It was the “robber baron” era, where big business seized most of the market share. Why am I telling you this? Because:

The COVID-19 pandemic might be THE ULTIMATE corporate consolidation event in human history.

Whereas the Long Depression was drawn out over a couple of decades, today’s consolidation process is much quicker, due to the dynamics of the pandemic.

Big business is the Dow 30, the S&P 500, and even the Russell 2000. It’s the equity indices whose levels have become matters of National security in order to keep the over-leveraged house of cards that is our financial system intact. All those pensions working class folks out there expect to receive are dependent on an unrealistic, constantly increasing stock market, despite the fact that 85–90% of the stocks are owned by the top 10–15% in wealth. So we’re basically stuck in a situation where the Federal Reserve is creating trillions in credit to inflate markets and generate more inequality, JUST to keep the whole machine going.

However, the Fed has no facility in place to help ordinary Americans who are employees, or small/medium sized business that aren’t worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The Fed really only has the authority to help Wall Street and Big business directly. The result is this absurdity:

It’s the Bull Market Depression.

So who’s supposed to protect the little guy? Unfortunately, it’s those half-wits in Congress who reach an approval rating of 20% on a good day. As expected, we haven’t gotten much help from them other than a one-time payment of $1,200 per adult and $600 per child. It’s just not enough. In the end, there’s no question who benefits more:

Who do you think is lasting this mass-shutdown? Walmart or the local store who probably doesn’t have enough cash to make another 3 or 4 payrolls? Domino’s or Joe’s Pizza? Taco Bell or the hole in the wall Mexican joint that’s got the rotating pork cooking for al pastor tacos? Big businesses, whose stock prices are being inflated by the Federal Reserve, or the small guys on Main Street who are lucky if they can recoup a fraction of their payroll after going through SBA and PPP red tape?

Don’t do this to us, Congress.

The only thing that will have effect on Congress is to go after them. Flood them with calls, emails, tweets, threatening to vote for their opponent in the next primary. (And, please, let’s follow through on those threats.)

So let’s get to it, America. Hit Congress with every freaking thing you’ve got. Demand $2,000 for every adult and $1,000 for every child a month for every month of this crisis. Demand a coherent national policy on rent, mortgage, credit card, and other payments. Otherwise what’s left of small and medium sized business may be gone, and I may have to eat at f*cking Applebee’s.

Subir Grewal is a financial industry veteran, C.P.A., and author of the book Struggling Amidst Plenty, which can be downloaded for free at https://gumroad.com/l/iIZJM