Virus thread, the political one.

[Sbti]

A quick tour of Fox, Red State, and the National Review this afternoon yielded zero mention of the number dead, or that millions of Americans are about to lose their supplemental unemployment unless Congress acts, which would create social and financial upheaval well beyond what we saw during the Great Recession. Apparently formulating policy for spending a trillion+ and rescuing the country from ruin is now a one day story. The escape is in process.

Any mention at those sites of the well wishes for Maxwell, the child procurement specialist for Epstein and Trump? I guess there was another TrumpVirus™ briefing today. Maybe there was a follow up question.

[BBB]

A quick tour of Fox, Red State, and the National Review this afternoon yielded zero mention of the number dead, or that millions of Americans are about to lose their supplemental unemployment unless Congress acts, which would create social and financial upheaval well beyond what we saw during the Great Recession. Apparently formulating policy for spending a trillion+ and rescuing the country from ruin is now a one day story. The escape is in process.

I guess it is up to people (journalists, politicians, concerned members of the public) to keep raising it and putting it to him. 145,000 dead is almost three Vietnams. He can't run from this disaster. They died on his watch while he was calling the virus a hoax, saying it would magically disappear or when he was running off and playing golf.

[vertical_doug]

I guess it is up to people (journalists, politicians, concerned members of the public) to keep raising it and putting it to him. 145,000 dead is almost three Vietnams. He can't run from this disaster. They died on his watch while he was calling the virus a hoax, saying it would magically disappear or when he was running off and playing golf.

Moratorium on evictions ends Friday. The $600 extra unemployment benefit is either expiring or being cut to $100 after Friday. I think people will notice regardless of what FOX tells them. If I am Mitch McConnell, I must deliver something. Kentucky has 11% unemployment and that's not going to change anytime soon. Large Corporations across the globe are shifting from short term furloughs to long term layoffs as they realize production is not coming back to 100% and/or service industries can get by with less. . .. I'd think resentment grows quickly if the FED keeps supplying endless monetary stimulus to large corporations and the market, while FISCAL stimulus for small business and individuals expires.

[caleb]

Moratorium on evictions ends Friday. The $600 extra unemployment benefit is either expiring or being cut to $100 after Friday. I think people will notice regardless of what FOX tells them. If I am Mitch McConnell, I must deliver something. Kentucky has 11% unemployment and that's not going to change anytime soon. Large Corporations across the globe are shifting from short term furloughs to long term layoffs as they realize production is not coming back to 100% and/or service industries can get by with less. . .. I'd think resentment grows quickly if the FED keeps supplying endless monetary stimulus to large corporations and the market, while FISCAL stimulus for small business and individuals expires.

I think you're right that the policy will be made and the money will be spent. It has to. But the sausage is going to get made real quiet like. Because man, it would sure be inconvenient to dwell on the reality that government doing its job is largely about allocating unfathomable sums of taxpayer money in an effort to improve the lives of ordinary people.

[cs124]

Question about masks. Not trying to get into these political threads any more than necessary anymore and this one only touches on it.

I wear a mask in public places that require them, like stores. I don't wear it outdoors or while working out on my bike, which by necessity where I live includes some trails, shared with other users.

Am I the problem? I believe in wearing my mask but it's not really occurred to me that I'm exhibiting high-risk behavior while not wearing it on my bike. Some other trail users do wear them, though there's no obvious consensus.

This might not be the right thread for this but what are others doing in outdoor spaces? These trails aren't "crowded" but they're not deserted either and occasionally there's some bunching up as speeds and directions differ.

Not political here. Just curious what others are doing while outdoors. Indoors it's not in question. Mask on.

My state (Victoria, Australia) has enacted mask wearing regulations.
I wear a mask in public but not while riding. I do, however wear a neck buff and pull that up over my mouth and nose if I'm near others.
(Bear in mind it's winter down here.)

[bcm119]

Moratorium on evictions ends Friday. The $600 extra unemployment benefit is either expiring or being cut to $100 after Friday. I think people will notice regardless of what FOX tells them. If I am Mitch McConnell, I must deliver something. Kentucky has 11% unemployment and that's not going to change anytime soon. Large Corporations across the globe are shifting from short term furloughs to long term layoffs as they realize production is not coming back to 100% and/or service industries can get by with less. . .. I'd think resentment grows quickly if the FED keeps supplying endless monetary stimulus to large corporations and the market, while FISCAL stimulus for small business and individuals expires.

And the market keeps going up. Does Wall street and main street make a blatant and permanent separation now?

[Colinmclelland]

And the market keeps going up. Does Wall street and main street make a blatant and permanent separation now?

The only explanation for this that has made any sense to me is that the market doesn’t attribute the value to cash that it used to

[ides1056]

I heard Kenneth Rogoff interviewed. He gave advice to address the problems facing the economy, but ended by saying if people don't wear masks no amount of money will fix them.

[vertical_doug]

The only explanation for this that has made any sense to me is that the market doesn’t attribute the value to cash that it used to

It can be even more blatant than that- it appears BOJ policy which does buy stocks directly via ETFs in Japan, has changed. They would come in to buy ETFs if the market was down -.50% in the morning. It now appears to BOJ watchers, that if the market is down -.25% in the morning they will buy. If you take away the fear of losing money, people will speculate.

The FED has created over 4 trillion USD in 'new money' by expanding it's balance sheet. That 4 trillion needs to go find something to buy.

If you recall, Ray Dalio was telling people in January that if you are a professional and hold cash in your fund, you will have some explaining to do to your investors. In his view, cash was trash. He was right, just early, and didn't see the unexpected event of the virus.

But now, why hold cash? If something unexpected happens, the FED and GOV will just bail out the stock market. It's called the FED PUT and people use to worry about morale hazard. My how times change

(Think back to Greenspan irrational exuberance comment in 1997. He was concerned about asset values. When is the last time you heard the FED, ECB or BOJ speak about asset values? )

[beeatnik]

Meanwhile in California....
Latinos make up nearly 80% of Marin County COVID-19 cases, the largest racial disparity in Bay Area - ABC7 San Francisco

Latinos make up 16% of Marin County's population, yet currently account for nearly 80% of the county's coronavirus cases. It's the largest racial disparity of any county in the Bay Area, and part of the reason the county has landed on the state's watch list.

Crisalia Calderon is an immigrant from Guatemala who works as a housekeeper and lives in a three-bedroom apartment in the Canal with nine of her family members, including two of her children with underlying health conditions. She and her husband recently contracted coronavirus. She let her clients know and stopped working.

"Some reacted, 'I hope you are well, you and your family,'" Calderon told us in Spanish. "And others asked, 'Why? Didn't you take care of yourself?' They wanted to know how and where we became infected.

"But we began to think. We only go to work, to get gas and buy our food. We haven't been to beaches, or places to expose ourselves, we haven't been to parties," she explained. "So, it was very difficult to find out why we were positive."



Latinos make up half of SF's COVID-19 cases, despite community making up 15% of population - SFGate
"I wouldn't be surprised if it's even worse than that," Latino Task Force health committee leader Jon Jacobo said, "We're all failing. Everyone. The federal government is failing the states and the localities are failing. We're being hit hard.

[thollandpe]

Meanwhile in California....
Latinos make up nearly 8% of Marin County COVID-19 cases, the largest racial disparity in Bay Area - ABC7 San Francisco

Latinos make up 16% of Marin County's population, yet currently account for nearly 80% of the county's coronavirus cases. It's the largest racial disparity of any county in the Bay Area, and part of the reason the county has landed on the state's watch list.

Latinos make up half of SF's COVID-19 cases, despite community making up 15% of population - SFGate
"I wouldn't be surprised if it's even worse than that," Latino Task Force health committee leader Jon Jacobo said, "We're all failing. Everyone. The federal government is failing the states and the localities are failing. We're being hit hard.

That's just awful. Shameful. This week I heard a really smart person say "Disease has never been a solely biological phenomenon. Disease always is a social phenomenon."

[Too Tall]

Last evening one of our neighbors held a large outdoor party. I'm going to have a wee talk with them after their hangovers resolve.

WTAF?

[suspectdevice]

Last evening one of our neighbors held a large outdoor party. I'm going to have a wee talk with them after their hangovers resolve.

WTAF?

The Roanoke group rides w/big unmasked indoor sweaty kitted up beer drinking afterwards resumed last week. Half the riders “work in healthcare”, and of course, are Superheroes That Don’t Wear Capes according to the 30 foot tall banners the local hospital megachain hangs from their buildings.

“It’s fine”, they tell me, “we have SO much ICU space”.

Living in a small city in the mountains is so lovely, until it isn’t.

[bigbill]

The girlfriend made a caramel apple pie. I stopped by the grocery to pick up some vanilla ice cream. I keep 3-4 masks in the console so I donned my Giorgio Tsoukalos 2020 mask and went in the store. There were signs saying the store required masks and even a person just inside the doors thanking people for wearing their masks. I got the ice cream (Bluebell) and on the way, this poor greeter was being berated by a burly, unwashed-looking, man about his constitutional rights guaranteeing his right to not wear a mask. Normally I say something about private businesses and their right to refuse service, but I fought the social distance fight all week and just didn't have it in me.

At work, we finally fired one person who was adamant about not wearing a mask. It is PPE, the company can require it. She lit into me on her way out since I'm the face of engineered social distancing at work, bragging about how she'll get $850 a week in unemployment. "You got fired, good luck with the unemployment". I know that masks help lessen the spread of covid, and the engineered changes in workflow and workspace layouts are permanent, but I long for the days when my only job was about keeping a 400K square foot factory running.

[beeatnik]

Last evening one of our neighbors held a large outdoor party. I'm going to have a wee talk with them after their hangovers resolve.

WTAF?

Did you say outdoors?

[zachateseverything]

The girlfriend made a caramel apple pie. I stopped by the grocery to pick up some vanilla ice cream. I keep 3-4 masks in the console so I donned my Giorgio Tsoukalos 2020 mask and went in the store. There were signs saying the store required masks and even a person just inside the doors thanking people for wearing their masks. I got the ice cream (Bluebell) and on the way, this poor greeter was being berated by a burly, unwashed-looking, man about his constitutional rights guaranteeing his right to not wear a mask. Normally I say something about private businesses and their right to refuse service, but I fought the social distance fight all week and just didn't have it in me.

At work, we finally fired one person who was adamant about not wearing a mask. It is PPE, the company can require it. She lit into me on her way out since I'm the face of engineered social distancing at work, bragging about how she'll get $850 a week in unemployment. "You got fired, good luck with the unemployment". I know that masks help lessen the spread of covid, and the engineered changes in workflow and workspace layouts are permanent, but I long for the days when my only job was about keeping a 400K square foot factory running.

The grocery stores near me have taken to having a security guard out front. I'm guessing too many people have gotten similarly belligerent with the greaters.

This is a perspective piece from the people that man the general store in my parents' small town. They'll even do curbside delivery for you for free if you're unwilling to use a mask. They still get people not willing to follow the clearly posted rules.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...north-carolina

personally, I just don't get it. we know masks and social distancing work. Why can't people just follow the new rules? Is it just that we're collectively this short sighted, selfish, and dumb?

[bigbill]

The grocery stores near me have taken to having a security guard out front. I'm guessing too many people have gotten similarly belligerent with the greaters.

This is a perspective piece from the people that man the general store in my parents' small town. They'll even do curbside delivery for you for free if you're unwilling to use a mask. They still get people not willing to follow the clearly posted rules.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...north-carolina

personally, I just don't get it. we know masks and social distancing work. Why can't people just follow the new rules? Is it just that we're collectively this short sighted, selfish, and dumb?

The grocery was a Smiths (Kroger, Fry's) and the sign requiring a mask reminded folks that they could order online and have their groceries brought to their car without ever entering the store. I suspect security guards will be added soon. WalMart has them. Starting Tuesday, we'll have a security guard enforcing social distancing in the break room and outside where employees smoke. The wailing and gnashing of teeth should be epic.

[beeatnik]

The grocery stores near me have taken to having a security guard out front. I'm guessing too many people have gotten similarly belligerent with the greaters.

This is a perspective piece from the people that man the general store in my parents' small town. They'll even do curbside delivery for you for free if you're unwilling to use a mask. They still get people not willing to follow the clearly posted rules.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...north-carolina

personally, I just don't get it. we know masks and social distancing work. Why can't people just follow the new rules? Is it just that we're collectively this short sighted, selfish, and dumb?

I don't like being pressured (mandated) to wear a mask at all times ("in public"). I believe their effectiveness is being exaggerated. I find it a bit disturbing to see everyone on the street wearing masks when they won't come within 20 feet of another person. I understand that they've become a symbol of solidarity and altruism but after 5 months they seem more a symbol of a government's impotence (federal, state and local). And, yet, it's not a big deal and sometimes kind of fun to mask up. In March, when wearing a KN95 mask and gloves seemed inadequate for a 15 minute trip to the grocery store it was all about self-preservation (and a no-brainer). That's the guidance many people need; do it for yourself not for others. The rest are just anti-Big-Government, anti-PC malcontents. Did anyone expect they'd be on board? With or without a guy like Trump as their figurehead.


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Opinion | How to Actually Talk to Anti-Maskers - The New York Times

The Dudes Who Won't Wear Masks - The Atlantic

[TMB]

The girlfriend made a caramel apple pie. I stopped by the grocery to pick up some vanilla ice cream. I keep 3-4 masks in the console so I donned my Giorgio Tsoukalos 2020 mask and went in the store. There were signs saying the store required masks and even a person just inside the doors thanking people for wearing their masks. I got the ice cream (Bluebell) and on the way, this poor greeter was being berated by a burly, unwashed-looking, man about his constitutional rights guaranteeing his right to not wear a mask. Normally I say something about private businesses and their right to refuse service, but I fought the social distance fight all week and just didn't have it in me.

At work, we finally fired one person who was adamant about not wearing a mask. It is PPE, the company can require it. She lit into me on her way out since I'm the face of engineered social distancing at work, bragging about how she'll get $850 a week in unemployment. "You got fired, good luck with the unemployment". I know that masks help lessen the spread of covid, and the engineered changes in workflow and workspace layouts are permanent, but I long for the days when my only job was about keeping a 400K square foot factory running.

Tht sounds like it was a Legendary Time.....

[bigbill]

Tht sounds like it was a Legendary Time.....

As a part-time Arizonian, I'm sure you've seen the type. At least this one wasn't open carry. I'm heading to the store now.