The Countdown to the restart of the economy has begun.

[Lord Jim]

Have you been watching the suicide numbers? The numbers may exceed the number of pandemic victims if unemployment skyrockets.

With all the financial support mechanisms that have been put in place to get people through this, (extended unemployment compensation with additional $600 per week payments, expanded eligibility to people typically not covered by unemployment insurance, the program to keep people on their company's payroll, etc.) you honestly believe people are going to be so depressed that more than 2500 of them a day, (the current US coronavirus death total rate) are going to off themselves because they can't find a job?



This preposterous line is nothing but pure Trumpist garbage being put out to justify murdering thousands more Americans needlessly by reopening the country prematurely...

[Darren]

It's a walk a mile in my shoes situation. The oil patch has always been cyclical for work with extremes of work and layoffs.

Unfortunately for younger couples that didn't have the long view it wasn't unusual to see examples of young families that had bought land, a new double wide and two new expensive vehicles on that $100k to $200K income. Downturns like the current one exacerbated by low oil and gas prices is going to bankrupt many.

Another example is a young woman who came from Guatemala. The article said she took out a $9,000 loan on the family home to pay a coyote to get her into the country. Now she has no work to send money home to repay the loan.

There has to be millions in those situations staring into the abyss. The $1,200 won't go far.

A local businessman who contracts to build locations for drilling once had payments for equipment that ran over $100K per month. Before the pandemic started, he bought and furnished a second home on the beach down South. I wonder how he's doing now.

The cracker under construction near Pittsburgh employed thousands with take home of $60,000/year easily obtainable w/o overtime. A friend who worked there a year before getting sick and being down for almost a month is now broke and looking for that government check. He can't afford to go to Kentucky where he's been offered work though his union while the cracker site is closed.

[Lord Jim]

So it's your position that the fairly well off people you describe, because their financial situation has tightened, are going to eat their guns or jump out windows?

I repeat:

[MajGenl.Meade]

What suicide statistics for 2020? Where are they and how do I watch them?

[Darren]

What suicide statistics for 2020? Where are they and how do I watch them?

Until they're available you can entertain yourself by comparing the COVID-19 deaths with the deaths from flu in 2018 and 2019.

[ex-khobar Andy]

What suicide statistics for 2020? Where are they and how do I watch them?

Until they're available you can entertain yourself by comparing the COVID-19 deaths with the deaths from flu in 2018 and 2019.

I'm curious Darren: do you think that Y2K was a lot of fuss about nothing?

[MajGenl.Meade]

What suicide statistics for 2020? Where are they and how do I watch them?

Until they're available you can entertain yourself by comparing the COVID-19 deaths with the deaths from flu in 2018 and 2019.

Done that. I'm anxious to take your advice and watch the suicide stats for oh.... March and April. You have those to hand, do you?


PS ex-k A: wasn't it?

[Darren]

So it's your position that the fairly well off people you describe, because their financial situation has tightened, are going to eat their guns or jump out windows?

I repeat:

I'm reminded of the generation that dealt with the Great Depression and the follow on instincts of their children.

The exaggerated saving of odd items like string etc. carried over to some extent. Later generations like the boomers and following cohorts don't exhibit the same traits.

The concept of here today, gone tomorrow apparently isn't in the DNA.

We'll see how people react to losing their generational family businesses, the potential depression from the hopelessness fostered by the media's fear mongering, etc.

Governors seem to have no clue about the effects of closing down a state with the exception of essential businesses. The non-essential businesses are essential to many for their livelihood.

The young man who worked on the cracker and I had a talk when he first got word of his assignment. Based on his current circumstances my suggestions didn't take up residence in his brain.

His recounting of getting thrown out of a bar may be instructive. Young and dumb may not be an exact description but it's close. We'll see if his current circumstances change his life style. So far all I see in his posting is anger. I doubt he'll eat a bullet or do something equally extreme. He has a young son to support along with his second wife. In his favor he does have a supportive family.

[Big RR]

fostered by the media's fear mongering, etc.

Nearly 22.0000 dead as of today and you stilll maintain this was fear mongering. It boggles the senses.

[Darren]

"CDC estimates that influenza was associated with more than 35.5 million illnesses, more than 16.5 million medical visits, 490,600 hospitalizations, and 34,200 deaths during the 2018–2019 influenza season. This burden was similar to estimated burden during the 2012–2013 influenza season1."

Still fearful?

[Darren]

duplicate

[BoSoxGal]

Influenza season runs September through April; in just six weeks we’ve lost 28,579 to covid19. Since a great many deaths are not being captured due to testing shortages, it’s very possible covid19 deaths have already met or exceeded those influenza numbers from last year. In just six weeks.

[Darren]

Influenza season runs September through April; in just six weeks we’ve lost 25,000+ to covid19. Since a great many deaths are not being captured due to testing shortages, it’s very possible covid19 deaths have already met or exceeded those influenza numbers from last year.

Maybe, maybe not based on the Israeli scientist's review of the course of the pandemic though countries with and without lock downs. FWIW we don't have an exact count of flu deaths either.

How many doctors listed the comorbidity on the death certificate when flu did the deed? Now we're seeing direction to list COVID-19 as the cause of death even if the patient had a comorbidity.

Was that the case during the flu season?

[MajGenl.Meade]

Yeah, regardless of seasons, comparing a year total to a four month total is false.

What you need to compare are 'flu deaths (unmitigated) with CV19 deaths (unmitigated).

Fortunately, you won't get to do that because CV19 HAS been mitigated and therefore the number of COVID deaths is far lower than it would have been had people been clumping together, coughing all over each other and shaking hands (as we do with da 'flu season).

Cock crow makes sun rise? Well done, Darren. Now go to the back of the class

[Lord Jim]

The good news Darren, is that you and the rest of the pro-murder Trumpist crowd will find your repugnant arguments and empty rationalizations falling on deaf ears when it comes to the vast majority of state governors who will actually make the decisions.

We remain a far more civilized society than you wish we were...

[Darren]

The good news Darren, is that you and the rest of the pro-murder Trumpist crowd will find your repugnant arguments and empty rationalizations falling on deaf ears when it comes to the vast majority of state governors who will actually make the decisions.

We remain a far more civilized society than you wish we were...

You're forgetting that governors didn't get to where they are by not being astute politicians along with a loyal entourage that must be kept employed. They're facing political blow back when other governors open up and the death toll doesn't skyrocket.

Based on the growing testing capability along with more antibody testing, they don't want to be tail end Charlies and end up bankrupting their state and pissing off the peons.

In the end you'll see the "can't help myself" tyrants cave. Hopefully that's before they beggar state residents but not before they kill their political future.

[Darren]

The good news Darren, is that you and the rest of the pro-murder Trumpist crowd will find your repugnant arguments and empty rationalizations falling on deaf ears when it comes to the vast majority of state governors who will actually make the decisions.

We remain a far more civilized society than you wish we were...

We're always civilized when we're fed, happy and not staring death in the face.

"Author: 13 ON YOUR SIDE Staff
Published: 5:39 PM EDT April 15, 2020
Updated: 5:44 PM EDT April 15, 2020

MICHIGAN, USA — Other states are helping Michigan's fight against COVID-19. This week the governors of New York and California announced they are sending ventilators to help.

New York Governor Andrew Cumo said Wednesday that Michigan will get 100 ventilators from New York state and California Governor Gavin Newsom sent 50 ventilators."

https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/hea ... ea31361fdb

[Darren]

Ohio is starting on May 1, 2020. Let the panic recede.

"
April 16, 2020 at 1:48 PM EDT - Updated April 16 at 3:00 PM

CINCINNATI (FOX19) - Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said Ohio will begin to open back up on May 1.

“I am an optimist and am confident that Ohioans will also live up to the challenge of doing things differently as we open back up beginning on May 1st,” he said.

DeWine said as the state open backs up, they will continue to monitor where Ohio is in the curve, the amount of PPE that’s available and Ohio’s testing capacity.

“In re-opening any business, it will be essential to provide a safe environment for employees. We cannot have another large spike of COVID-19 cases.,” he said."

On another note, if you want, send your money to a televangelist so it can be saved and go to heaven.

https://www.fox19.com/2020/04/16/watch- ... -response/

[Econoline]

The group advising and planning the restart.
Agriculture
Banking
Construction/Labor/Workforce
Defense
Energy
Financial Services
Food & Beverage
Healthcare
Hospitality
Manufacturing
Real Estate
Retail
Tech
Telecommunications
Transportation
Sports
Thought Leaders/Groups

...or maybe not?

It Seems These CEOs Are Not Going to Fall for the Trumpian Grift

The evil-or-bungling question is rarely this easily solved. The president*, as we know, is putting together groups of croni...er...business executives to “re-open” the country. (How he’s going to get people to go out and mingle is another question entirely.) The problem seems to be that several of the croni...er...business executives didn’t know they were on the team. From the Washington Post:

But across the business world, there was private unhappiness with how the White House handled the announcement of the advisory council — which it has dubbed its “Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups” — and others warned that Trump’s goal of a May 1 reopening date for much of the country was unrealistic. Many of the chief executives urged the White House to focus more on mass testing, according to several participants on the calls. Public health experts have argued that widespread testing is a key prerequisite to reopening the economy because it would determine who is infected and needs to be isolated, giving Americans greater confidence that they can safely return to work and public life.

One processing plant lit up South Dakota. Smithfield Foods has the marketing problem to end all marketing problems. No CEO wants to preside over the next Smithfield Foods. And if El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago has his way, there will be Smithfield Foods all over America. Many of the country’s CEOs are vultures, but they’re smart vultures. And they don’t like to be blindsided.

“We got a note about a conference call, like you’d get an invite to a Zoom thing, a few lines in an email, and that was it. Then our CEO heard his name in the Rose Garden? What the [expletive]?” said one prominent Washington lobbyist for a leading global corporation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. “My company is furious. How do you go from ‘Join us on a call’ to, ‘Well, you’re on our team?’”...participants in the calls — which took place in four rounds and included representatives from more than a dozen industries, including banking, sports, agriculture and health care — painted a picture of a chaotic approach by the White House.

These people are not landscapers from Atlantic City. They are CEOs of massive companies, and they're not glorified branding concerns. They are not going to fall for the grift. They can see it coming: the president* is going to make a dangerous mistake, and he’s going to do it in the worst possible fashion. As for the rest of us, well, we’re in several worlds of shit.

[rubato]

On the other hand Gavin Newsome put together a group of experts who said what had to be accomplished before a relaxation could begin;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06YK2SExixo

Cuomo and Newsome are hitting 'em out of the park. Trump is drooling and trying to decide who to bribe next, who to slap down for telling the truth, who to flatter.


yrs,
rubato