Author of The Blackout Book and the online course Bloom Where You’re Planted
Many Americans have been locked down in their homes for more than a month now, and they’re anxiously awaiting the day when things “get back to normal.” I regret to inform you, as I wrote previously, that we’re never going “back to normal.” The world After COVID will not be like the world Before COVID.
It’s very important to understand what lies ahead so we can prepare for it.
Two reasons that the world After COVID will be so different are problems with the economy and the supply chain. Let’s take a look at both and see where we’re headed.
The After-COVID economy for businesses
The government stepped in fairly quickly after lockdowns began to approve a massive number of small business loans. These loans were to be distributed by the institution with which the small business does their banking.
Unfortunately, the outcome would be laughable if it wasn’t so tragic.
Here’s an example: Chase Bank gaveRuth’s Chris Steak House a $20 million forgivable loan meant for small businesses by dividing it up by locations instead of treating the company like the large corporation that it is. Incidentally, Chase “earned” $100K for processing the loan. After everyone rightly lost their marbles over this, Ruth’s Chris is returning the 20 mill. Chase and Ruth’s Chris aren’t the only culprits. There were all sorts of shenanigans that meant the fund ran out of money before the legitimate small businesses could even complete their applications. For example, big banks earned ten billion dollars in fees for processing the loans and here’s a list of big companies that played around with this system and drained it of millions.
Another round of small business loans has been approved by Congress but I’m not really holding my breath that any of this will happen in the way we’ve been told it will.
So to summarize, a lot of the small businesses who need the money to survive haven’t gotten it yet and may never get it, but big banks and big businesses are sitting pretty with the help of their cronies in Congress. It isn’t a stretch of the imagination to say that the longer a small business stays closed, paying their expenses and holding inventory while not being able to earn income, the less likely they are to reopen successfully (or at all) once the all-clear is given.
And if they can’t reopen? All those folks they used to employ will be out of a job.
The After-COVID economy for individuals
Despite seemingly generous government offerings of stimulus payments and higher-than-normal unemployment payments, getting by is about to get a whole lot harder. First of all, many people haven’t yet received their stimulus payments. Some states still haven’t rolled out their COVID unemployment registration websites, so we have unemployed folks who still haven’t gotten one thin dime.
It isn’t going to be long before that stimulus money is gone and if unemployment hasn’t yet kicked in, the first week of May is not looking pretty. A lot of folks were unable to make rent or mortgage payments in April, and of the ones who managed to hack together last month’s payments won’t be able to pay rent and mortgages.
It isn’t just a roof over their heads that people are worried about. The use of food banks has soared over the past month. People who were barely making ends meet before are in a hole from which they may never dig out. And this isn’t out of laziness or any other lack of “virtue” – people can’t go to work because their workplace is closed.
And it’s a perfect storm. If people are not allowed to work and the government is not following through with its promises of aid, there will be a response – most likely in the form of civil unrest and crime waves.
At the same time, many of those who have gotten their COVID unemployment are refusing to go back to work. Why would they go back to getting minimum wage when with unemployment and the extra $600 per week, they’re getting close the $3000 a month? Businesses can’t reopen without employees. Unfortunately, when the COVID unemployment is over (it’s currently good for a total of 3-4 months), people may not have jobs to come back to, because, as I mentioned above, the longer a business is closed while still facing expenses, the less likely that business is to survive.
It’s very likely that even once we’re “open” again, unemployment numbers will remain extraordinarily high.
Prices are going up.
Meanwhile, what money people are able to scrape together isn’t going to go nearly as far as it did Before-COVID.
A lot of folks haven’t been to the store in a month or so. When they do go back they’re going to be in for one hell of a surprise. Prices have increased on just about everything. On the products with no price increase, many companies have reverted to the rather deceptive practice of selling a smaller container for the same price as before. (We found this to be true on both peanut butter and coffee, to name two examples.) You’re going to pay more for things like meat, eggs, canned goods, pasta, frozen pizza, and other popular lockdown foods.
As well, food manufacturers are halting promotions – so things won’t be going on sale like they used to. Of course, they’re doing this to “help” us out by making it more expensive, thus keeping people from being able to buy as much.
“But the tactical dynamic is that we’re in daily discussions with our customers on how to help them meet the needs of their shoppers. And many customers are looking to pull back on promotions as they try to manage the basics of just keeping their shelves stocked.” (source)
In a given month, “22% of food on store shelves is discounted, according to the companies under its coverage, and the average discount is 23%.” According to Market Watch, getting rid of the discounts will lead to a 5% increase in sales. This means, of course, a 5% increase in what consumers are paying will occur. And that’s just for certain items. Eggs have actually tripled in price since early March and many readers have reported seeing the price of their commonly purchased items increase by 25% all the way up to double the Before-COVID price.
Then there are the supply chain issues.
And this isn’t the worst of the news. Shortages are appearing to occur across the country – shortages that stores struggle to hide by spreading out the inventory and filling in gaps with items that are more plentiful.
Some of the things that are missing are products that originate in China – see this list.
Other items, like paper products, are also sparse even though many of these things are made in the USA. It isn’t just because of so-called “hoarders” either, as the media wants us to believe. There have been shortages of TP across the globe and the main reason is the fact that everyone is now at home most of the time now. Previously, a lot of a person’s toilet paper usage was outside the home – so everyone was using those giant janitorial supply rolls. Most households are now using 40% more toilet paper than before. This interesting article goes into detail about why there isn’t a quick and easy fix for this.
Then there are food “shortages.” Interestingly, this problem isn’t necessarily about actual shortages as much as it is processing and distribution.
Processing plants across the country are shutting down as more and more employees become ill. At least ten large meat processing plants have closed due to the virus. Distribution issues have farmers dumping thousands of gallons of milk, plowing under vegetables in the fields, and leaving potatoes to rot.
A lot of the food being produced was destined for restaurants, hotels, and cruise ships. Diverting it to grocery stores and the millions of people using food banks right now (because they didn’t get their money from unemployment yet, remember?) is unfortunately not as easy as it should be. This article explains some of the issues with getting food to hungry people.
One of the issues processing. With meat, in particular, this is difficult – most folks aren’t even going to be willing to process their own chickens and it’s wildly unrealistic to imagine a family in the city processing a cow or a pig. With produce, it becomes a little bit easier – anyone can wash fruits and vegetables – but employees are still needed to harvest the food.
A lot of that scarcity could be remedied if we could reallocate things – if janitorial supplies could be sold to the general public, if farmers could sell directly to stores or consumers, and if farmers could donate unpurchased items to food banks.
To summarize, farmers are losing billions of dollars and people are going without food, while the food we have is left to rot. Hopefully, President Trump’s new 19 billion dollar plan will allow the federal government to play matchmaker between frustrated farmers and hungry families.
Introducing another run at UBI
Let’s put all this information together. Here’s the TL;dr version:
Trillions of dollars were created from thin air to “help” us through the crisis. Unfortunately, a lot of that money is now lining the pockets of massive businesses that would survive regardless. Many small businesses will never reopen. Many jobs will never come back.
People who are getting COVID unemployment would have to take a massive pay cut – for many, more than two thousand dollars a month – to go back to work so they have no interest in returning to their jobs. Why would they when they’re more financially secure sitting at home? But they’re not thinking ahead – these new-found riches are only coming in for 3-4 months.
People who are not getting money are going to run out very soon (if they haven’t already) and this will result in an uptick of crime and civil unrest. Meanwhile, the money that folks have will buy less as the cost of just about everything goes up and scarcity continues.
This all leads nowhere good. I’m not saying that COVID-19 itself was a big conspiracy but more a case of “never let a good crisis go to waste.”
One possible outcome is Universal Basic Income.
We’re being told we’ve got no place to go except giving away a lot of free money – although they’re calling it something different: the Emergency Money for the People Act. (I previously wrote about UBI here but I thought the trigger would be different).
This fund would give everyone 16 and over $2000 per month for at least the next six months.
The bill is called the Emergency Money for the People Act and would provide $2,000 a month for a guaranteed six months or until “employment returns to pre-COVID-19 levels.”
“Pre-COVID-19 levels” mean the employment to population ratio for people ages 16 and older is greater than 60%. The monthly cash payments would not count as income.
You could still apply for income-based federal or state assistance programs, such as assistance with purchasing food.
Who would be eligible for the money?
- Everyone 16 and older making less than $130,000 annually would receive $2,000 a month;
- Married couples earning less than $260,000 would receive at $4,000 per month;
- Qualifying families with children will also receive an additional $500 per child for up to three children.
So a family of four with two children earning income up to $260,000 a year would receive $5,000. A single tax filer would get $2,000.
- If you are unemployed, you are eligible for the money, as well.
- College students will be eligible for the money. They were not eligible for the stimulus payment sent out this week if they were claimed on their parent’s income tax as a dependent.
- Adults with disabilities were also left out of the stimulus payment since they could be claimed as dependents on others’ tax returns. They would be eligible for the Emergency Money for the People Act. (source)
What could possibly go wrong with “free money,” right?
Plenty. Hyperinflation is one major factor nobody’s talking about – this money they want to give away does not exist and is backed by nothing. If you think prices are super-high now, just wait.
And then there’s the other cost.
Trust me when I tell you there will be a high price tag for that “free” money and the cost will be liberty. Maybe it will be your freedom to decide where you work. Maybe it will be your freedom to choose what you buy. Maybe it will be mandatory vaccines or microchips or ID cards but it will cost you something that you’ll never get back.
UBI Emergency Money for the People isn’t a done deal yet. But the government is going to feel that they’re obligated to take some kind of measures to maintain order. (Back to that civil unrest and crime again). And to some degree, they’re right – the current straits Americans are finding themselves in can be chalked up to decisions made by the government. But I can’t imagine that in this direction lies liberty.
What can you do?
The answer, as always, lies in self-reliance. The less you need, the better off you’ll be. I’ll go more in-depth later but below, find some general guidelines.
- Produce or acquire food as much as possible. Gardening; sprouting; raising livestock for meat, eggs, and dairy; hunting; and foraging are all ways to put food on the table yourself.
- Learn to preserve food. When food is plentiful, putting it back by canning, dehydrating, and freezing.
- Localize your supply chain. Find local farmers and purchase directly from them. Visit pick-your-own farms, get CSA shares, or hit up your farmer’s market. Buy in as much quantity as you can for the best prices.
- Slash your budget. Get spending down to a bare minimum right now while we wait to see how things pan out.
- Mend and repair. Instead of throwing things away and buying new when something breaks or gets damaged, learn how to fix things like clothing and household items.
- Make do. There are a lot of things we get that we don’t need: upgraded phones, new clothing, decorative items, updated vehicles, newer tools, and small kitchen appliances. Whenever possible, make do with the things that you already have.
- Make things last. Use everything to the last drop. Squeeze out that last little bit of toothpaste. Add some water to your dish soap. Use a little less detergent in the laundry. These are tiny changes that can really add up over time.
- Be prepared for a lack of services. At some point, as income tax revenue continues to decrease, we’ll start to see cuts in services like garbage pick-up and first responders. Start thinking now about your solutions should these things happen.
- Continue building your stockpile. Even though prices have gone up, continue adding food and supplies to your pantry as you can.
- Participate in a barter economy. If you have eggs and your neighbor has honey, see if they’re interested in a trade. Do the same with skills – swap yardwork for haircuts, repair something in return for someone else’s used item that you need, supply manual labor in return for part of someone’s harvest. If you run a small business, be open to barter within your local community.
We’ll talk a lot more about handling these issues in upcoming articles. (Sign up here for the daily newsletter.) A shift in mindset will be essential to survive and thrive in the After-COVID world.
About Daisy
Daisy Luther writes about current events, preparedness, frugality, voluntaryism, and the pursuit of liberty on her website, The Organic Prepper. She is widely republished across alternative media and she curates all the most important news links on her aggregate site, PreppersDailyNews.com. Daisy is the best-selling author of 4 books and runs a small digital publishing company. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
Free money in the thousands every month? I’m not holding my breath. I haven’t even gotten my $1200 stimulus money yet and I’m on SS. They got everything they need to send my money.
Just 5 minutes ago our stimulus money was put in our account as “pending”. We, too , are on SS and while not desperate can really use the money. We have seen price increases on all foods, paper goods and household supplies besides the shortages. We live simply and only go out for WM pickup, occasionally WM neighborhood stores as they usually have reduced rotisserie chickens, library and thrift store. I eat mainly plant based diet while hubby eats chix, pork and beef. We are using the stimulus money, probably half, to stock up on food and necessary household items. We are also increasing our growing our own food in containers and a few things in ground (SW FL is not a great place to grow in the miserable sand we have). We’d like to sell off some stuff but are not sure when or if we could have a yard sale. For now, it’s minimal spending of money and lots of time educating, or re-educating ourselves on thrifty living and doing for ourselves.
Instead of a garage sale you could list items on Poshmark, its free to list and they take a percentage only if it sells. They now sell home goods. I’ve sold vases, vintage record albums, plates, along with clothes and shoes that don’t fit anymore.
I am retired and get SS also. mine isn’t in yet either, I am NOT holding my breath. Grandma taught me a few things…
1. NEVER COUNT YOUR CHICKENS TILL THEY HATCH…(ie stimulus checks from the US Government).
2. THINGS ARE “NOT” ALWAYS AS THEY SEEM (like many people in the government will lie to pacify the masses).
3. SEEING IS BELIEVING (again like seeing that money in your bank account or in your hands).
4. WHAT GOES AROUND WILL COME AROUND (eventually).
5. IF IT SOUNDS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE.
6. NEVER GAMBLE IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE MONEY TO LOSE.
7. NEVER LOAN OR GIVE MONEY TO ANY MAN OR WOMAN THAT YOU’VE NEVER MET (like believe there are thousands that are on the internet to scam people so beware, and cautious. see caution signs, red flags and learn to smell a “rat”)
Have a good day dear. And when you get your stimulus money count your blessings hahaha.
Sounds like the former USSR stories I hear from some of my friends who escaped from there. A quote “We pretended to work, they pretended to pay us”.
In the Official Price Controlled Markets almost nothing to buy unless you bribed the butcher to look out “back” for you. In the Black market plenty to buy but expensive and dangerous if you were “Caught out” with out a suitable Bribe for the “poor” policeman.
The facts that the USSR was always having constant shortages forced the citizens into gardening and small livestock. The stories of how the potato patch and a slingshot for pigeons WAS Dinner is numerous among former Russians.
If you don’t grow some of your own food and learn who is trustworthy to barter with the “See something, SAY something” Good Citizens (who are already ratting on COVID19 folks that aren’t not Social Distancing enough for their tastes) will sell you out for a Good Citizen Reward.
Bad times ahead. Use whatever time and money you have to prepare.
This idea may sound crazy–consider trapping wild animals for a source of animal protein. Unlike hunting, trapping is quiet, doesn’t require you to be present, like hunting, and most wild critters are actually quite tasty. The BEST source for this info is on YouTube, The Meat Trapper explains principles of trapping, the pros and cons of various trap types and more than a few recipes. He also has a Patreon channel, where some aspects of trapping are expanded upon for only $5/month. Check him out! No, I have no financial or other connections to this guy, I’m just a subscriber that has learned A LOT!
Yes we will get a “new” Economy, because life is about change.
Everything changes all the time.
Some businesses will fail, but other will start up.
People like “normal”, they require it to feel safe and secure. So it will go back to a state you can reasonably call “normal”, very quickly after the lock down orders end.
Some areas and businesses will be quicker to recover than others. But in the End, they will all recover.
I have already seen some of the “supply chain” issues, sorting themselves out.
There were restrictions on meat, but there are none now. Many of the products are back on the shelves in better quantities.
As people start eating out again, this will quickly go back to normal.
Part of the “shortages” are that a lot of the food is in industrial packages for restaurant use. So it is not in consumer friendly sizes. Then the volume of consumer demand surged quickly, putting a strain on delivery to the stores and restocking it. Which is why the National Guard was used to stock shelves.
Once people start back to work and eating out again, that will solve most of the issue.
As far as people “living on Unemployment”, not many can afford to do so as it is hardly a living wage. Then there is the fact that most people actually prefer to work, not live on charity.
We will probably have some higher unemployment numbers, but most small business will survive and thrive again. Many new opportunities for business will develop from this, some have already.
You only have to look at the Anti Lock down protests, what do they really want? To go back to work.
Not just to be off lock down, but to get back to doing business and the jobs that they love.
Almost nobody, wants to try to live on just unemployment pay.
The concept of UBI will have been put to rest, as this has proven that $1,000 a month is nothing.
The cost in inflation and government debt will show just how bad an idea it really is.
Prices will rise some due to inflation. But as a booming economy returns, that will probably drop off again. Trump and his administration did it once, after Obama wrecked our economy, he can do it again.
Things are not that dark, this is just a bump in the road, not a Apocalyptic Earthquake.
As Preppers, it is easy to get a Chicken Little mentality. But this is to be avoided.
Faith,(and being prepared), not Fear, will get you through hard times.
Fear will cause you to make mistakes, to size up problems poorly and to over react.
Which is what every one has done in this “pandemic”, from the Medical community, to the Government and on through to you and me.
@MIC,
What are you basing your assessment on?
The Chairman of Tyson, John Tyson, put out a full page letter in the NYT Sunday edition warning, “the food supply chain is breaking.”
Brett Stuart, president of Denver-based consulting firm Global AgriTrends, calls the situation “absolutely unprecedented.”
“It’s a lose-lose situation where we have producers at the risk of losing everything and consumers at the risk of paying higher prices.”
Boeing CEO’s Dave Calhoun has warned it could take two to three years for the airline industry to recover to pre-COVID19 levels.
White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett says Q2 GDP will be the ‘biggest negative number since the great depression,’
14% of small restaurants are not expected to re-open. That number is expected to grow to 20% by the end of May.
30% of renters missed Aprils rent. May is yet to be determined, but likely not better.
Missed payments on mortgages are expected to be bad and another housing crash is not outside the very real possibility.
Will there be a new normal?
Absolutely.
What does that look like and how long will it take us to get there?
That is the point I think Daisy was making.
In Communist Cuba Fidel banned private gardens because , ” People might grow more than they need and sell some like a Capitalist would”. I kid you not!
I say YES prepare, but also take a deep breath and maybe a Gin n Tonic, so life isn’t so stressful.
I have also noticed that prices have gone up in the two grocery stores in our little town in North/Central Florida.
That tonic in gin & tonic has quinine, good for malaria. As for gin, can also be used medicinally.
TS, yes I tell myself and my DW that is why I have one each Sunday after Worship. After all, we DO HAVE some mosquitos here in the Sunshine state.
I would love to be able to disagree with you but, I can’t. Everything you are saying is most probably our future. I have spent my 68 years of life as what most would call poor. Just enough to get by. So I have learned to put things up and mend and make do. This will be nothing new for me personally. Others will have problems coping with all the lack. My heart goes out to them, they will be the second wave of casualties. (The first being the elderly and disabled.)
God help us all.
This is what the “prepper community” was getting ready for. Everyone laughed at them and called them all sorts of names from wacko’s to fools with their money. Well kiddos , who’s laughing now ?
Isn’t UBI one of the tenants of the “green new deal?” How can a bankrupt country support this? Like you mentioned, there will be a personal cost and it will be slavery. Short-sighted people will have to apologize to their grandchildren in the future.
I am in a Los Angeles suburb, an area known for expensive housing. I feel bad for the young people starting out, some with new hefty mortgages, and others paying expensive rent. I have lived simply and without luxuries so have paid off my 1,000 sqft. fixer house. The local paper had an article of people whining because Disneyland was still charging people the monthly payment for their Disneyland passes, and these people were unemployed and D-land was closed. If they are living on the edge, why are they buying passes? Obviously they can’t afford it if they have to be on the easy payment plan.
Some good that can come of this:
People will learn to discern between necessities and luxuries.
The people who were around during the Depression will be respected for the knowledge they can give us now.
Speaking of that, it is time to learn the skills our grandparents had. I’m starting with gardening.
@Susan,
Well said.
And good for you and gardening.
From a homesteader’s perspective: 1: There is very little reason for someone to be growing a lawn, in place of food/garden/orchard! The more food that individuals grow themselves, that less strain on “the system”. Some things take time, like orchards, that’s why it’s imperative to start ASAP!
2: I understand that backyard chicken flocks are rapidly becoming “a thing”, and that’s great! One of my favorite authors can easily argue (from a purely utilitarian perspective) how pets should be replaced by chickens. I have read that several South American countries encourage their citizenry to raise guinea pigs for the family table. I would like to try it, but haven’t gotten there yet. A more common idea is rabbits, which could probably be done by anyone other than apartment dwellers.
3: I have LOTS of other ideas, just trying to keep this reasonably short.
Come May 1st, we have given them more than DOUBLE the time they said to reveal who has the Wuhan Virus.
Well, May 1st is just about here. Just return to work. Trump should declare a Jubilee year and cancel all debts.
This should make Demoncraps head explode all across this country.
Since you don’t think they are worthy of hanging as the law requires for treason. Just wear earplugs and stay out of the debris range. 😉
GODLESS GRAB OF FREEDOM AND LIBERTY
and you tips are destructive..
How on earth are my suggestions to be more self-reliant “destructive?”
I mostly agree with the author about preparing for lean times. But when she gets to the part of giving up liberty for some government money, I have to chuckle. Who on this board is turning down their stimulus checks or social security or unemployment or bonus unemployment?
I already know the answer just by reading the first few comments. No one is turning down the government dole. People will never bite the hand that feeds them, no matter the lofty goals of muh freedom and liberty. No matter how good it sounds typing it out on your keyboard.
Trump has gone full socialist by signing every bailout bill that crosses his desk. From the big banks down to the regular Joe no one will turn down free FRNs (yes, even UBI). Show me one…
Hi, JRS – I didn’t suggest anyone turn down the money. I suggested they pay attention to the “cost” of that money and I believe it’s an important point.
There’s always the possibility that to qualify for UBI, you’ll have to agree to something that goes against what you believe in. I do think that if it came down to getting some kind of microchip or vaccine, there are people who would turn it down. Some would agree because they have no option if they want to feed their families. I’m not judging either way – I’m just saying the possibilities exist.
Well let me be the first to say I want nothing to do with a UBI! My hubby and I have been fortunate to have kept our jobs and we have been working all along. We did get a stimulus check and are putting it back into the economy by way of buying from local small business still doing business!
It’s amazing how much more money we have since we can’t go out to eat or just randomly go shopping! I think most folks really need to revisit what they need vs what they want.
Just saying.
And don’t get me wrong here, I am very grateful for what we have. Not bragging on anything. Just saying that not everyone thinks this UBI is a great idea and there are those who prefer to work!
My trust is NOT in the stinking gubmint!!
Read this:
The Bill Gates Effect: WHO’s DTP Vaccine Killed More Children in Africa Than the Diseases it Targeted, April 26th, 2020
https://www.cryptogon.com/?p=58157
This is the kind of moral scum that’s pushing for a mandatory chip-trackable coronavirus vaccine in not only the US but beyond as well. Gates-pushed deadly vaccines have already been expelled from various 3rd world countries. Do you really want to knuckle under to that with no more legal protection than countless millions of human lab rats?
–Lewis
There was a change allowing veterans to receive the stimulus money. We would have to go to the IRS website and fill out a bunch of personal information. No thank you. I don’t pay taxes….legally. My husband total income is disability. Most of mine is also disability. Disability is tax free. What is left for taxable income is below the need to file. I don’t trust the government. They want a universal income so everyone makes the same and no advancement. Plus they want all of us to use digital money so they can track all our purchases. If they can track what you spend, then they can tell you no if they don’t want you to have something. Plus digital money can disappear if they want to punish you with a stroke of a key. The rich will get richer and the rest of us will be poor. Nothing is for free…what is the catch? The loss of freedom?
On an up note..the Texas Supreme Court just stated that the Texas Constitution cannot be suspended due to a natural disaster. This opens the door for a lot of lawsuits against the governor, mayors, county judges, etc.
SS is NOT a gov’t handout.
it’s money taken from our pay checks that we would have put into investments that would have returned WAY more that the pathetic interest (?!) paid out by said gov’t.
The sheep don’t get it:
The wuhan virus was a corona virus with a bioweapon attached which targeted the lungs and nervous system. It was released in Wuhan as an attack against China, to destroy their economy and bring down XI:
Simultaneously there was a corona virus released in the West, Asia, and parts of the Middle East.
This virus is no more deadly than the seasonal flu. It kills the elderly and the weak, as does every seasonal flu.
The Globalists used the carnage in Wuhan to spark a global panic.
Every government fell for it, except Sweden, and locked down the population in soft martial law.
Lock down guarantees that: There will be no herd immunity, and as a result, once people begin to mingle again the rates of infection will spike.
The medical community in a partner in the hysteria.
If you go to a hospital you will be diagnosed with COVID19 regardless of your symptoms.
Why? Easy, the hospital gets 12,000 dollars for every COVID19 diagnosis.
It you have lung distress you will be put on a ventilator, which virtually guarantees your demise.
Only 10% of patients put on a ventilator survive.
Why are so many being put on a ventilator? Easy, the hospital gets 25,000 dollars for every person put on a ventilator.
Doctors and nurses are being set up to be revered, but they are leading sheep to slaughter.
Things will NEVER go back to normal.
This manufactured crisis or the one around the corner will be used to require a mandatory vaccine, a digital mark, tattoo, or chip. You will not be allowed in society without one. Cash will be eliminated.
Trump’s initial response to the crisis was correct, but he turned the Presidency over to Fauci and Birx, and the Governors when he put the country under soft martial law.
Fauci gets $$$ from Bill Gates and Birx has ties as well.
Trump no longer calls the shots.
Trump could have been a hero, but history will remember him as a buffoon.
The food chain is broken. We are weeks away from a meat/protein shortage.
Chaos is coming.
I call BS on the “The medical community in a partner in the hysteria”. I work in the fiscal services department of a hospital. Everything you said is a lie. Hospitals will go under due to this because they are unable to bring in revenue for everyday services. The creditors still want their money. Furloughs and lay offs will effect many hospitals, especially rural ones. This has been a very stressful experience for our hospital and for you to accuse people of being in it for the money is disgusting.
@ John Roberts
Have to say I take issues with many of the things you’ve stated here. I doubt you could prove many of them either. While I do suspect the virus came out of a lab, I think it was the lab in Wuhan. I doubt it was a deliberate release or it was something “done” to hurt China. I have no way to prove this; will have to wait and see how any investigation goes. I don’t think it was “natural” and just happened to show up in the wet market in Wuhan. We shall see. I doubt it was “released” in other parts of the world either- we are so globalized now that we can spread it on our own with no help needed!
I don’t think it’s “no worse” than the flu. The numbers in places such as Italy and NYC point to it being far worse than the flu. And yes, so far it does seem to target mostly the elderly and those with serious pre-existing conditions as does the flu. It just spreads far easier and has more lethality.
I don’t think that hospitals deliberately are putting people on a ventilator to get money for it nor diagnosing everyone with the virus. And yes, ventilators appear to be mostly useless; data is showing about 90% put on one die anyway.
Yes, the end of the lockdowns are going to result in a huge uptick in the virus. IF this virus was like a typical flu and faded away in hot weather this might have worked. It doesn’t appear to be the case that this is so. It also isn’t clear that any immunity develops as a result of having had this virus. We don’t have herd immunity and don’t appear to have any way to get it. No easy answers. The way Sweden handled it may turn out to be right; we shall see. This is new to everyone so the learning curve is steep.
And agreed, Trump is not now nor has ever been calling the shots. And the food chain is indeed in trouble. Eating large quantities of meat isn’t necessary though to have a good diet. I stopped eating meat as a teenager and have been quite healthy. People don’t need anywhere near the quantities of meat that many consume.
People have strange ideas about Trump’s power as President. The Democrats accuse him of grabbing power and some like you seem to think he already has unlimited power. There is only so much one man can do in a global problem like this.
One thing that he is doing now is letting the politicians from local mayors to the US Congress show their true colors. If you have an autocrat running your state, vote him or her out. Especially Gretchen Whitmer and Lori Lightfoot; totalitarians in the image of Chairman Mao. I’m surprised they haven’t called in the national guard out to stamp out the protesters who they are already calling white supremacists and nazis.
What isn’t being talked about either will be the impact on employment for those in late middle-age(over 50). With so many out of work now, employers will be able to “cherry pick” the employees that they hire or hire back. Younger employees have long been sought and seen as more “desirable” than older ones. Add to this the perception that anyone “older” is more at risk from the virus and has to take more precautions, employers will feel justified in excluding older workers.
What those in this age group will do for employment is unknown. Many are too young to claim retirement benefits such as Social Security or even tap their IRA’s/401-K’s. And of those who can do this they will deplete their retirement savings to live on and be forced to file for retirement as soon as they can(age 62). This will then mean they will face the rest of their lives with no retirement savings and a minimal monthly check. Many in this age group still have college loans for their kids to pay, mortgages etc. It don’t look too pretty! And ageism has long been ignored even though it’s technically illegal. No one cares and no one is going to do anything about it now either.
Internet marketing/affiliate marketing, coaching, and freelancing. It’s not the answer for everyone, of course, but certainly many in their 50’s will be able to make decent income online if they apply themselves.
Saying that people will be able to make decent income online if the apply themselves is beyond absurd.
That is like the left saying: “If you out of a job learn to code.”
Myopic would be a generous description. Absolutely blind and naive would be a better one.
Where do you think the money is going to come from when we are headed for the biggest financial crash in history?
The virus did not cause the crash, it has been coming for a long time.
The virus is just the spark that lit the fuse.
@ John Roberts
Wow! You and I actually agree on something! It is indeed absurd. all of the unemployed middle aged sorts who can no longer get hired are going to reinvent themselves as on-line life coaches or “consultants” and people are going to line up to pay them a living wage so they can afford their kid’s college loans, mortgages, car payments and all the rest. Sure. I have a bridge to sell anyone who thinks this is real. All this does is make the now unemployed and unwanted 50 plus folks feel guilty that they somehow have failed at internet “marketing, consulting etc” as well as being discarded to the trash pile in regular employment. Guess they didn’t “apply themselves” hard enough. And yes, this virus was just the spark that lit the fuse but the economy was due for a serious crash as it is. The implosion just happened faster than it might have but it was going to implode.
Ageism is hard to prove when employed. Ageism is almost impossible for a job applicant to prove.
in a free economy there’s nothing wrong with “ageism”.
There is a quick and easy fix for this T.P. shortage, it’s called, free markets, however, controlling people is just plain too popular, so the T.P. squeeze will go on until moral improves!
Freedom in Prices Ends Shortages. Even with Toilet Paper.
The link below is an article written in response to the somewhat misleading Zerohedge T.P. bit linked in the blog article. Hope you find it interesting;
https://mises.org/wire/freedom-prices-ends-shortages-even-toilet-paper
“It’s the Economy, Stupid” possibly the second most famous quote from Billy Bob Clintoon back in the day.
“It was wrong” being his most famous. Both quotes will be resurfacing soon in Reality if not in print.
My only point is the current “Dollar” is a worth less and less paper note from a Banking Cartel.
Why We the People would invest ten minutes in trying to preserve it or entertaining the lunacy of ever paying off or down the Debt is beyond me. Because It Isn’t Going to Happen.
The Dollar is Done, cooked, finished, kaput, worthless….. Reality is Coming, Comrades; CYA.
Ahh you guys are not lawyers it seems, remember this legal term, FORCE MAJEURE which is basically you can’t meet your legal obligation due to an Act of God or massive disaster. If your lawyer says it won’t work for you FIRE HIM he is an idiot. Use it also with landlords and creditors they will probably negotiate rather than risk going to court about it. You can look it up for yourselves it is perfectly useful even if you do not have a lawyer. Don’t let them browbeat you and record what income you have coming in to prove inabilty to pay
A better solution to all of this:
-jubilee for individual mortgage on their home – if they own more than one property they must give those properties up in order to get the jubilee
-put un-utilized properties into a homesteading lottery to be given away to renters and homeless
-pay out all bonds and government debt held in federal reserve notes, just print and pay as a complete close out- remember Greenspan’s comment ‘we can always pay the debt but can’t gaurantee [value]’-do it
-shutdown the federal reserve and irs permanently, seize the gold and silver from the banks and return to treasury, allow americans to convert FRNs into new tenders but prohibit foreign governments from doing so – leave foreign countries holding the bag of FRNs and let the people individually decide whether they will accept defunct FRNs as tender
-prohibit property taxes permanently
-reinstate debt free US notes and gold and silver US certificates as tender but reformulate how they come into circulation – continue original practice of spending into circulation for infrastructure and defense but add a set amount per individual given to each of the people (no corporations) – the individual people would have the bulk of monetary possession and corps would have to go to the people to get financing, no more banks deciding, the individual people decide, if an asshole authoritarian corp treats their employees like shit or has environmentally damaging practices the people can shut them down by not financing them, the stock market would natually alter to facilitate this new people funding paradigm
-promote agrarian practices for individual independence while simultaneously starting a manhatten style project times a billion in size for automating every form of human labor with the goal of permanently ending the need for human labor within 200 years – structure the project to focus on human needs first- clean water, food, shelter, clothing, health, transportation then plan out the labor to automate the building of automation for every form of human labor based on demand
That is a new normal worth discussing. A new normal based on forced vaccines, survellience state and 1984 should be responded with a complete strike of everything -work, taxes, compliance, economy-initiate a total shutdown of EVERYTHING – see Czech republics 1989 velvet revolution, they told the bureaucrats to “go home” and didn’t do anything until the bureaucrats went home and never came back.
Here in Brazil it is very similar to the United States. The Bolsonaro government (ideologically close to Trump) is granting people who do not have a formal job a monthly allowance of R$ 600.00, something close to USD 120.
This financial aid is scheduled for 3 months, and may be extended for another 2 months. We are an approximate population of 210 million, and 54 million (almost 25% of the population) are receiving this money from “taxpayers”.
Product prices are rising. The production chain is affectedis. Brazil is not importing much of the inputs. Officially, 600,000 companies have already closed their activities. Surely that number is still expected to increase significantly in the coming months.
The difference is that the United States of America has a very strong economy and I believe it will be able to recover from this crisis. You have what we call in Brazil “blood in the eye”. The initiative and individual responsibility in the United States of America is evident. There in the United States of America there is a desire to prosper. The United States is seen as the land of opportunity.
But, here in Brazil, they are not. Here in Brazil welfare assistance prevails. And that will delay the Brazilian economic recovery, if it will happen at all.
In Brazil, with the lazy mentality that most Brazilians have, accustomed to government incentives, the crisis will last for many months, “quiçá” years…
Here in Brasil, the Bolsonaro government is against closing trade and paralyzing the economy, but mayors and governors want the economy to stop.
“Governments break your legs and give you crutches. And then they say that you wouldn’t walk if they didn’t help you.”
* I am sorry. My english is not good.
how about “learn new skills”. since we can’t meet in groups just now, there is you tube and web sites of companies and books from the library and phone calls to your friend who knows how to do whatever it is you need to learn. beyond gardening, you can learn to sew garments, knit sweaters, replace light fixtures, weatherize your outdoor faucets, paint the livingroom, mend sox, compost, winter garden with a cold frame or hoop house, replace the leaking bolts in the toilet, bake biscuits, make soap, hang a shelf. positive actions reduce anxiety about the uncertainties and problems we face.
That’s a great article topic, Grammy Em – thank you!