Coronavirus in the United States - news and thoughts

And deaths per reported case are up. One would think/hope that number would go down as confirmed cases went up

 

I don't see it as an either/or. Important issues are almost never a matter of a simple dichotomy. For example, governors might consider maintaining strict lockdowns for just another couple weeks; they might implement highly strategic gradual opening (I optimistically imagine that governors and their administrative staff are doing what they can to make informed decisions); they may implement a combination thereof, etc.

 

There are many factors, but IMO there are 3 main ones.

1) Population density. This one is pretty self-explanatory, denser population leads to more cases and more deaths. They have slightly less total population for about 1/5 the size of the US, giving us about 4x the population density. I don't believe their number of cases for a second (except maybe Germany). Up until at least a couple weeks ago you couldn't get a test in the UK unless you're admitted to the hospital.

2) Healthcare system. European healthcare system is great in that they provide excellent preventive care. They're not equipped to handle something that they couldn't or wouldn't prevent. If shiz hits the fan, you want to get treatment in the US.

3) Time. They've way further ahead in the disease course than we are, except maybe the UK. Italy, Spain, France, and Germany have seen decreasing cases for 3-4 weeks now. We've yet to see that here. We're also a much larger country so our own regions will break out at different times, so we'll likely see a lower, but more prolonged peak than those countries as one hotspot dies down while another rises to take its place.

 

Man you get testy easy. Pretty sure dudes with more paper on their walls then you and decades of experience also think the economy was good.

Fact is for most of us it was.

I get that the mortgage business is your end all, but for the average American, times are pretty good. The virus had nothing to do with the economy beforehand.
As for RE, my values have soared and my equity increased on my properties.

But regardless, the virus had absolutely nothing to do with the previous state. A pandemic leading to full economic shutdown would halt any economy.

And lets clear something us "sergeant" , saying I cling to Trump's jock is dishonest. I can't stand the guy and even stated in the post you quoted that:
"I don't tend to credit politicians, though they will take credit".

You see, I think you and I make the economy. Not the dude behind the big desk on Penn Ave. I am self made. Worked hard. Have less paper than most here.
Trump did not make my economy. I did. That is likely why the virus is not taking my economy.

 

Flattening the curve means, well, getting a flat curve. I think staying mostly around 30-35k for what, 2 weeks now, suggests we are pretty successful at getting a flat curve. We're a larger country than Italy or Spain and whatnot, instead of a nice bell-is shaped curve we'll likely get a far flatter curve as one hotspot (e.g. NY/NJ, or La) slows down and another hotspot (e.g. Penn/Mass, midwest) picks up. If we can limit interstate travel we can probably open up the areas that are recovering one by one, while locking down new hotspots one by one. Unfortunately, that's unconstitutional so we're kinda stuck.

I've said it from the start, what we needed to do was to lock down the whole damn country for 4-6 weeks, wear masks, and massively ramp up testing. The whole country would be opening back up by now if we had done that. Again, this whole piecemeal lockdown crap is just prolonging the agony.

 

I agree. Again, I've been saying for a while now I believe the summer will help. And again, I'm very, very concerned about this upcoming winter. I worry that with more amenable weather that it'll flare up much quicker than this year, when the virus had to make it all the way from Wuhan to here rather than starting the escalation from American cities. I also worry that there will be significant lockdown fatigue, and that the numbers this year will not be too scary due to the lockdowns and people will get overconfident.

Just my opinion, but I think we should rip off the bandaid...and conduct a strict nation-wide lockdown. What we're doing right now is like putting money into a broken car. You fix the brakes and then the suspension breaks, you fix the suspension and the AC breaks, you fix the AC and the engine breaks...etc. You keep trying to fix the car because you're not willing to bite the bullet and get a new car, but you end up spending more money fixing up the old car. We kept trying to save the economy while battling this pandemic, when we should've just bit the bullet from the start and focused on fighting the pandemic.

This IMO is from a lack of intelligence in China. They're the only country that had an overwhelming outbreak but got it under control within 2 months. But we trusted their numbers when we shouldn't have, and now not trusting their numbers when we should be. If we hadn't trusted their numbers in January we would've prepared better, and if we had trusted their numbers in March we would've had a blueprint on how to combat it.

Sorry for the rants, I'm just getting increasingly frustrated with this crap.

 

just wanted to say thanks for your posts on this issue. your input is appreciated

 

Where do I begin. Those PhD's at UF with lifetimes of experience, with a string of professional designations in this subject taught us that this is what happens when people lie, cheat and steal. The wolves are out there and they don't care. Their mission is to get what they want and they don't give a bleep about you and I. But make no mistake, they're out there. Just because the wolves didn't knock our back door down doesn't mean it didn't happen to millions of Americans Because it did bigly and yugely. Some of us professionals in the industry saw it by the thousands and thousands of actual fraudulent files. But applying Trump logic, it didn't happen.

Whiskey Freaking Tango Foxtrot. Do we care about the financial safety of our neighbors and fellow Americans?? Obviously not. Or do we just lick the boots of one of the most sleaziest used car salesman I've ever seen in 40 years between UF and professional experience.

"I got's mine, sucks to be you." Exploiters gonna exploit". Wake up "murika".

And it's not even close.

The hooker always looks hot at the bar, but when you take her home, we wish we hadn't.

 

No idea what that has to do with the fact that most American's were pretty happy with the economy.

In January only 10% viewed it as poor.

Best in history? Who the heck knows?
But for most of us, it was chuggin' along at a pretty good clip. This virus has absolutely ZERO to do with what the economy was in 3 months ago.

It ain't 2009 anymore.
Economy

 

I've got a good idea, why don't we release prisoners. I'd hate to see these guys get sick or something. Seriously 1 vote away from releasing the Green River Killer? You can't make this stuff up.
Washington Supreme Court denies release for serial killer and others in 5-4 vote over coronavirus

 

It's unfortunate you can't stand the guy that had our economy at all time high. He had unemployment rates at all time lows. I have as much disdain for the leftist as I do the never Trumpers.

 

Wow - in the past many years I've tended to agree with your takes but recently . . . not at all. First I disagree about the paper on walls. Very few people have more "paper on their walls" than @gatorknights. He's got a master degree from a premiere institution. Why on earth would you cast shade or second guess that? There's not a whole lot more paper to put on the wall beyond the grad degree knights earned at UF.

And no, for the average American times are not pretty good. Things generally suck right now. That's true for small businesses, chains, educational institutions, and the real estate industry. You may have contributed to the economy, but to suggest you made it is limited in perspective. The economy was made on the backs of the people who are suffering now, those who are surviving, and those who are thriving despite the shit soup we are in.

 

Remember your thoughts on people discussing large amounts of people having the disease that hadn't been tested?

I guess it is responsible now that it helps to support the argument you want to advance...

 

1. He was the one flaunting paper. My point is that all the paper in the world does not speak for the populace. The populace thought the economy was pretty darn good. Look at the numbers in the Gallup article.
2. I did not say the economy IS good now. I said January. I cited the Gallup numbers. People were happy.
I am saying now is not a reflection on what the economy was. The two are not connected. This virus would shut down every economy in history, because it has literally shut one down.
3. I did not say "I". I said "YOU and I". As in we the people. Obama and Trump have presided over strong economies, that the American people created by climbing out of the recession of 2009. We start the businesses. We pay the taxes. We write the paychecks. We create the marketing strategies. We design the branding. We create the sales strategy. We, we, we. Not them.

This idea that our economy is bad because we have a greedy Real Estate investor in the White House just discounts all the hard work that all of us do every single day.


...and you likely disagree with me more lately than usual, because I am here more often right now and the more I talk, the more likely I am to say something stupid.

So there!

 

For those who have not done it, "paper on the wall" takes a helluva hard freaking work. I oughta know, I was married to one, had a GF with PhD, both from that "commuter party school" here in town. I know for a fact how hard that is to accomplish, yet people will dismiss it away. Just because it wasn't hanging drywall, installing plumbing, or laying down shingles doesn't mean it isn't hard work like getting a degree from UF. There were many nights I was up past 2 am studying for the ball buster exam I was going to face the next day. Pass or go home. They played hard ball for real. Those Phd's played freaking hardball.

 

Really love the way our Governor (Texas) has handled this. Pretty much has allowed local officials to determine what is required to control this virus. It’s a big state with varied needs. The big cities have more stringent requirements, the burbs and country not so much. Our numbers are really great considering we have the worlds third busiest airport(DFW) and the countries most diverse city (Houston). (According to Time Magazine.)
No panic and things are slowly getting back to normal.

 

He mentioned how a grad degree in business might offer a certain perspective on the economy. YOU made it about "flaunting paper." You won't admit to that, though, because you have a lack of self-awareness evidenced throughout this thread. 2. You absolutely said the economy is good now when you wrote "times are pretty good." But your recent participation in this thread suggests that you won't admit that either. Your "we the people" is a reasonable and noble take, so I'll give that one to both you and knights. Yes - we all contribute to the economy, but you made a concerted effort to point out your "self-made" contribution.

 

Since much has been argued about the Stanford professor’s comments based on the Santa Clara non-random self-selected subject story and the right wingers here have leaped on its faulty conclusion, see the link for a detailed breakdown of why the study is flawed, wrong and unreliable. From statisticians and other experts at Harvard and other institutions. We have noted the unwillingness of the right wingers to accept the fundamental flaws in the statistics and the constant repetition of the results, so here is the critique.
Experts demolish studies suggesting COVID-19 is no worse than flu – Ars Technica

 

I only have a damn two year degree from a community college and I understood that Tilly meant before the virus hit.

Y’all argue just to argue.

SMDH

 

And I am disgusted by supporters of Trump, who are so blinded or stupid they they do not even understand that his deliberate lies killed people. Frankly, you used the word disdain. That word is mild compared to the revulsion I have for the right wing in this country, which has lied non-stop about this virus from day one. As facts changed, the false narratives changed. You can see it just by reading this thread. From Beginning to end. And watch how the stories change. Because all the right wingers do is repeat the lies from right wing social media from where Trump gets his foreign policy. And, from Trump. Read the garbage. There will be 1000 cases. Just like the flu. It will die out soon. On and on the lies went. These are life and death matters and Trump knew how series it was. But, called it a Democratic hoax, said we would go from 15 cases to zero. Said it was under control. And he knew otherwise. And people believed him and acts so that some got sick and died. So, here is what I posted in 2 other threads. Read the links. They lay out the lies and causal links to disease spread and even deaths. Then why don’t you defend Trump’s lies about the pandemic—which they were since he knew in January how serious the lies were. Explain why those lies are excusable so that you have disdain for people who properly dislike Trump. But, as a tip, don’t ingest or inject the bleach or Lysol.
Here you go. After my comments, read the link.