Author: Johnnie Does

By Johnnie Does

When this virus thing went down, it started as “we must flatten the curve” and for the most part, we all tried to do our part. We put up with essentially house arrest, social distancing at stores, and admired most folks who were viewed as essential. Now the narrative has changed, we now “can re-open fully when there is a cure.” I want to examine that last statement closer.

Until we “have a cure” is the literal definition of weasel words that can be used to pick winners and losers. Governors Newsom, Cuomo, and Wolf (PA) are the worst of the worst when it comes to this. To be fair Cuomo has a big problem in NYC, and Gavin has issues in LA County, and depending on how you look at it, the surrounding areas should be cautious. Governor Wolf in PA is an absolute tyrant. He actually exempted his family’s cabinet manufacturing business from the shutdown…. well I guess his royalties are essential, aren’t they?

These governors, including Duchess of Michigan Gretchen Whitmer, have very little interest in your health or financial well-being; instead, they want to pick winners and losers. If you voted/campaigned/donated to a rival, now is their chance to get even. They have shutdown dine-in operations, movies, and retail shopping, forcing millions of low-income workers from the workforce. Worse yet, they are forcing grocers, slaughterhouses, and certain big box retail to remain open, regardless of worker fears.

Why is it churches cannot open? Not necessarily for service but for funeral/weddings? Yet one can get married at the County Clerk’s office if you file the right paperwork? This is punishing a business you do not care for, and in my opinion, Gavin has a large bone to pick with organized religion ever since the Prop 8 (Anti-gay marriage) commercials that used his likeness in 2008. What better time than now to keep the lid on and stymie the church’s finances/well-being going forward. Since churchgoers tend to skew older, I don’t see any services being held this year. Notice, sports with fans, movies, and churches all fall in “phase 4” of the re-opening which is when a vaccine is produced.

My issue is why are they treating the entire state like its one gigantic outbreak? Let’s take the hometown of our blog, if you look at the “Sacramento Area” (Sacramento County) last I checked we have had 54 total deaths, in a county with a population north of 2.1 million.

If I was a betting man, I would lay heavy odds 7/9ths of those deaths occurred in nursing homes.

How come we cannot apply for the county to re-open? Oh, I forgot, seems we had a one person in Sac City die of Covid-19 on Tuesday, so we had to restart the “2 weeks no deaths” clock. Notice Dr. Beilenson even stated we should get a waiver from the Governor because our infection rate is low. Sorry Dr. but Gavin lives in the Sac suburb Fair Oaks, and most if not all the electeds in Sacramento reside here as well, so we are not going to re-open until it’s absolutely safe. Even when we are allowed to reopen, things will not be the same for a very long time.

As William has stated, when exactly do we think we will have a cure? Let’s be real, cancer, AIDS, the common cold, and the flu, we may have shots or feel good remedies, or in the case of cancer use a combination of tactics to defeat it, but we do not have a cure let alone a magic elixir to prevent it altogether be it a vaccine or whatever. Truth is we probably never will. With the Corona virus mutating like it has, we do not even know what we are up against. Even If we were able to find one vaccine to prevent all the various types of Covid-19, how do we mass produce it? How will it be mandated? Remember here in California, we have a large group of anti-vaxxers. To see what kind of pushback to expect from them, look no further than the recent measles outbreak and Disney or the anti-vax headquarters of wealthy Marin County. It is clear that Governor Newsom intends to mandate that everyone have whatever experimental vaccine gets to market first and damn the side effects.

Try to internalize what’s happening now. We have shutdown fairs and firework shows, and recently have moved our Junior Colleges and CSU classes to online only for the fall semester. L.A. has promised to be shut down until the end of August at the earliest. Does anyone really think we are just going to re-open everything after Labor Day as if none of this had happened? We all know that answer.

Hey, Johnnie if you were in charge, what would be different?

Given all the above, I was posed a question by 90-Day Guy asking me how I would have handled all of this if I were Governor. What follows is my answer and it may surprise some of you. Keep in mind that 90-Day Guy didn’t offer his own plans as the nightly edition of Cable’s Primetime Lineup hadn’t aired yet to tell him what to think.

As governor, my hands would have been tied. I think Newsom did well reading the initial outbreaks. It seemed like the lion’s share were in the Bay Area and parts of LA. Keep in mind the Bay Area has cases, but not many deaths. I would have kept monitoring and received daily updates from the counties themselves. Once a few Bay Area counties and LA County had their Directors of Health Services shut the county down, my hands were tied. Sacramento and a few others followed suit and I had no choice. I would have to shut the state down. (Remember that at this point in the outbreak, the experts were projecting that millions would die if we did nothing.) While many will disagree, we cannot just have people traveling all over the state to do shopping that does pose a public health risk. Yes, I would have shut it all down for two weeks, everything. No cars on the roads, as far as food goes, I guess you could leave the grocers/pharmacies open for pick up only. But what we needed was to stop the transmissions, not simply say try to stay at home but its ok to come out if you need to.

After the two weeks, I would have lifted the order, but said to the counties, it’s up to you to enforce, continue, or rescind. I would have put out suggestions like the older folks should consider staying home longer. Ditto for those with bad immune systems; leaving it up to them to form a plan with their employer. Those who are scared of their own shadow may continue to cower at home but know that we would eventually get back to normal. This would give me some insulation and make the counties do their own work. In truth the Bay Area and LA area counties would remain closed longer and maybe a smattering of more populated areas, but the rural ones would re-open in full. Boom, just like that I would be lauded for shutting down for a bit, putting no one out of work for a prolonged time, yet making folks aware of distancing.

That is precisely where Newsom went wrong. He enjoys playing king and loves power. Instead of supporting small businesses, he threatened their livelihoods by bullying them with threats of pulling their cosmetology/alcohol licenses. That behavior is rule by a dictator and an evil one at that. Newsom wants us kept at home and enjoys seeing businesses closed. Need more proof? Why is it that the government workers still get paid, essential workers get paid, and the teachers get to stay home collecting their full salaries, yet regular working families are paying a heavy price and being expected to do without with no end in sight? Most hourly employees have now gone two months without the dignity of working to support their families. The working poor are the hardest hit by this shutdown and stand to lose what little they have accumulated. Newsom has no care for them, his only solution is telling Donald Trump to print more money and give it to California because we don’t want to help ourselves.

Final Thought

Keep waiting for a cure folks, just understand we aren’t all in this together because some of us are getting paid and still doing well, it’s the rest of you we want to stay confirmed in their homes. At least until there is a cure…….

Johnnie Does

By Johnnie Does

I have had a few friends of mine, who read the blog, ask me why the editorial staff seems to have a strong dislike toward cable? The answer really comes down to affirmation or information. Let’s face it, most of us do not embrace debate; we live in our own echo chambers. We seek out folks on television who affirm our beliefs; as such if you lean right you pick Fox News, lean left you pick the rest of the alphabet: MSNBC, ABC, NBC, CNN, NPR, or some other network. In the end, you witness the same behavior of the host talking over, interrupting, or asking a question in such a way that the opposing view cannot answer it. As this behavior is played-out by the host of your choice, you nod your head up and down or worse yet you do not even vet that “so called Dr.” who was on during the last segment. As a result, you began mistaking “opinion or commentary” with hard news shows and because of that you summarily dismiss the other side.

Let’s tie this into the COVID-19 fiasco.

At first, the networks really did not pick up on the threat posed by this virus. Instead what they reported back in January was that President Trump was a racist because he wanted to stop international flights from certain countries and there were not enough minorities on his Covid-19 task force.

Moving forward slightly, Tucker Carlson spent an entire week saying our government was lying to us and this virus is far worse than thought. Meanwhile, MSNBC and CNN started reporting that the corona virus came from bat soup at a wet market in Wuhan, China. At first, they called it the “Wuhan virus” or “Wuhan flu” but somewhere along the way they decided that we could not refer to it by that name or say that it originated in China because that was racist.

Then the narrative turned into claims that this virus could kill you within a short period of time. In essence, if I contracted Corona on Friday, over the weekend William would be saying goodbye to me via Facetime or Zoom, and I would be dead come Monday. Like much reported about the virus, this was subsequently discredited.

Then came the lies and propaganda about healthcare rationing, and the bizarre theories that folks were dying waiting in line to be tested at the local clinic. Remember the claims that next week or the week after, we will be just like Italy with so many dead there will be no place to put the bodies. Oh, and hundreds of thousands will die because of an acute shortage of ventilators, thus the mantra to flatten the curve.

Next thing you know, we are shutting down entire states based on fear, not science or anything else supported by actual evidence. Suddenly Dr. Anthony Fauci is front, and center on our televisions and we are hanging on his every word as if he was Moses leading us thru the perils of the Covid wilderness.

Then came the models. These models promised that life as we knew it was over. The “experts” assured us that Covid-19 was the next Spanish Flu. This was the one the experts have been warning us about, well it’s here and we are woefully unprepared. The models were showing that over 2 million will die in the USA within a few weeks. From the New York Times March 20, 2020

Now we get to the other end of the range of possibilities. Dr. Neil M. Ferguson, a British epidemiologist who is regarded as one of the best disease modelers in the world, produced a sophisticated model with a worst case of 2.2 million deaths in the United States.

I asked Ferguson for his best case. “About 1.1 million deaths,” he said.

When that’s a best-case scenario, it’s difficult to feel optimistic.

The Best-Case Outcome for the Coronavirus, and the Worst

Once these predictions began to ring hollow, the threat was revised down to several hundred thousand dead. Again, the mysterious model was revised to show deaths now peaking at 250K souls. Another week or so passes and the faceless model is now projecting that around 60k will likely die.

The 60K number seems to be consistent over the last few weeks but let’s look at that number for a minute. 60K dying from flu is at the top of the normal range of flu deaths in an average year. What they aren’t telling you is that 60K people a year die in the US from each of the following: alcoholism, drug overdose, suicide, and car wrecks. Why is it that we are willing to live a “normal life” with these morbidity rates but one death from Covid-19 is reason enough to shutdown most economic activity in our country of 330 million? Dear readers, Planned Parenthood kills may times that amount every year using your tax dollars, but they are declared “essential” and can keep operating, more on this later.

What is even worse is how cable has been acting during the last ten days. Tucker, Hannity et. al. on Fox are crying to reopen the entire economy and are seemingly declaring the pandemic over, even going as far as suggesting folks protest the decision to keep the shelter in place going. On the other networks, they are making fun of said protestors and saying we must keep things on lockdown except for essential services for many months. Basically, this goes back to my main point again, if you like the current occupant of the White House, open things back up, if you don’t then keep things closed down.

Folks the truth is that no one knows what is going to happen down the road. Those of you thinking that you are going to find the answer on cable television are kidding yourselves. There is a very uncertain future ahead for our country. Many networks are advocating for a prolonged shutdown because the dread models show that this fall the virus will come back more potent than ever, just like the Spanish Flu. Truthfully, it’s just pure speculation.

The virus has the healthcare system completely baffled because the behavior is not what the “experts” expected. Think of it this way, you can tell when someone has the common cold, flu, etc. but with this virus most folks, as William has referenced in his blogs, never even have any symptoms! Sounds like this thing is a silent killer of only those who have compromised immune systems, are elderly or have breathing issues.

What I do think you will see over the next few months is states beginning to open back up. The ones who are likely to support Trump will be open sooner than others with Florida and Georgia starting to lead the way. The obvious blue states will delay as long as possible holding out for more stimulus or giveaways, and the toss up states somewhere in between, depending on their governor.

I do think you will see some folks open their stores regardless of being “essential” or not. People will begin thumbing their nose at the order and for good reason. Most “non-essential” jobs paid a small paycheck April 1, for wages in the latter part of March; however, they got no check in April. May 1, when rent is due, is fast approaching. Sorry but that $1,200 payment from your great grandkids did nothing to improve your situation. If you’ve had to write a check for Federal taxes during the last two years, or didn’t file at all, then your direct deposit info is not on file with the IRS and you’re still waiting for the promised bucks from Uncle Sam. The virus may come back, or it may not, but the bottom line is folks are starting to get desperate. Owing 1 month of rent is one thing, but how about 2? Or 3? When does it stop? We stretch ourselves to the max as is, rent/mortgage, student loans, vehicle loans, credit card debt, keeping people out of work much longer will create a hostile situation. As recently as January, most Americans couldn’t handle a $400 cash emergency let alone have a three to six-month reserve.

In closing, please understand, if you are “essential” or a government worker who still gets paid, many people are not as fortunate as you. The economic upheaval from this will be felt for years. Think about the small business owner, hotel franchisee, or food service worker who was laid off. Now they are making a fraction of their former paycheck, or in some cases, they are making more if they got the $600 a weekly kicker from Uncle Sam. As far as essential businesses, this is a complete abomination of our Constitution. How is Planned Parenthood operating as “essential” but primary care physicians are not? Believe it or not, many healthcare professionals have lost their jobs as a result of the singular concentration on Corona virus. Why is the florist closed, but you can buy flowers at the grocery store? Game Stop is open? Petco is open? I am not sure who determined the criteria here, but I think tax dollars are part of the criteria as are campaign donations.

As far as cancelling your cable provider goes, frankly neither William nor I care, just as long as you understand that you are living in an echo chamber of your own design and are looking at a warped and distorted presentation of reality. Those talking heads on cable news networks, they make 7-8 figures a year, and live a very different life than you do. They have 1 primary job, to get ratings, which means higher advertising rates, and they are experts at what they do. How else can you explain to me why shelter in place is a good idea when it allows me to be at a park with 50 people simultaneously walking through it, at Home Depot with 500 people at it, or a grocery store traversing the aisles, essentially shoulder to shoulder with complete strangers? Try to vet the network/hosts/guests and shows you watch, just think about this closing point for a minute.

Here’s one illustration for you to consider. A colleague of mine consumes more cable in a day than William and I in a month combined. Back during the Oroville Dam crisis, I gave him daily updates on the spillway. He dismissed them as “this is the first time I’ve heard this” or “where do you get your news from?” Long story short, when the cable news channel he watches put out an emergency alert then the issue finally had his attention. Panic set in and he thought the best thing to do was get into a car and try to drive off to higher ground; all the while telling me to stay in place because it isn’t that big of a deal. In more current news, I told him the shelter in placed order would easily last through May, and likely into June, and he claimed, “he hadn’t heard that yet” and “stop checking BuzzFeed.” Yet here we are, 4/22 at press deadline time, and he is convinced Governor Newsom is opening commerce May 1, all because he hasn’t heard anything to the contrary. Too bad he can’t bother to listen to Newsom’s daily news conference for himself instead of wait to be told someone else’s interpretation of the highlights or he might know better.

Anyone want to take a bet that my colleague has a year’s supply of toilet paper, cleaning wipes, bleach, and non-perishable goods stocked up? While he and others cower at home not leaving, they build up fear and anxiety, all from shows they watch all day…on a continuous loop mind you. Yes, he lives in an echo chamber not paying attention to anything unless it is on cable…. oh, well. If you’ll allow me to rework the old proverb, a fool and his money are quickly parted, I have my own spin on it, a sheep who watches cable is easily fleeced.

Johnnie Does

By regular contributor Johnnie Does.

Editor’s Note: This article was submitted to me last week but life got in the way and I’m just now able to get this posted.

Well, we are back with another segment. I really wish I could stop writing these but the naïve are everywhere and continue to spout off their naivety about COVID-19.

Here we go:

My friend who manages a movie theatre:
She took a 50% salary reduction along with limited hours at work since the place has been shut down. Her job is essentially to keep the movie theater in decent shape for a possible restart. Key word here is “possible.” She has been told the target date for reopening is June 9th but based on what criteria she has no clue. I have tried to tell her otherwise but like most, they don’t want to hear a contrarian viewpoint. She says that come December, she will have 15 years with her company. Inexplicably, she thinks it’s some vital milestone she must see through despite the obvious fact that at 50% of her income, she can barely cover her bills plus rent. I have tried to reason with her about finding another job/line of work…. crickets. Better the devil we know… or a lack of ambition?

The reality is, we know how this story ends. Best case scenario, she returns to fulltime capacity in August (at the earliest) and at 75% of her previous salary. This fiscal reduction will be explained under the guise of “shared sacrifice” that comes with a benefit cut and bonuses that are unattainable. Nevertheless, if she hangs tough with this arrangement, she’ll be the only one sacrificing. Once the business is back in operation, the suits at corporate are expecting their old pay and benefits packages to be reinstated.

This babe claims she is willing to endure the toil and economic hardship for a long period of time out of some inexplicable loyalty to a company that would gladly kick her to the curb in a heartbeat. Whether her personal finances eventually succumb or not, matters not to corporate. Either way her old reality is over. If she finds employment elsewhere, they will hire a much younger, recent college graduate at 50% of her salary. If she does return as she hopes, she will keep toiling away working just as hard or harder while making less money. Corporate may sing her praises but so what? There is no scenario in which her standard of living will be improved by allegiance to her old status quo. While all this is occurring, she continues to rack up very expensive credit card debt in the process of trying to survive. Sadly, I’ve learned that most need to learn the hard way or not at all. 9/10 times you never earn back your old rate of pay.

A charter schoolteacher:
Ok let me preface this, I do firmly believe there are a handful of really dedicated teachers out there, but the rest are literally the worst types imaginable. Charter schoolteacher (a Berkley Grad BTW), when it was announced school was cancelled for the remainder of the year, decided to berate the administration for dragging their feet on the restart dates of the school year. Keep in mind this virus, as serious or not as it may seem, has made for a very fluid decision-making process. The entire time that schools are closed, teachers have been paid full salary and benefits! Additionally, most teachers and their spouses will be receiving the promised $1,200 stimulus checks. However, due to her perceived injury for not being in a classroom, she decided to spout-off that teachers should be paid double as an inconvenience. Yes, you read that right. While her neighbors and many of the parents of the children she teaches are being furloughed, laid off, watching their small businesses die on the vine, or in the case of frontline workers, being worked as many hours as possible for very little additional compensation, in other words people around her are really suffering, all she can do is demand more for herself. This moron thinks she should get paid double…to not work mind you. Being less aware, you can’t! I hate to break it to her, but she and her fellow educators are not essential…and the Berkeley Grads are literally the absolute worst, most condescending folks one will ever meet.

All the state workers I know except 1:
I am sure you can guess the one. (Hint, hint he owns this space). This lot of folks may be as bad as the teachers; they all feel all is well in the world because they are due as raise 7/1. I wouldn’t count that chicken so soon. Sales tax collections are way down, as are capital gains (stock sales) taxes for the State of California. This will be causing a massive shortfall for next fiscal year’s budget. Every private sector job lost, even the low paying retail and service jobs, has a direct effect on your compensation. While I do not pretend to know how state government employee contracts work, you could be in for very tough sledding; especially with a governor who has his eye on the White House in another 4 years. Most government workers think the pain is only going to be shouldered by private sector workers but beware, you may be in for a rude awakening.

90 Day Guy:
No one has been a star of this more than him. He is a man of many talents and professions and knows more than all of us due to his cable watching prowess. He has decided to avoid Covid-19 danger by staying in his house and smoking weed, whilst watching cable mind you. I cannot think of a wilder trip to be on. I never thought “the munchies” and self-isolation were compatible aspirations during the existential threat we are witnessing on the 24/7 news stations. Additionally, he claims he is doing his part observing social distancing by frequenting various golf courses in the county, since they have been kept open by the county Health Director.

Even amid the coronavirus crisis, Saturday was a busy day for golf courses across Sacramento County, like Haggins Oaks. The parking lot was packed with cars as golfers hit the green, but not everyone was happy about their decision.

The sound of a good swing paired with some sunshine makes a good mix for golfers like Tom Crook and Alisha Griffin-Crook. Both went to Haggin Oaks searching for something to do and stay active in the era of coronavirus and social distancing.

“It’s pretty much it other than walking,” Tom said. Their concern for health still high with this pandemic, but they say there are enough distancing protocols to feel safe.

Sacramento County Golf Courses Remain Open, Packed With People

Cable/Internet People:
These folks have been something else to endure. They hear some rumor or Google some topic and regardless of whether its peer reviewed or scientific, they take it as gospel. For example, the couple who drank fish tank cleaner in Arizona under the guise that it is an antidote for Covid-19. In case you missed that one, one person died from this “home remedy” and the survivor (both lifelong Democrats) claimed it was Trumps’ fault.

A man has died and a woman is in critical condition after ingesting a chemical that contained chloroquine, which Donald Trump has promoted as a coronavirus treatment despite warnings from health officials that it has not been proven to treat the virus.

Coronavirus: Man dead after trying to create Trump’s miracle drug from household cleaner

See also See also: Panic Peddlers: Media Blames Drug Trump Discussed for Death of Man Who Ate Aquarium Cleaner

The aquarium “cure” and the media’s spin on it is just one example of journalistic malpractice in the coverage of this virus. Daily projections of death and hospitalization are another. Hiding behind worthless models of the virus and claiming they’re valid is just as dumb as putting faith in political polling a year before said election… well, except for the fact that our leaders believed them and shutdown the country because the so-called experts cried “wolf” very loudly. The correct phrase for such nonsense coming out of the mouths of these folks is SWAG—Scientific Wild Ass Guess.

Case in point concerning crying “wolf”, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee dissed President Trump a week ago for not offering enough help to his state and a week later, low and behold, Inslee’s extra medical field hospital has been dismantled because it was never needed.

The massive army field hospital that hundreds of troops built inside a Seattle convention center last week will be dismantled before treating a single patient.

Washington’s field hospital to be dismantled before treating a patient, sent to states worse-hit by coronavirus

Nearly 300 soldiers from Fort Carson, Colo., and Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) near Tacoma, Wash., built the makeshift facility inside CenturyLink Field Event Center, normally home to the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and the Seattle Sounders of the MLS, for patients who do not have COVID-19.

Oh, and buried in the end of the story are these nuggets.

The decision comes just days after Washington returned 400 ventilators it received from the federal government so they can be used in New York and other hard-hit states.

Despite these returns, Inslee assured Washingtonians the state was continuing to take steps to bolster its medical resources in the event of a surge in cases, purchasing 1,000 hospital beds and more than 900 ventilators.

The virus has sickened more than 9,000 people in the state, killing 432 as of Thursday.

Against this backdrop of foe drama and disinformation, we all hope for antidotes or cures, but the truth is that in the strictest sense, they do not yet exist. Nothing is yet scientifically verified as a proven “cure.” Anecdotal evidence may help with treatment strategies, but no universally recognized treatment protocol exists, and a preventative vaccine is still in the early stages of development. Many groups are preparing for phase 1 clinical trials and are seeing hopeful signs in certain patients.

Folks this crisis has largely been the product of cable news sensationalism. Folks on television grab on to one possibility or ill-informed idea and run with it, often to the exclusion of all else. (Think dog with a bone.) Somehow one facet of the story becomes their sole focus. It makes me wonder if they are the ones that can’t deal with a complex issue while claiming that we are the ones lacking the requisite number of brain cells. The net result is that most people lack context to what is going on versus what they read on Facebook.

As a result of the 24/7 news cycle, we are now stuck with social distancing, arbitrary shelter in place orders, and business closures. The truth is that only the governors in each state can release us from them not President Trump. That won’t happen until at least the end of April. I would say closer to end of May. I do not have any idea what the criteria to reopen will be and neither do they.

The naivety out there is truly something else, especially during these times. Sadly, I don’t have to look far to find it. If you ever need an example of the blind leading the blind, we’re living it now.

Johnnie Does

People frequently ask me what the real cost of this virus will be when it’s all said and done. Sadly, as Natasha Bedingfield said in her famous song “the rest is still unwritten.” As vague and sad as that statement was for me to say, we won’t know the answer for years, and that is the truth. As I write this, we are under a “shelter in place” order in California. New York and other states are under similar guidelines. As a result, large gatherings (over 10 people) are banned, church services are cancelled, most retail is closed, and restaurants are either closed up, or doing take out only. Commerce has come to a standstill, and while we have a stimulus plan being rolled out by the federal government (coming soon to a bank account near you), it will do no good.

Let’s analyze the impact of Corona using current events. Cheesecake Factory has declared they cannot pay rent due April 1. Cheesecake is a very large operator of restaurants; this should not be the case after just a 10-day shutdown (as of writing).

Cheesecake Factory Inc. is doing what a lot of tenants would like to do come April 1: withholding their rent.

The restaurant chain said that the “unprecedented times” we are living in has prompted it to take a closer look at its economic situation.

Cheesecake Factory says it’s not paying rent in April, has furloughed thousands of employees

The company has also furloughed 41,000 employees. These staff members will receive a daily free meal and retain benefits and insurance until June 1.

Point being, if Cheesecake is in trouble, how about the local independent shop? How does it survive? They cannot get a bulk deal on food and their staff is likely composed largely of family members working long hours… I don’t think this ends well for a majority of small restaurants. If stores do not close, the layoffs have started and it’s going to be brutal. As Samuel L. Jackson said in Jurassic Park “Hold onto your butts.”

Retail must be viewed the same way. I feel this virus and subsequent state ordered shutdowns will bring most to their knees. Case in point, Macy’s has laid off almost all employees (130,000) and the governing board will not be paid anytime soon.

Macy’s says it will stop paying tens of thousands of employees who were thrown out of work when the chain closed its stores in response to collapsing sales during the pandemic.

The majority of its 130,000, including stock people and sales clerks, will still collect health benefits but the company said that it is transitioning to an “absolute minimum workforce” needed to maintain basic operations. Macy’s has lost the bulk of its sales due to the temporarily closing of its stores starting March 18.

Amid Coronavirus Closures, Macy’s Furloughs Majority of Its 130,000 Workers

I feel most will use this as a chance to “get out of leases” where stores aren’t hitting their numbers. Online commerce will be even more important, and I think the days of free shipping may be coming to an end, as in-store sales will no longer subsidize it. See above on layoffs. This will be very brutal, and like the food service business, retail doesn’t pay well either. Folks, this event is the “retail apocalypse,” just not the way we pictured it happening.

Movie theatres, how the heck do they recover? If you work in this field, then look for new work quick. Not only are your local multiplexes closed, when operating, they serve overpriced food and booze, it tastes horrible. Movie production has also ceased worldwide, and as a result, movies won’t be coming out for a while. Again, I am envisioning mass layoffs here.

How does our education system recover? Is it just business as usual next school year? Nope. I think this virus exposed flaws in the current system in a couple ways. First the lack of on-line or distance learning. The district can’t assume everyone has a laptop, let alone Wi-Fi access at home. So, is the answer we buy all kids laptops? But if we do, how do we know Wi-Fi is available? Additionally, most schools offer a hot breakfast and lunch program, along with a take home bag for dinner for eligible students. How does this continue in the future? What if a cook somehow passes this virus on to food, and affects child…is the district liable?

How about volunteer groups? I will say this, you will see a steep drop off in membership. I guarantee it. Most members tend to skew older and those folks will be even more cautious going forward. This will be very prevalent in social justice groups, because who wants to be around a group of unknown folks with various levels of hygiene?

In closing, I would like you to consider the following.

First, the 2 trillion dollar “bail-out” is typical for an out of control Congress trying to assure re-election. This bill, which we had to pass to know what’s in it, was a cornucopia of pork barrel projects totally unrelated to mitigating the effects of the virus either medically or economically. Talk about putting lipstick on the proverbial pig, this thing was horrible. I would argue the “cure” is worse than the disease. Sadly, this is a recurring theme of omnibus fixes coming out of Washington. Oh, and two more “waves” of legislation are in the pipeline now, both with multi-trillion-dollar price tags in addition to what has been passed thus far.

Sadly, this virus, while it may calm when the weather gets warmer, will likely be back again in the fall, possibly in a new strain, just like any other flu. If it returns, how do we react then?

While we’re passing time in self-exile and hoping for warmer weather; hopefully, the Troll gets a few new photos of Hope Hicks celebrating summer apparel. To him, she’s like Campbell’s soup, it warms the soul.

I do firmly believe that social distancing is not a fad, it won’t be going away. We are all going to be germaphobes to the umpteenth degree. Bars will need to space out their stools and tables. Folks go there to “hang out,’ but don’t want to hang with strangers anymore. The concept of speaking to a barfly is not going to be a thing for a while. This goes for the restaurant side as well; tables will need to be spaced out… I do not see this ending well. Casinos will undergo big changes as well. The days of a 24/7 operation with minimal cleaning are over. Have you been to a blackjack table? Talk about shoulder to shoulder, more like bumping ugly’s with the person next to you; that will change. Bottom-line, I would say best case scenario is you see a return to 70% of your revenue compared to pre corona virus.

Movie theatres are literally screwed. They just spent a pant-load to re-do seating and configurations, subtracting quite a few seats. Total folks per screen are lower and they were forced to pay increased prices and then this happens. Ouch! I foresee in the future that seating may be even more limited. What if they have to go to small “clusters” of seats like 1, 2, 4, and maybe larger parties of 6-8? They may try something “value added” like table service or at the minimum food upgrades. The idea of paying $12 for a frozen pizza or $15 for a watered-down Bud Light are long over. Theaters have to upgrade and get a lot better but now it’s probably too late. I think the theatre business is dying on the vine and their demise just sped up. Streamers have put a dent in the old business paradigm and perhaps worse, the creators could take it straight to the people. Folks don’t have to watch movies at a theatre anymore. The traditional Hollywood revenue model is totally broken now. How do they pay 300 million dollars per episode for their “tent pole” franchises going forward? If you missed it, in the wake of the COVID-19 virus, Disney took out a $6 billion dollar loan. Guess owning 40% of all Hollywood movies has a downside.

A ton of retail will not make it. Look for deep discounts soon, especially in the clothing area. Maybe the Chief can buy some actual clothes. Last Monday, at our regular editorial board meeting (held at an undisclosed salsa bar) he was a sight no one’s eyes should be forced to endure. Trying to claim that a loincloth is just a leather kilt and he wore it in honor of St. Patrick’s Day was not very convincing. Sorry Chief but “sculpted” is not my word to describe you shirtless. Next time at least wear a shirt at the dinner table.

Anyway, back to the present topic. I think we will see a very different scene at restaurants, bars, theatres, and malls very soon. If you were looking for some ideas for the market, I would look at the “dinner kit” companies, and companies that are into the teleconferencing type stuff.

We will get out of this, but it’s going to be a rough several months, and look for this to rear its ugly head next fall.

Johnnie Does

PS the food reviews will continue no matter what. We just won’t do the ambiance. The people need me. I’m performing an essential service during these trying times. BTW the “Sac Bee” called me today looking for me to subscribe… of course I signed up and asked for 30 papers to be delivered daily. Hell, at $.50 a paper; on average that’s cheaper than a roll of toilet paper, if you can even find one! Hell, finding that stuff is like playing the adult version of Where’s Waldo?