Health/Medical – Page 9

Democrats Not Letting a Crisis go to Waste

The Covid-19 crisis has been a game changer for the Left. Between the media, the cable watchers, and the Democrat elected we have a crisis that has given them a green light to push their agenda on us. Keep in mind, as of the press deadline for this submission, we have had 30,000 nationwide die of Covid-19. I suspect in some jurisdictions they are willy-nilly adding to the number with the lack of testing available. Keep in mind; suicide, the flu, alcoholism, and drug overdoses kill more than double that number in any given year. As a direct result we may be flattening the curve however we are flattening the economy as well.

William had a great line at the end of his last blog, take another look. “Folks, I hardly watch any television but seeing the behavior of those that do is always a treat. The insanity I witness (and overhear) at work and in the grocery store check-out line is breathtakingly uninformed.” I could not agree with this statement more. I will expand on this thought as well.

Keep this in mind, it wasn’t Trump, Senators, Governors, or House members who shut the individual states down. In the case of California, we had local (Sacramento) county director of Health Services Peter Beilenson order the shutdown of the county. Beilenson if you look at his record, is an unelected bureaucrat who is void of much actual medical work. Think doctor’s office, hospital, etc. Why was he allowed to shut a county down? And why at the same news conference was he asked zero questions by our elected DA, Sheriff or Board of Supervisors? It was a sight to behold. Hours later Governor Newsom after many other counties announced shutdowns decided to shut the state down. Believe it or not this actually made sense because it’s pointless to shut down one county, yet the neighboring ones remain open. I still didn’t agree with it from a constitutional viewpoint, but alas here we are today. New York and California led, and pretty much every additional state followed and fell in line. What happened next was draconian and far more damaging than this virus will ever be.

When a governor orders a shutdown, as the chief law enforcement officer, he has unchecked authority. Gyms, schools, business, and anything else declared un-essential was shut instantly. Don’t believe me, go for a walk and look yourself, you cannot get your hair cut now. Worse yet, different groups and business were deemed essential and had to continue operations as usual, despite the affect this virus could have on your health. Full disclosure, my work is “essential” and I am being paid my regular salary and am working from the office. Restaurants are to go only and have laid off countless staff. Local Park districts have removed the basketball hoops at the local park, even though our property tax dollars are supposed to keep the park in ship shape. Many small businesses will never re-open, many laid off will never find full employment in their respective fields for a long time.

We had to pass funding assistance in the form of a stimulus, and we did so with so much haste it will prove ineffective. We didn’t help current out of work folks, we helped those based on last year’s tax returns, without regard to who is and isn’t still being paid to work or stay home. This however was just one step. In recent days Democrats have proposed a $2,000 per month payment to everyone in the US until the unemployment rate reaches pre-recession levels. The Democrat governors of Michigan, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and other states have extended shutdowns without regard to actual medical advice. The small business loan stimulus program is out of money, and in recent days banks have shut off the new mortgage/refinance spigots fearing a full-blown catastrophe is coming. Governor Newsom is now going to give illegal immigrant folks $500 a week, for I’m not sure how long, keep in mind that regular folks are not eligible for this program.

Let’s talk about individual governors and policy makers for a little bit. Governor Whitmer in Michigan has made headlines by thumbing her nose and angering her own citizens with shelter in place laws. Specifically picking which activities folks could and could not do, some examples include you could buy weed, lottery tickets, and booze but you cannot partake in buying lumber, fishing, or seeds. I would venture to say there is a direct correlation between being allowed to purchase the goods, and the amount of sales tax levied on said goods. A revolt ensued and all she could do was double down, acting like a tyrant, which is ironic as the left has been calling Trump a tyrant since day 1.

How about releasing “non-violent” criminals from our jails? I thought here in California we already had done this? Now I guess they have set bail at $0 for certain offenses because they don’t want folks who break the law to be exposed to Covid-19 in jail. A criminal in Stockton has already been re-arrested twice after being bonded out on $0 bail, and a criminal in Florida was released on zero bail and murdered someone. At Least this crisis has not gone to waste.

As far as policy makers go, noticeably absent during this pandemic are the so called “libertarian and conservative types” think Rand Paul, Matt Gaetz, and Ben Sasse. Why haven’t they been front and center asking why a governor or president thinks they have the authority to shut an entire state/country down? How come someone who claims to be a patriot, or a leader of common folks won’t take these leftists to court? Maybe someone on cable already addressed this, but I cannot understand why these folks are cowering in their basements doing interviews via skype while our rights are being trampled.

Bottom line is the Democrats are showing their hand early, making sure the world knows how they intend on governing if they win the White House and control Congress. Picking winners and losers and declaring full on lock downs will be the new normal. The condescending pressers, and remarks are the tip of the iceberg. Also notice how un-elected folks are now making major economic decisions? Why is it we elect folks to govern yet when they turn to a “specialist” we hang on there every word? Look at this Dr. Beilenson, Dr. Fauci, and others. Take a look at this “University Of Washington virus death model” notice how we went from 2 million deaths in the USA, to 500k, then 200k, now we don’t even hear the projections anymore as these modelers made the local weatherman look accurate.

In closing I will add this, harkening back to William’s earlier quote, take a step back and actively listen while you are in a grocery store or at a restaurant for takeout or market. Look at how some folks are spewing information that is absolutely off-base, yet it is taken as gospel since it was said on the news by someone with MD after their name or a salutation of DR before it. Be forewarned.

Chief

More Proof of Herd Immunity: 1/3 Already Had it

Around a third of participants in a Massachusetts study tested positive for antibodies linked with coronavirus, according to researchers.
The Mass. General study took samples from 200 residents on the street in Chelsea, MA. Participants remained anonymous and provided a drop of blood to researchers, who were able to produce a result in ten minutes with a rapid test.
Sixty-four of the participants tested positive – a “sobering” result, according to Thomas Ambrosino, Chelsea’s city manager.
“We’ve long thought that the reported numbers are vastly under-counting what the actual infection is,” Ambrosino told the Boston Globe. “Those reported numbers are based on positive COVID-19 tests, and we’re all aware that a very, very small percentage of people in Chelsea and everywhere are getting COVID-19 tests.”
He added: “Still, it’s kind of sobering that 30 percent of a random group of 200 people that are showing no symptoms are, in fact, infected.”
One third of participants in Massachusetts study tested positive for coronavirus

Ok, so one in three random people in Chelsea, MA test positive for Corona, so what does the city manager conclude? “It’s all the more reason for everyone to be practicing physical distancing.”

Dude, this guy isn’t a medical person, he’s a bean counter and budget nerd; and therefore, he concludes exactly the opposite of what he should. If one third of everybody has had it, we know three things:

Corona (Covid-19) is not the boogeyman that people claim is.
It’s not nearly as lethal as the regular flu and its also unstoppable.
Lots of people already had it and never knew it.

Remember, flattening the curve is not about stopping the infection, its prolonging it over a period of time to lessen the impact on the medical system so we don’t overload the acute care centers of hospitals—something which has not happened anywhere in this country.

Folks, the so-called experts cried “wolf” and the political class listened and shutdown the economy for nothing. Think what would have happened if all the gloom and doom forecasts of Y2K were listened too instead of ignored and this is what would have happened twenty years ago (albeit only for a week not months on end.)

We got played. Period. Let’s get America working again.

Herd Immunity Gets Boost from Stanford Research

Folks, first for context, please check-out this infographic of every pandemic in recorded history. Covid-19 is literally a blip on the screen. For those of you that remember astronomy, think how many planets the size on Mercury can you cram into the sun?

This headline tells you that something is wrong with the 24/7 news coverage (as if we needed any further proof).

Coronavirus antibody testing finds Bay Area infections may be 85 times higher than reported: researchers

A team of researchers in California found that the number of coronaviruses cases in one county may actually be up to 85 times higher than the what health officials have tallied, and say their data may help better estimate the virus’ true fatality rate.

“The most important implication of these findings is that the number of infections is much greater than the reported number of cases,” the researchers wrote, in a yet-to-be peer-reviewed study. “Our data imply that, by April 1 (three days prior to the end of our survey) between 48,000 and 81,000 people had been infected in Santa Clara County. The reported number of confirmed positive cases in the county on April 1 was 956, 50-85-fold lower than the number of infectious predicted by this study.”

Folks look at this paragraph in the story.

“This probably aligns with what overall national exposure may be, on order of about 5 percent once we do wide serology,” he tweeted on Friday. “Santa Clara was a hot spot and I would have expected exposure to be higher. Overall we’re probably diagnosing 1 in 10 to 1 in 20 infections.”

The current US population is north of 330 million, thus using the study’s conservative number of 5 percent national exposure, this translated to about 17 million people in the US have had Corona. These stats are based on numbers from 3 weeks ago (April 1) so presumably that number would be higher now.

Thus, this whole economic shutdown is overblown, and the Covid-19 fatality rate would be less than the common flu.

Thoughts on Bail-out Bucks and other Oddities

OK, who besides me finds it weird that April 15th is almost like any other day—except for the fact that the government is giving people money tax-free for no reason except they watch cable/satellite news and believe what they’re told. I know tax protestors have advocated for a system where April 15th would be just be another day but somehow, I don’t think this socialist scheme is what they had in mind.

Also, is it me or did you notice that Democrat governors want to keep their states shutdown for many more months while Republican governors are beginning to open their states and rev-up their businesses? Folks, the latest draconian directives from Sacramento and Los Angeles are exactly the opposite of what we need—no surprise there except these folks need a stream of other people’s money to keep the utopian/socialist dream alive.

For example, today Los Angeles County leaders proclaimed that all 12 million plus people must wear a face covering or not be allowed outside of their homes for the next several months (Actually, at this point, it was indefinitely). Are they adopting Sharia Law or something just as wacky? Imagine Southern California with no sporting events, amusement parks, concerts, or other gatherings—including churches? Yet apparently, none of this is allowed thru at least the summer. In other words, no tourists allowed, and the locals will be punished to boot. FYI: Disney is bleeding 30 million a day in lost revenue and this could drive them into insolvency.

Did you read Newsom’s restart plan yesterday, talk about tilting at windmills? Remember, in terms of fatalities, Covid-19 is not as bad as the average flu season and the mortality rate might be even lower if the numbers coming out now hold true. Its as far from Spanish Flu, Black Plague, and Ebola as you can get. Yet, our governor wants to make it as difficult as possible for us to get back to work.

I have to agree with those that say Covid-19 went thru California before anyone—except maybe Trump—was even paying attention. At the same time Dr. Fauci and other were saying it was no big deal (late January), Covid-19 was going thru California like wildfire. Yep, in the timeframe of late January and into February, it was everywhere, so by the time social distancing and all the rest were in vogue in March, most of us had already had it. The biggest trigger to the spread was those celebrating Chinese New Year in later January. People returning home from China spread this virus worldwide and simultaneously. (Plus, I think it was here before then anyways.)

There is no way New York could be the epicenter in the United States. Ground zero was California; but earlier. Now that antibody tests are coming online, we will have the opportunity to see if I’m right. I have friends being tested now that think they had it in early February. I think my wife and son had it during that time as well. This is herd immunity. When enough people in a population develop immunity to the disease, a disease can’t easily spread to new people because it runs out of hosts.

Folks, Garvin Newsom’s Presidential aspirations are riding on how he deals with restarting California. If other states recover before we do, he’s toast on the national stage. I think he’s listening to the wrong people and will muff this up. Newsom’s linking our fate with Oregon and Washington is not a bright idea. The good side is that his leadership failure in California will be used to protect the rest of the nation from his failed ideas in 2024.

One last random thought. Does 4/20 seem like an odd day to restart education in our part of California? Hitler’s birthday, Columbine anniversary, and make pot legal day. Also, I think the Sith Lord is celebrating another birthday.

Folks, I hardly watch any television but seeing the behavior of those that do is always a treat. The insanity I witness (and overhear) at work and in the grocery store check-out line is breathtakingly uninformed.

Conversations with the Naïve COVID-19 Edition

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

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.

CenturyLink Field Event Center emergency hospital #1

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.

CenturyLink Field Event Center emergency hospital #2

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

Another Aaron Park Client Shows his True Colors

Chad Bianco… it’s all over Park’s blog (unless he’s recently deleted the posts) defeated “corrupt, drunk womanizer” Stanley Sniff as Sheriff of Riverside County. We needed Bianco because he could do Republican things like give out concealed carry permits by the thousands! Well Aaron, you got us a good one in Bianco, look at what this newly minted Doctor of Medicine had to say about Corona Virus in his County.

Sheriff Bianco has mandated everyone wear masks to cover their faces in public or risk a $1,000 fine or jail time.

The mandate went into effect on Sunday after Riverside University Health System indicated 946 confirmed coronavirus cases in the county.
“This is a valid order and enforceable by fine, imprisonment or both,” Bianco said on Monday in a video statement.
He added: “Not everybody’s getting the message.”
“It started with staying at home, social distance and covering your face. But now we change from saying that you should to saying that you must.”
“Right now, you could be a carrier of this virus, spreading it to your family and friends.”
California sheriff warns he can arrest and fine people $1,000 for not wearing masks in public

There you have it boys and girls; Dr. Chad Bianco put down his scalpel and stethoscope and has donned a Sheriff’s badge in hopes to save the world! No one knows more about this disease then Dr. Bianco…. he is not the hero we asked for, but the hero we needed during these trying times! Fixated on cable news, he has all the information to make an informed decision on the heath crisis facing his county! A total of 25 folks have died in his county, out of 2.7 million, but let us not allow a good crisis to go to waste.

Keep in mind, he also announced there will be no checkpoints or traffic stops to pull over folks not in compliance…. I guess he didn’t go full Adolf Hitler on us. He also said you will not be stopped while walking or hiking. After reading those statements aren’t you left asking “What’s the point of this order?”

Additionally, in the People’s Republic of California, we have been releasing “non-violent criminals” from both our prisons and jails to prevent the spread of this disease. Yet this MORON wants to arrest and jail you for not wearing a mask in public? And what about this fine? Good grief! Please help me understand the logic behind this, you can steal from a store and not even get cited, yet walk around in Bianco’s County sans a mask and you will be fined $1,000?

Well that Aaron Park sure knows how to pick ‘em!

The Chief

BTW We here at Reallyright.com encourage Aaron to wear a mask at all times, not just due to his looks but due to the toxic emissions coming from his mouth. Frankly I’m surprised the EPA hasn’t shut him down yet.

The Real Cost of COVID-19

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?

Corona Finally Disrupts My Life

China’s newest gift to the world, the dreaded Corona virus, has finally caused a level of disruption in my life. It started on Monday as I stopped at the Save Mart grocery store located near my office. I happen to get there most days about 6 AM which is when they open. I typically buy one beverage item on my way to work. This week, I have been greeted with hoarders each day. As the week goes on, their numbers have increased. I estimate that today there were 60 to 70 people there to greet me. All self-check-out lines were purposely down to keep people from breaking the hoarding rules which are enforced at the cash registers. Last week, when they opened, there were only two or three folks in line counting me. I’ve never seen grown humans so excited about toilet paper in my life.

Save Mart 6 AM line on west side of store 03/20/20

Also, in the last week, our church threw in the towel and cancelled all services. The church has many elderly members but good grief, this is ridiculous. They hope to hold services on Easter… like you better. Meanwhile, if you know a good set of catacombs anywhere, I’d be interested in going to their services. I thought we had faith not fear. See what happens when you get shaky on Predestination and Unconditional Election? Oh well, guess it wasn’t meant to be.

The last few days at work have taken a turn into the Twilight Zone. Note to self, don’t say, “it’s just a bad flu” in the presence of a room full of state workers that get their news from cable TV providers. It’s a most unpleasant feeling when they glare at you for trying to talk sense. Anyway, management is trying to implement “social distancing” by reducing the number of people in the office at any one time. Thus, they are having us work six hour shifts and then work from home for the remainder of our day. Please understand that logic and common sense take a back seat to this random directive. If you can imagine working in an accounting office with no access to your files or accounting program. We are given nothing to do at home but watch the email box for three hours at a time. No fears. We get a full check while all this going on.

The wife has it worse. Earlier this week her district cancelled school for the rest of the year. Today in a joint release, the district and their union not only told teachers that they can’t provide their children with learning opportunities—many of which are currently free on the Internet during this current social upheaval—but if any teacher knows of a fellow teacher that dares to try to help their students learn during this extended break, said teacher is to be reported by other teachers so the violator can be disciplined. Yep, we got it in writing. Teachers who try to continue teaching will be punished. Caring forbidden, conforming mandatory. Welcome to California. For those keeping tally, just another reason to leave the state.

Contrary to the instructions of the County of Sacramento and Governor, some of us boys met last night at a local “speak easy” to shoot the breeze. I think our group was below the current gathering size eligible for the automatic death penalty—currently set at ten individuals. The topics didn’t really matter, it’s just getting out of the house for our regularly scheduled gathering.

California bars closed, designated non-essential

Short of the governor declaring martial law or California falling into the sea, the family will be taking a road trip in the coming months. We will get to see if the rest of the country is as worked-up about this illness as are people here in California. I have heard mixed reports on whether this is the case in other parts of the country.

Folks my most immediate gripe has been the difficulty of finding eggs and bread in the pillaged grocery stores in this part of Sacramento County. We’re not greedy, we just want our usual breakfast on Saturday morning. Last night, after half a dozen trips to various places, I finally scored a dozen eggs. Thanks, Chief for your personal recommendation and direction in guiding my quest. I’ve purposely not hoarded anything but try to buy only what I need and live life as normally as possible.

Panic and worry are not on my radar over this Corona virus. I think thousands of people are walking around with it and have no symptoms. I base that on the number of celebrities, sports figures, and politicians that are getting it. They only know because they have doctors that can use their patient’s station in life to get a test. Those of us with McDonald’s medical plans (talkin’ about you Kaiser) are just fighting over scraps. I think most folks will never know that they had it and that’s probably for the best.

Frankly, unless you’re in a high-risk group, this whole thing is as overblown for most of us as Y2K. Lest you think I’m just saying crazy stuff, take a look at the Bloomberg news article about deaths in Italy. Over 99 percent of the people dying had preexisting conditions.

More than 99% of Italy’s coronavirus fatalities were people who suffered from previous medical conditions, according to a study by the country’s national health authority.
99% of Those Who Died From Virus Had Other Illness, Italy Says

The new study could provide insight into why Italy’s death rate, at about 8% of total infected people, is higher than in other countries.
The Rome-based institute has examined medical records of about 18% of the country’s coronavirus fatalities, finding that just three victims, or 0.8% of the total, had no previous pathology. Almost half of the victims suffered from at least three prior illnesses and about a fourth had either one or two previous conditions.

The average age of those who’ve died from the virus in Italy is 79.5. As of March 17, 17 people under 50 had died from the disease. All of Italy’s victims under 40 have been males with serious existing medical conditions.

Folks, people in Italy smoke like chimneys, so many had compromised respiratory systems. Italy is also the “Florida” of Europe. Many people choose to retire to this country. Italy has a climate similar in many respects to California.

Again, for the vast majority of us, this virus is just an inconvenience. I think we could have dealt with this without putting the economy on hold and citizens under house arrest.

Today, people at work were asking me if they should be afraid of the police stopping them and whether they risk going to jail just for being outside of their house or driving to and from work.

It doesn’t help when the guys on the radio during my morning commute were joking about being issued passes proving they work for an industry designated as critical in case police ask them for papers while commuting to work.

Are we really that far gone? I hope not.

Anyway, have a good weekend.

Trump Asks Prayers for Corona Outbreak Triggering Liberals

President Trump declared Sunday March 15, 2020 as a National Day of Prayer. While people like me were happy about the announcement, some folks were just “triggered” by the news.

As usual, Trump made the announcement on Twitter.

It is my great honor to declare Sunday, March 15th as a National Day of Prayer. We are a Country that, throughout our history, has looked to God for protection and strength in times like these… No matter where you may be, I encourage you to turn towards prayer in an act of faith. Together, we will easily PREVAIL!

…Trump has previously given other days the designation during emergencies.
DONALD TRUMP DECLARES SUNDAY NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER: ‘WE ARE A COUNTRY THAT HAS LOOKED TO GOD IN TIMES LIKE THESE’

The Lost and Easily Triggered Respond

At lunch on Friday, I tried to have a factual discussion with a coworker about Obama’s response the H1N1 v Trump on Corona. (It was at our lunch hour that day when the President was going to declare Corona a national emergency.) Like most people, he never knew anything about H1N1 even being a problem but because of the 24/7 coverage, he thinks everyone that gets Corona will die.

I tried to give him the three dates, first US case, declaration of public health emergency, and declaration of national emergency. The question that I was building up top was this, if Trump is so evil then why did he declare a national emergency when there are less than 50 deaths while Obama waited until over one thousand had died? (For those of you lacking math skills, the interval for Obama was six months and about six weeks for Trump.)

He kept interrupting me as I built up to my question and informed me that Trump was purposely withholding testing and medical treatment from Americans. Furthermore, he said Trump did not care and Trump was willing to let regular Americans die just to promote himself. He also was demanding that everyone — sick or healthy—be tested today. I explained the medical protocols used and that testing is only done for high risk people or if the results will affect a patient’s treatment and recovery, quoting the Center for Disease Control and Prevention amongst others. It was an exercise in futility.

(As you continue reading this account, I’m sure the biblical phrase of “casting pearls” will come to your minds too.)

For those of you living outside of California, sadly this is the predominant view of way too many people living on the Left Coast. Is it any wonder that Bernie Sanders easily won the Democrat Primary here?

In an effort to show him the compassionate side of Trump, later that night, I sent a copy of Trump’s Twitter message declaring a National Day of Prayer on 03/15/20 with the this note “This is one reason that we like Trump.”

I’m trying to give him concrete and unfiltered examples of what is happening before he is told by whoever he listens to (which clearly is not me) how to feel about it. The fact that Obama never once in his 8 years as President declared a national emergency as a cause for prayer would never occur to this guy.

After a short time, this was his response.

Yep, when I think of a Christian heart, soul and behavior trump is first person to come to mind. The last time he prayed was the last time I dated a super model.

Then he responded with a screen capture of Trump praying with Terrance Williams and some others in the Oval Office of the White House with his caption of “This is one reason why I hate him.”

Oh, I looked up Michael Steel, the guy that retweeted the post and made a snarky comment, on Wikipedia. He is some NeverTrumper guy on MSNBC. Seems like his page has been scrubbed of anything about him since he left politics, or he hasn’t done anything worthwhile since then.

I then got some even crazier stuff from Mr. Trigger about Trump being “Our Jesus replacement.” Again, where do you get this crap, I have no idea. It just makes me even gladder that I cut the cord many years ago.

FYI: Mr. Trigger makes no claim of any religious affiliation and gets to church only at weddings and funerals, if he is forced to, but he is always telling me what God thinks about Trump. He calls people that support Trump cultists. He also says Trump lies every day. I often get asked how can I support a guy that has lied over 18,000 times since taking office? Of course, he offers zero evidence or a single example… even when challenged. I guess he thinks that what he is saying is such common knowledge that everybody just knows it. Weird.

The irony is that Trump is the most honest guy to run for office. He does what he says and says what he does. There is no duplicity in him, especial when compared to the political class in Washington.

After three years of this, I finally got frustrated and fired this off to him.

Have you ever thought maybe Trump is telling the truth and CNN is not? All I get from you is “he lies” yet when I bring you facts, even from Democrat sources, somehow instead of looking at it, you go off on Trump thinks he’s God, Jesus Christ and king of the world, etc. I get a rant from you and not a discussion. Oh, and you often tell me what God thinks about it or how can I be a Christian if…
As I keep trying to tell you, I believe people should be held to the same standard regardless of party or income. When I try to point out inconsistencies in how he is treated, you dismiss them out of hand and don’t care to look at the evidence. Today is only the latest example. Today you even accused Trump of purposely trying to kill Americans to benefit himself. You constantly argue feelings and don’t care about facts; especially if they might just prove you wrong. Dialogues are based on facts not feelings. Today when I showed you that your assumptions were wrong you just attacked Trump all the more. When he asks for prayer, which he has done several times before, again you opine on God. Its not a partisan request, it’s a patriot one. Sadly, you can’t ever consider that it might be a genuine act.

I realize the guy is spiritually dead but the “eyes that don’t see” and “ears that can’t hear” describes Mr. Trigger to a T. He has no awareness of the world around him. He is a most unhappy and miserable creature. He is imprisoned and bound in his own closed mind more surely than anyone in a forgotten gulag in Siberia. This guy spends his spare time searching for more chains to bind himself even further.

Watching his behavior makes me think of a C.S. Lewis book I read many years ago about people in hell taking a holiday in heaven and finding it so unpleasant that they were not able to get back to hell fast enough. Unless God kicks his mental and spiritual doors down and shines His light on this dude, he will stay lost.

When I talk with him about anything of substance—except himself—sooner or later he closes his mental eyes, covers his ears, and starts screaming, “La. La. La. La. I can’t hear you” and tries really hard to change the subject. I’ve had my fill of his folly. Sadly, I live in a State of 36 million most of whom are just like him.

Corona Update: Trump Presses the Big Red Button

Yesterday, President Trump declared the Corona virus a national emergency. Now, Mr. Hannity you may properly compare Obama waiting six months from the time he declared a public health emergency on H1N1 to the time he declared a national emergency (April 26, 2009 and October 26, 2009 respectively) versus Trump doing it about six week later (January 31, 2020 to March 13, 200 respectively).

Folks, what’s bothered me is why did Trump do it? After consulting with my wife, I decided that its because Trump wants to solve this, get it behind us, and move on. He doesn’t want to leave this lingering but has chosen what basketball calls a “full court press.”

Knowing that I keep calling Corona “just the flu” (which it is) and saying I think these precautions are overblown, my liberal buddy wanted to know if I thought the declaration for a national emergency was right or wrong. My answer, in his eyes, was evasive. I said, some decisions are clearly right or wrong and sometimes we need some time to lapse to know if it was the right call. I said in this case, I think the decision is in the latter category. Trump made the call and that’s why he gets the big bucks. Let’s just wait and see.

A Whole New World

What I marvel at is the widespread shutdown of our way of life because of this virus. As I keep saying, its not Ebola. We have cancelled more air travel than during the 9/11 attacks. Stopped cruise ships, shutdown churches, concerts, baseball, football, soccer, basketball, hockey, golf, conventions, movie theaters, schools, etc. This decision has impacted a huge number of businesses and people’s lives. Those parts of society that have not shutdown have changed how they do business. We look with suspicion on strangers and are prone to avoid interacting with people.

If Trump had declared Martial Law and suspended, elections, Congress, and the Courts, would it look much different? Yet he not only has the support of Congress but the Courts and all 50 States. How did we get here? What really bothers me is how easy and willing we were to allow all this. Trading freedom for perceived safety is the stock and trade of Liberals.

The great irony in this disruption is that Trump is being praised by the very Democrats that have been fearmongering that he would suspend liberties and become the ultimate ruler, dictator, monarch, etc. In the last few days, Trump has been praised in glowing terms by California Governor Garvin Newsom and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Heretofore, both men have been adversaries of the Trump Administration on almost every issue.

So too, local and State governments and their agencies are looking eagerly to the Federal government for aid and leadership. They have set aside partisanship and are praising the federal response.

I guess when the niceties are over, you know that the crisis has passed.

Vaccine News

Meanwhile, yesterday Johnnie Does sent me word that one company says they have a vaccine for Corona ready to start testing.

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ +1.3%) unit Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies is collaborating with Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center on the development of a preventative vaccine against COVID-19.
Preclinical testing is underway. The parties expect to identify a candidate by month-end and commence a Phase 1 study by year-end.
The vaccine will be based on Janssen’s AdVac and PER.C6 technologies.
J&J launches COVID-19 vaccine program

In addition, another company has announced a possible vaccine.

March 12, 2020 /CNW/ – Medicago, a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Quebec City , announced today that they have successfully produced a Virus-Like Particle (VLP) of the coronavirus just 20 days after obtaining the SARS-CoV-2 (virus causing the COVID-19 disease) gene. Production of the VLP is the first step in developing a vaccine for COVID-19 which will now undergo preclinical testing for safety and efficacy. Once this is completed, Medicago expects to discuss with the appropriate health agencies to initiate human trials of the vaccine by summer (July/August) 2020.
Medicago announces production of a viable vaccine candidate for COVID-19

Even more Test Kits on the way

Also, yesterday, Chinese billionaire Jack Ma said he is donating 500,000 Corona test kits and 1,000,000 face masks to the United States.

Chinese billionaire and Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma said he will donate 500,000 coronavirus testing kits and 1 million masks to the United States and urged international cooperation to fight the health crisis.
Jack Ma to donate test kits, masks to U.S. in fight against coronavirus

In addition, Ma has made an even larger donation to the EU.

Testing… Testing… 1… 2… 3…

Lastly, I’m wondering what effect the declaration of a national emergency is having on FDA protocols and vaccine approval. One of the dumber things that our civilized nations do is not recognize each other’s testing methods of drugs and medical procedures. Here in the US, our FDA will not respect any testing done by the EU nations and vice versa. Ditto for other nations. I think that we need an international body, treaty, something, that allows a testing regime that is respected by everyone. It would also need some sort of patent and liability protection too. Curing people should not be so dependent on which country that you live in.

Also, it is clear that too many of our pharmaceutical eggs are in the Chinese basket and the Corona crisis is another opportunity to illustrate this.

Eighty percent of active ingredients in America’s pharmaceutical and OTC drugs — you know, the stuff that actually makes your medicine work — come from China and India, according to Rosemary Gibson and Janardan Prasad Singh, authors of the new book China RX: Exposing the Risks of America’s Dependence on China for Medicine.
China is Quietly Becoming the World’s Pharmacy — and There Are Big Risks

Many of the drugs that Americans depend upon, including birth control pills, antibiotics like penicillin, vitamin C and even cancer drugs, are made in China with little regulation.

… Gary Cohn, then chief economic advisor to President Trump, argued against a trade war with China by invoking a Department of Commerce study that found that 97 percent of all antibiotics in the United States came from China.
U.S. Dependence on Pharmaceutical Products From China

While the Department of Defense only purchases a small quantity of finished pharmaceuticals from China, about 80 percent of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) used to make drugs in the United States are said to come from China and other countries like India.

In order to address the growing security and safety concerns about Chinese-made pharmaceuticals, some suggest that the United States switch to India as an alternative API supplier. However, doing so would be no different from rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. It is true that many Indian pharmaceutical firms are leading API manufacturers but India depends on China for sourcing nearly three quarters of APIs in generic drug formulations. The disruption in the supply chain notwithstanding, switching to India for the supply of APIs would only make the drugs sold in the United States more expensive: APIs and chemical intermediates from China are 35 to 40 percent cheaper than Indian ones.

Final Thoughts

Besides Disney which owns ESPN, theme parks, and 40 percent of Hollywood movies, the person getting most hurt by the Corona crisis is Bernie Sanders. States are moving or considering cancelling primary elections and cancelling further debates with he and Joe Biden. Bernie just can’t catch a break.

The biggest winner in all this besides the President is the Babylon Bee. They have done parodies of banning all travel to California and what will parents do if the government won’t raise their kids for them. Both of which are legit news stories this week. Is it any wonder that Snopes gets mad when people think their stuff is real news?

Fake news is now real news Example #1

Nation To Use Coronavirus As Convenient Excuse To Quarantine California

President Trump is not ruling out the possibility of travel restrictions to California.
According to the New York Times, the president said he could restrict travel to hard-hit states including California and Washington.
Pres. Trump Could Ban Travel To California, Washington To Slow The Spread Of Coronavirus

Fake news is now real news Example #2

Parents Worried They’ll Have To Raise Their Own Children As Government Schools Shut Down

Schools are closing their doors across the area sending a seismic shockwave for parents scrambling to find child care for the next few weeks.
Sacramento County public schools have a quarter-million students and 400 schools. Even if only half of those parents would have to stay home, you could see how it would impact our economy.
Coronavirus School Closures Leave Parents Scrambling To Find Child Care

Fake news on November Surprise?

Trump Cancels 2020 Election Over Coronavirus Concerns

Fake news that’s totally right on

Devout Atheist Playing ‘Minecraft’ Patiently Waits For Complex Structures To Build Themselves

Enjoy your weekend.