Quarantine Journals - Weekend, Emotions, Essays, Bucket Filling

Finally, our weekend day has arrived. It started out with the kids baking cookies with Richard. Then some animal crossing for them while Oliver and I built with magnet blocks.  

It had been raining on and off all morning, so when it stopped I suggested a walk. Rain boots on, we went puddle jumping, and then changed directions when we saw a neighbors sprinklers going. The kids got nice and wet, had a blast.  Steve Ryan and his wife started walking by, and we shouted hello. She mentioned that she and the other neighborhood ladies have been meeting at Bertha'a house to sew masks. Nice intentions but that's not what shelter in place is about, guys! She offered some free masks if I wanted to swing by. Haha Nope.  I did offer supplies if they needed them though. 

Back home for lunch, then Richard tried to take Oliver for a nap and my dad called. Oliver was not having it, and Penny cried for the entire call. And for about 45 minutes afterwards. She absolutely can't entertain herself for even a moment right now. Oliver is the only one doing independent play most days.

When she calmed down, we had a game night. She picked the games and we played one after another after another. It turned into penny pick it day. She picked dinner and a movie, and then selected tostadas and frozen 2. She wanted to play Yoshis Crafting World, so we played that for twenty minutes too. After dinner, she wanted a chatting game, and then I got them both to bed. Oliver seems hot, very sweaty, and congested.

My dad sent me an essay to share wherever I wanted, so I posted it to Facebook. Here it is:

Economics and beyond, an analysis of covid-19 by my dad.  Feel free to share.  (During the time it took to write this, he had to go back and redo all the numbers because they had increased by hundreds of thousands infected.)

March 17: Trump asks workforce to stay home, says he's always known it was a pandemic.

March 24: Trump says he wants country to open by April 12.

March 27: Trump signs $2.2 trillion emergency fiscal spending.

US Treasury provides $450 billion to the Fed's, & the Fed's have the authority to use 10x that amount, meaning up to $4.5 trillion.  Government is working on $470 billion fiscal stimulus bill. Federal to States financial assistance is still not provided, not in this bill either.  Government said more to come, at least $ 1.0 trillion coming soon.

So far, fiscal stimulus provided & planned add up to $8.17 trillion, not counting the unprecedented 1.5% total  interest rates cuts in a span of 12 days preceding the fiscal stimulus.  To put this in perspective, $8.17 trillions is about 37% of the total US national debt that took decades to accumulate!  You do not have to be a genius to realize the seriousness of this health pandemic simply by the fiscal & financial measures the US deployed in such a short time & similar measures deployed by many other countries.

In case financial & fiscal numbers aren't speaking loud enough, look at COVID-19 numbers, 31.3% of global infections are in the US 742,442 vs 2,374,141, while 24% of global deaths are in the US 39,231 vs 163,372 (as of April 18th, 3pm ET), & while you hear of "curve flattening" at some location, US rate of infections is still running at about 100,000 every 3 days.  US mortality rate is running @ 5.3%, much higher than other developed countries. The 5.3% US mortality rate means every 3 days 5,300 are no longer with us.  Yet, Trump wanted the country to reopen on April 12th, now pressing for May 1st or sooner!

Let's for one second assume Donald is right on, despite what the numbers are, ask yourself, would a one month stay at home (back by April 12th) or 1.5 months (back on May 1st) justify the financial/fiscal measures $8.16 trillion & interest rate cuts!  Would this unprecedented government action tell the world that the greatest nation, population & businesses can't survive on their own for this short period?  It sure implies that the majority can't, that they were already on the brink of bankruptcy!  Otherwise, the government overextended, subjecting future generations to more pain.

What are the implications, if indeed the country is not yet ready to reopen?

Despite the devastation COVID-19 has so far caused to developed rich countries, the president of the greatest nation on earth stops funding to the World Health Organization (WHO), intended to help the most needy, based on one WHO appointed employee action or lack of!  As I watched One World show on television, I could not help but to think that the world knows Donald J Trump doesn't represent the United States population, judging by the generous contributions they made, more than making up for the President of the United States decision to freeze aid to WHO.  WHO doesn't need Trump & it will for sure do everything possible to fulfill its mandates.  The US has always strived to take on a leadership position, until DJT led the US.  We all should try our best to make it known to our leader that he must re-consider.

Who do you think the government will turn to, to pay down this huge new debt,  not to forget the already staggering national debt, that was made worse by a large unprecedented tax cut passed by the administration in 2017,  mostly directed toward corporate America.  Republicans & Democrats used to fret about the high national debt, when it was less than half current deficit. That was before they turned deaf/mute years pre COVID-19.

Pre COVID-19, US government annual deficit was running at $1.6 trillion, when the economy was in good shape! Four more years with Trump, add at least $8 trillions more to the national debt even if the economy recover fast to pre COVID-19 level, in addition to all of the above.

It is April 19th & most of the population are still waiting on a one time $1200 checks—the ones Trump delayed because he wanted the treasury to put his name on the checks!  Treasury secretary Mnuchin was asked today Sunday when the paper checks will be sent out, he replied "in a week" or soon after!  If/when you do get your slice of the trillions of dollars, be sure to make it last.

Sorry, I forgot, Trump thinks you all are invested in the stock market, which is roaring back celebrating Trump's good deeds. Let's all be grateful to Trump, cash out your investments now, help fund the government with your capital gain tax!