Coronavirus Discussion

[Cactus Jack]

I spoke with my local bike shop today and they were thrilled that I wanted to make an appointment to buy a bike.  That's how they do it these days.  It'll help them pay the rent and eat a meal.  I'll be able to get to work.  Made me feel good.

Love it. Very excited for you. Especially love that you’re investing in you local community. Can’t wait to see the pics!

 

[Cagey]

I'm happy for you! Brings back memories of me and my brother working and saving for a summer, all the while drooling over catalogs of specifications, performance, pricing, etc. and going to a dedicated shop where you ordered a bike, rather than just getting whatever Sears (or whoever) had. You could specify frame size, weight, wheels, brakes, seat, etc. and they'd build it and set it up for you. Took a couple weeks, but you got something nobody else in the 'hood had. It was quite the big thing for us.

 

[Axkoa]

I'm happy for you! Brings back memories of me and my brother working and saving for a summer, all the while drooling over catalogs of specifications, performance, pricing, etc. and going to a dedicated shop where you ordered a bike, rather than just getting whatever Sears (or whoever) had. You could specify frame size, weight, wheels, brakes, seat, etc. and they'd build it and set it up for you. Took a couple weeks, but you got something nobody else in the 'hood had. It was quite the big thing for us.

Hey, you know what that reminds me of... :icon_scratch:

 

[Cagey]

Wedding cakes?

 

[Hendrix]

some indeep Economics Explained on Moral high jack of bailout

[youtube]jQ_Z-wZK5ps[/youtube]


also it not just some of advanced tax , it also kind of  “inflation tax” as money been printing out of thin air . Just people can’t feel inflation right now as economic going down on deflation .

 

[I AM a robot]

, it also kind of  “inflation tax” as money been printing out of thin air . Just people can’t feel inflation right now as economic going down on deflation .

ALL money is created from thin air. That's all it is. The Fed says "this trillion dollars exists", and behold, it does. Then they lend it out at the set rate and that's how money enters the economy.

The Fed making more money doesn't necessarily cause inflation. Inflation is caused by an increase in aggregate demand. In lay terms, too many people having too much money all looking to by the same finite number of things causes inflation.

If the Fed creates a lot of new money in a time when the economy is already growing, then this money in the system will probably juice aggregate demand and cause some inflation. But even this isn't a sure thing. The money has to get into the hands of everyday consumers for inflation to start.

Look at the past ten years.....easy money available at low interest rates. The Fed kept the money flowing and there was no inflation, because there was no signtificant wage increases and no increase in aggregate demand. The money flowed to other places (primarily stockholders, who are not well represented by most americans).

 

[stratamania]

, it also kind of  “inflation tax” as money been printing out of thin air . Just people can’t feel inflation right now as economic going down on deflation .

ALL money is created from thin air. That's all it is. The Fed says "this trillion dollars exists", and behold, it does. Then they lend it out at the set rate and that's how money enters the economy.

The Fed making more money doesn't necessarily cause inflation. Inflation is caused by an increase in aggregate demand. In lay terms, too many people having too much money all looking to by the same finite number of things causes inflation.

If the Fed creates a lot of new money in a time when the economy is already growing, then this money in the system will probably juice aggregate demand and cause some inflation. But even this isn't a sure thing. The money has to get into the hands of everyday consumers for inflation to start.

Look at the past ten years.....easy money available at low interest rates. The Fed kept the money flowing and there was no inflation, because there was no signtificant wage increases and no increase in aggregate demand. The money flowed to other places (primarily stockholders, who are not well represented by most americans).

Finally a clear view of what money is. A created commodity to which we give value and use as a token of exchange. Which means that lack of response, austerity, lack of funding etc etc. is all a choice.

And of course for Americans it is the Federal Reserve that creates the money, in the rest of the world it is other Central banks that do the same thing. Its a system, create money, lend it to a government who create a money supply, you pay taxes from your share of the money supply to help pay back the "debt" and none of it is even backed up by a gold standard or something that has actual tangible value.

The current crisis should be properly responded to and dealt with and the system reset afterwards. People first, vested interests second in my opinion.  For the rest we stray into the field of politics.

Do you think that money you are spending is real?

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWaxF8jlnm0[/youtube]

 

[Cagey]

It's all just bits & bytes. Paper money is for people who don't have computers.

 

[PhilHill]

Yesterday Joe Diffie, a 61 yr old Country star, died of complications of COVID-19. Today I see that John Prine is hospitalized in critical condition from the same.

 

[Rick]

Damn, John Prine!

 

[bagman67]

In other news, my 8-year-old got the news last night that A) he won't be able to go back to school after spring break, which started today, and B) he won't be able to go visit his grannie and his favorite cousin in Las Vegas for spring break.  He was furious and sad and frustrated and just heartbroken.  His sleep was completely disrupted - he woke several times during the night, crying at least once.  Today we went up to the school and he got to ride his bike around the empty parking lot - by himself.  I know I will be exasperated by his behaviors in response to the shelter order, but I have to remember that whatever my beef is with him getting cranky, he is truly missing out on everything that makes his life meaningful - interaction with friends, his teacher, family outside our home. 


So two other neighborhood dads and I got him set up on a Zoom meeting with his best buds from school, and now the three little barbarians are cackling madly and talking about Minecraft and showing off their toys to each other.  It's sweet, meaningless chatter that really means everything.

 

[PhilHill]

In other news, my 8-year-old got the news last night that A) he won't be able to go back to school after spring break, which started today, and B) he won't be able to go visit his grannie and his favorite cousin in Las Vegas for spring break.  He was furious and sad and frustrated and just heartbroken.  His sleep was completely disrupted - he woke several times during the night, crying at least once.  Today we went up to the school and he got to ride his bike around the empty parking lot - by himself.  I know I will be exasperated by his behaviors in response to the shelter order, but I have to remember that whatever my beef is with him getting cranky, he is truly missing out on everything that makes his life meaningful - interaction with friends, his teacher, family outside our home. 


So two other neighborhood dads and I got him set up on a Zoom meeting with his best buds from school, and now the three little barbarians are cackling madly and talking about Minecraft and showing off their toys to each other.  It's sweet, meaningless chatter that really means everything.

Children are highly affected by disruption of their routine. However, the good news is they are also highly adaptive when they need to be. I applaud your method of dealing with it. Good idea.

 

[Cagey]

You also don't know how something you say is going to be taken internally, allowing imaginations to run wild. Kids rarely understand innuendo, sarcasm, metaphors, etc., often taking things quite literally. That can be disappointing, or scary as hell.

 

[Rick]

Again, corona virus, phooey!

 

[Verne Bunsen]

Ok, the tale of the story so far. My usual route to work is Tucson to Phoenix by land shuttle, then Phoenix to Seattle to Anchorage and on to Deadhorse, Alaska, then on to my little island by helicopter or hovercraft or ice road, depending on the season. The shuttle service I use to get to Phoenix closed its doors last month, and I didn’t want my wife to have to make the Phoenix run, so I rebooked Tucson to Seattle to Anchorage. A couple of days ago my Tucson to Seattle got cancelled so I rebooked through Portland, then my Portland to Anchorage got cancelled. It was available the next day, which is today, so here I am at Tucson International Airport. Making my way to Anchorage to begin my 14-day quarantine period before going to work for a 4-week hitch. There are 12 people in this plane that holds about 80, and about half of them are deadheading crew members. It’s weird out here in coronavirusland....

 

[rgand]

It sounds like a major adventure, VB. Let's hope you can get to your destination in a reasonable time.

The biggest difference I notice here is the whole town is dead quiet. It used to have activity early. Our dogs and cat are locked in at night because of mountain lions and other predators that roam here at night. When I get up at 6:00 and take the dogs out for their first constitutional, the town normally has cars and people moving about getting ready for their day. Now it's still. No one even up with their lights on. I might be the only one stirring. Refreshing but kind of strange at the same time.

 

[mayfly]

I'm finding that the lack of traffic is pretty nice.  The kids and I can walk down the street without much fuss.  The main street kinda look like it did 25 years ago before the place became trendy 

I'm about to organize a 4:30 drinking session this friday with the neighbours.  We call it "driveway drinks"  :headbang:

 

[rgand]

I'm finding that the lack of traffic is pretty nice.  The kids and I can walk down the street without much fuss.  The main street kinda look like it did 25 years ago before the place became trendy 

I'm about to organize a 4:30 drinking session this friday with the neighbours.  We call it "driveway drinks"  :headbang:

I could see that devolving into "gutter drinks" as the evening goes on. :icon_biggrin:

 

[swarfrat]

We're building snap circuits in between work episodes, and mostly the two of us are trying to stay out of you know who's way that was already not doing well before we all got cooped up together.

 

[PhilHill]

Dean Martin learned to avoid driveways and drinking. He said he was coming home from a party one night and everything was fine till he got to his house. He was just pulling into his driveway and somebody stepped on his hand. ccasion14: