Life Needs to Return to Normal. Today!

What if we just went about our daily lives?  The lead editorial in the Friday Wall Street Journal made a case for getting back to normal life and, PRONTO!  The editorial board suggests a repeat of the Great Depression will be worse for your health than the coronavirus.  Destitute people are malnourished, often live under bridges or crevices in canyons and rarely see doctors. 

When the Dow opened on Friday morning it gradually climbed to just below a 400 point gain.  Then the Governor of New York announced he was ordering all non-essential businesses to close.  The Dow cratered in a matter of minutes.  Some of those closed businesses will never again open doors.

New York State has a large economy.  Pennsylvania the same.  That states Governor made the same decision Thursday.

California brags it has the world’s sixth largest economy.  Its 40 million people are being told to shelter in place.  Meanwhile, an epidemiologist in that state believes the virus isn’t the threat worthy of economic meltdown.  You can read about him at this link.  His fellow medical professionals are taking him to the wood shed, however.  They’re doctors, not economists!

Media demanded government show it cared.  Politicians, many of them facing Election Day this year, appeased media by shutting down the country.  Then as the economy tanks, the politicians promise to throw money our way.  They’ve got a printing press and they likely won’t be around when the bill comes due.

In an old episode of the Simpson’s, an invasive species plagues the town.  Snakes are imported to eat the rodents.  Then the snakes overrun the community.  The show ends with the Mayor on the steps of City Hall.  He introduces gorillas.  One of the apes grabs a slithering snake and slams it against a wall.  And so it goes!