[Mick]

Interesting lessons from the 1918 flu pandemic:
Basically, states that had stricter social distancing policies had the highest growth in manufacturing activity.
BC

Agreed, it's interesting. Unfortunately, China does our manufacturing now. Perhaps they will be the beneficiary of post-pandemic success. Manufacturing is only 8.8% of our GDP at present.

---

This is a false dichotomy. If we did nothing to slow the virus, our healthcare system would be completely overrun, and with it, our economy, but with no easy path back because we'd have no healthcare system. 

Also a false dichotomy.  I didn't say "Do nothing."  Obviously we need to take reasonable steps to avoid the coronavirus.

What I'm trying to say is that this isn't about Wall Street, like I've seen a few posters mention on this site.  This is about Main Street.  America is in the process of voluntarily eliminating an enormous portion of its economy, up to 67 million jobs, according to the St. Louis Fed governor.

In an average week, pre-pandemic, about 225k jobless claims were filed.  This week, 3.5 million people filed for unemployment (Edit: the revised initial claim is 6.6 million, see link below).  3.3 million filed for unemployment the week before.  BofA's senior economist says it will be 5.5 million next week.  That's not Wall Street, that's ten million people out of a job on Main Street.  10 million in two weeks.  There are 155.76 million employed in America.  By fall, that number will be under 100 million people.  

I realize most people on this board don't live like the 51% of America who live paycheck to paycheck, or the 40% of America that can't afford an unforeseen $400 expense.  All I'm saying is that it didn't have to be that way.  We didn't have to kill the next generation.

See you at the riots in September...

[Mick]

Interesting lessons from the 1918 flu pandemic:
Basically, states that had stricter social distancing policies had the highest growth in manufacturing activity.
BC

Agreed, it's interesting. Unfortunately, China does our manufacturing now. Perhaps they will be the beneficiary of post-pandemic success. Manufacturing is only 8.8% of our GDP at present.

---

This is a false dichotomy. If we did nothing to slow the virus, our healthcare system would be completely overrun, and with it, our economy, but with no easy path back because we'd have no healthcare system. 

Also a false dichotomy.  I didn't say "Do nothing."  Obviously we need to take reasonable steps to avoid the coronavirus.

What I'm trying to say is that this isn't about Wall Street, like I've seen a few posters mention on this site.  This is about Main Street.  America is in the process of voluntarily eliminating an enormous portion of its economy, up to 67 million jobs, according to the St. Louis Fed governor.

In an average week, pre-pandemic, about 225k jobless claims were filed.  This week, 3.5 million people filed for unemployment (Edit: the revised initial claim is 6.6 million, see link below).  3.3 million filed for unemployment the week before.  BofA's senior economist says it will be 5.5 million next week.  That's not Wall Street, that's ten million people out of a job on Main Street.  10 million in two weeks.  There are 155.76 million employed in America.  By fall, that number will be under 100 million people.  

I realize most people on this board don't live like the 51% of America who live paycheck to paycheck, or the 40% of America that can't afford an unforeseen $400 expense.  All I'm saying is that it didn't have to be that way.  We didn't have to kill the next generation.

See you at the riots in September...