04-09-2020, 09:15 PM
Speaking for myself, I'm no more than solidly middle class, and I have had at least a dozen close friends and family members furloughed, laid off, or with a shuttered small business. Believe me, I appreciate the economic cost of extreme social distancing.
But I also never stopped "getting back to work" - as long as I can work from home (which fortunately, for at least the next few months, I can), I will. IMHO, all the economists calling this a "supply side shock" are missing that many of us have no intention of returning to normal, regardless of what our government tells us to do.
I have no intention of getting on an airplane for a non-necessary purpose, going to Disneyland, eating at a crowded restaurant, going to a sports event, or seeing a live concert -- any time soon. If that doesn't make me part of the Greatest Generation, I'm content to accept my share of ignominy. But I've now had two friends in their late 30s and early 40s who ended up with 2-3 week hospitalizations due to COVID-19, and they had no underlying co-morbidities. Sorry, but catching Trolls in theaters ain't worth it.
But I also never stopped "getting back to work" - as long as I can work from home (which fortunately, for at least the next few months, I can), I will. IMHO, all the economists calling this a "supply side shock" are missing that many of us have no intention of returning to normal, regardless of what our government tells us to do.
I have no intention of getting on an airplane for a non-necessary purpose, going to Disneyland, eating at a crowded restaurant, going to a sports event, or seeing a live concert -- any time soon. If that doesn't make me part of the Greatest Generation, I'm content to accept my share of ignominy. But I've now had two friends in their late 30s and early 40s who ended up with 2-3 week hospitalizations due to COVID-19, and they had no underlying co-morbidities. Sorry, but catching Trolls in theaters ain't worth it.