So yeah, I’m a bit worried but not about the virus
Here in Nashville it’s like week three of no school. We had a tornado which took out schools for a week, a couple of days back, followed by early spring break as schools decided to dismiss a couple of days early for virus fears.
TL;DR – rambling thoughts brought on by weeks essentially off work.
We’ve been told schools are out until April 6th in our area, which seems like an absurdly optimistic assessment. Two weeks and four days from now I’m expecting to get a text in the wee hours of the morning indicating they’re closed for more time. A week after that I’m expecting them to cancel school for the remainder of the year.
Vanderbilt, at least the area where my wife works is remote working only. We have separate offices at home and kids to stop work for every 10 minutes or so. And for the moment at least I’m one of the lucky ones with a paycheck through next month. Many of my friends can’t say the same.
My neighbor’s industry disappeared overnight. We have at least 8 friends we’re contemplating how to house.
I’m worried people’s money is going to run out very quickly as they attempt to support local businesses, or just themselves. Renters, at least where I see, are not being served eviction papers which could be good, but landlords are not getting any sort of mortgage relief and I’ve seen no indication they’re on the radar.
I’m worried crime is going to skyrocket when this isn’t over in two months, that people are going to reach a point in the quarantine where they say “fuck it, it’s a few million people who nature would have weeded out anyway without medical support.”
Parents are going to look at their kids and contemplate what enforced isolation is doing to them and decide they can’t continue it.
We’ve already seen several congregations gather claiming god grants them immunity, this at under a week, and as they’re churches and there’s not a real coordinated quarantine the local law enforcement can’t do anything other than ask nicely that they don’t. Even when it gets called they still won’t do anything.
I’m sitting here looking at a review pile – things I really need to write about and wondering at this point when these become viable again – Christmas? Next Christmas?
I’m looking at a straight mathematical model I wrote up on March 10th. It was right to within 6 cases up until two days ago. Today it’s going to be 4000 behind or so (as testing actually gets underway.) I expect in about two days it’ll be 20,000 or so behind.
Two months ago I decided I was going to sell a rental property to finally reach a point of zero debt and maybe have a little money for my kiddos lined up. Realtor’s firm merging with another, then her being sick, a tornado that shut down my town, and it went on the market the first day of hoarding.
Day two of hoarding was the first showing. There was no milk, bread, flour, toilet paper, hand sanitizer. Showing number two came when they said it would probably be 18 months more of this.
These are interesting times. None in my household are particularly worried about the virus itself, although reading about the impact of being overweight I probably should be (been walking every day). But we’ve got two friends with immune systems that won’t make it, family that statistically we’d lose two of, and meh.
I watched what we had get us to here. Hospitals being for profit. Getting your eye flushed costing two months salary even with supposedly good insurance. Politicians saying what they want to say to look good while ignoring the fact that they’re not wearing any clothes.
How do we get from here to Star Trek? How do we make people remember that your neighbor being sick directly impacts their life whether they know them or not?
How do we slow the virus, stop the virus, maintain liberty, not tank the economy, ensure that the world properly funds people’s health and well being to the point where maybe we don’t make trillions, but at least when something goes wrong we don’t blow trillions and get no return.
I’m not entirely sure, but I bet someone will suggest the blockchain.
