Do you need to vent about things COVID-19?

[Saraya Starr]

13 hours ago, Rhonda Huntress said:

*****ing *****ed up mother *****ers are *****ing the whole *****ing *****ed up ****sucking *****head *****s.

And then some.

I second this, Could not have said it better.

[Panteleeva]

Virus is not a joke.BUT...here people are already scared and depressed because of job payments we will get,we all are scared as  uck that business owners, clinics owner just found a way to pay lower money . Sorry for offtopic

[FairreLilette]

2 hours ago, Prokofy Neva said:

Many people ranting and raging about Trump seem not to grasp that health, education and welfare are the responsibility of states -- and for good reason. This is the "states' rights" 

Regarding the "states rights" to be prepared and to make decisions regarding staying at home issues, etc...I think it should be changed in times like this.  I think a President should have the right to declare a shelter in home for the whole USA during a pandemic.  

How do you feel about that, Prokofy?  Should it be changed.  

Just Generally Speaking About Other Stuff: 

And, is that what Marshall Law is more or less...a President and the it's armed forces taking over these "states rights"?  Well, with almost 9 states of last week having no shelter in home declared, I think a President needs more power here.   

As far as further preparedness and with a slew of these zoonotic viruses, most except perhaps Ebola are from China, makes me believe every country needs to make their own PPE gear from now on and stock their own because there have been a lot of these zoonotic viruses, especially in the 21st Century and every country needs access to their own PPE gear quickly in their stockpile because even if anti-virals are developed, if these wet markets are not stopped, more viruses will mutate and will come.   

And, yes, China and other countries need to stop their "wet market" practices; wherein farm raised non-vaccinated rodents are brought for slaughter in the marketplace where other food is being sold.  Preparing raw meat in the best of conditions has health hazards.  I know I was a house wife for nearly 20 years and had to disinfect the area thoroughly in case any blood droplets got on the sink or on the counter top.   

I mean as far as "wet markets" would you shop in your local Market with blood and other toxins strewn from rodent like slaughter "meat" or any kind of slaughtered animal all over the place right their in your market?   

To these "wet markets" and their practices...I say "nuts".  That's insanity and it needs to be put to an end period.

https://thehill.com/policy/international/491291-un-biodiversity-chief-calls-for-international-ban-of-wet-markets

Edited April 7, 2020 by FairreLilette

[Tolya Ugajin]

Sorry, I have nothing to vent about.  I find the situation mildly amusing in many ways.

First, we have people who have called Trump a dictator for 3 years whining that he's not acting more like a dictator now - for instance, why isn't he forcing business to do what some talking head says they need to do, why isn't he closing down the whole country?  Some wag even suggested he should nationalize a bunch of industries.  Trump is clearly a sucky dictator.

Then, we have people who yell and scream "more gubbermint!" acting all confused about how the government cannot just immediately fix this.  We've known the US is woefully unprepared for a pandemic since the early 2000's - even that dim bulb Bush Jr. pointed it out.  Yet 15 years later, they can't even figure out where all the ventilators and masks are stockpiled.  By all means, let's let these folks run more of our lives, so checking out at the grocery will be like checking out at the DMV.

And just when I thought the media and Trump couldn't make themselves look even worse, we get these daily orgies of stupidity on the situation.  Trump gets up and looks like a buffoon (I mean worse than normal) and the press looks like people who get kicked out of the school newspaper club in high school trying to make him look bad.  FFS people, just let him talk, he does a great job making himself look like an idiot, and your pathetic attempts to make him look bad are so transparent, Americans think he's handling the crisis better than you are!  (since some numbskull will insist that's wrong, check with Gallup, the score is Trump 60%, media 48%).

And then there's Congress.  Hey, how does this unemployment thing work?  Oops, we didn't know so we just made it so almost half of Americans would be financially better off being unemployed than working.  GENIUS!  Everyone except millionaires will get a check!  Oh, wait, we meant everyone except millionaires and the middle class (the folks who would NOT make more on unemployment).  AWESOME!  And let's give extra money to people who are guaranteed to not become unemployed as a result of all this - people on Social Security, because, well, we're just buying votes now.  Hey, we need to get this done in a hurry!  So let'sl take our time trying to cram in hundreds of things unrelated to Covid and loading it with gifts to our friends (like, hey give the Kennedy Center $25M so they can lay off most of their staff).  We're so stunning and brave!

It might sound like I'm complaining, but, actually, I'm laughing at the world burning.  It's like a watching a NASCAR race, but all the drivers are convicted pedophiles, they're all blindfolded, and every car is rigged with pyrotechnics that go off on the slightest bump.  Every time I think I've seen the coolest explosion ever,  nope, here comes on even more spectacular.  Very entertaining.

Oh, and I don't like being around people much, anyway, so social distancing is awesome, I am at least a month ahead on my yard work and Spring cleaning, lost 10 pounds already, and saving a ton of money working from home.  My only real complaint is my carpal tunnel is acting up from too much laptop work while sitting on the couch binge watching Netflix.

[Carolyn Zapedzki]

I am coping with it pretty well, I work from home anyway so work hasn't changed. The hardest part is missing see my family. I have already missed 2 of my Grandkids birthdays, and I will miss 5 more in May if it carries on for that long.

A big family get-together party will happen as soon as we can hug each other again.

[Seicher Rae]

52 minutes ago, Tolya Ugajin said:

stuff and more stuff

I hate it when I mostly agree with you. 😠 

Let's see, I don't agree with you about the unemployment stuff about people making more than they would by working. That would be some weird math. I suppose you could point to one or two outlier cases. Sadly, I have a lot of experience of having a low paying job and then getting unemployment. The one time bailout of what is it, $1200? isn't going to really help all that much to people already on the edge of poverty who now have no income and this thing is going to last months. Oh, wait, Congress is now considering part 2... what could go wrong? (And my shrink thinks I'm cynical. Huh. Go figger.)

I'm on SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance)  and as far as I know, I'm going to get a check. I can really use the money, as SSDI payments have me below the poverty line, but like you I was rather shocked by that. My SSDI remains steady, it isn't affected by the pandemic, so why am I getting extra money? I'll absolutely take it. But ???

I don't think thousands of people dying is a laughable situation. The Buffoon In Charge made things worse (agree with your assessment above).

Congrats on the ten pound loss. You're probably in the minority there of the couch potatoes binge watching Netflix. My carpal tunnel is acting up too.

Edited April 7, 2020 by Seicher Rae

[Seicher Rae]

1 hour ago, Panteleeva said:

Virus is not a joke.BUT...here people are already scared and depressed because of job payments we will get,we all are scared as  uck that business owners, clinics owner just found a way to pay lower money . Sorry for offtopic

If it is anyway related to the virus, it isn't off topic.

[Amina Sopwith]

2 hours ago, Prokofy Neva said:

My daughter's boyfriend's sister tested positive for the virus and is quite sick. She is 27. She had shortness of breath, went to a hospital, and because she did not have a fever, she was sent home while she waited for the test. Some people with those characteristics have died waiting for the test; she apparently is getting better.  For weeks her brother has been yelling at her to stop going out at night and partying. It's hardly the case that people of this age are married with kids already. They're not. 

Fgs, Prok, it was rhetoric. It was not meant to be taken completely literally. It was just meant to make the (side) point that teenagers and early 20s undergrads are not millennials. I actually thought it was even very slightly humorous. Clearly I need to change careers to become a Gorean comedian.

I'm sorry to hear she's ill and I hope she recovers quickly.

Edited April 7, 2020 by Amina Sopwith

[Seicher Rae]

6 minutes ago, Amina Sopwith said:

Clearly I need to change careers to become a Gorean comedian.

I'd pay to see that.

[Tolya Ugajin]

1 minute ago, Seicher Rae said:

I hate it when I mostly agree with you. 😠 

Let's see, I don't agree with you about the unemployment stuff about people making more than they would by working. That would be some weird math. I suppose you could point to one or two outlier cases. Sadly, I have a lot of experience of having a low paying job and then getting unemployment. The one time bailout of what is it, $1200? isn't going to really help all that much to people already on the edge of poverty who now have no income and this thing is going to last months. Oh, wait, Congress is now considering part 2... what could go wrong? (And my shrink thinks I'm cynical. Huh. Go figger.)

I'm on SSDI (Social Security Disability Income)  and as far as I know, I'm going to get a check. I can really use the money, as SSDI payments have me below the poverty line, but like you I was rather shocked by that. My SSDI remains steady, it isn't affected by the pandemic, so why am I getting extra money? I'll absolutely take it. But ???

I don't think thousands of people dying is a laughable situation. The Buffoon In Charge made things worse (agree with your assessment above).

Congrats on the ten pound loss. You're probably in the minority there of the couch potatoes binge watching Netflix. My carpal tunnel is acting up too.

No, it's not weird math, and it was pointed out before the package even went to a vote.  People who don't understand how programs work wrote a bill with no understanding of what the effects would be, because, well, we just gotta go spend money so people will think we're doing something!

The law is written to increase unemployment benefits by $600/wk.  I looked up benefits in California, and they top out at $455/wk.  Add $600, and you have $1,055/wk in benefits.  That is the same gross income as someone making $53,805.  So, anyone who normally makes less than that...will earn more on unemployment than working.  The math will vary from state to state based on where benefits top out at.  By the way, US median individual income is $31K and change.  I haven't seen yet whether or not this extra $600 will be treated as taxable income, but I already have a small number of employees asking if we could lay them off so they can just collect unemployment.

Agreed on the $1,200.  I was perturbed when I learned I wouldn't be getting any of it, but I'd just spend it on garden supplies anyway.  But, while people will enjoy the money, what is the point, exactly?  If you're still working, you don't need it.  If you're not working, well, unless you're in that narrow band from $53K to $75K, you'll either not get it or be making more on unemployment.  It's thoughtless throwing around of money, because, GOP or DEM, if there's one thing you're good at, it's spending tax dollars.

I'm not on board with "Trump made things worse".  The WHO was downplaying this from the beginning.  Trump took early action to curb travel from China and was called a racist.  He's acting like a moron, but if you want to blame anyone for making it worse, try the head of the WHO who may as well be (and may well be) on China's payroll.

 

[Amina Sopwith]

6 minutes ago, Seicher Rae said:

I'd pay to see that.

Just pay someone to tar and feather you and cling wrap you to a pillar. It'll be more enjoyable and leave you feeling less dirty.

[FairreLilette]

20 minutes ago, Seicher Rae said:

I'm on SSDI (Social Security Disability Income)  and as far as I know, I'm going to get a check. I can really use the money, as SSDI payments have me below the poverty line, but like you I was rather shocked by that. My SSDI remains steady, it isn't affected by the pandemic, so why am I getting extra money? I'll absolutely take it. But ???

There are several reasons for this....I'll just go over a couple.  People on fixed income could see higher food prices for example.  Second, disabled people on Social Security disability are allowed, at least in the state of California, to work part time to supplement their disability up to $2,000 a month as disability averages about $1,000 dollars a month.   Thus, people receiving disability benefits could be working part-time.

Lastly, it's part of stimulus most lower income people are getting.  

[Lyssa Greymoon]

1 hour ago, Tolya Ugajin said:

And then there's Congress.  Hey, how does this unemployment thing work?  Oops, we didn't know so we just made it so almost half of Americans would be financially better off being unemployed than working.  GENIUS!  Everyone except millionaires will get a check! 

Won't someone think of the millionaires and billionaires? I'm starting a Gofundme for them right now!

[Seicher Rae]

26 minutes ago, Tolya Ugajin said:

No, it's not weird math, and it was pointed out before the package even went to a vote.  People who don't understand how programs work wrote a bill with no understanding of what the effects would be, because, well, we just gotta go spend money so people will think we're doing something!

The law is written to increase unemployment benefits by $600/wk.  I looked up benefits in California, and they top out at $455/wk.  Add $600, and you have $1,055/wk in benefits.  That is the same gross income as someone making $53,805.  So, anyone who normally makes less than that...will earn more on unemployment than working.  The math will vary from state to state based on where benefits top out at.  By the way, US median individual income is $31K and change.  I haven't seen yet whether or not this extra $600 will be treated as taxable income, but I already have a small number of employees asking if we could lay them off so they can just collect unemployment.

Agreed on the $1,200.  I was perturbed when I learned I wouldn't be getting any of it, but I'd just spend it on garden supplies anyway.  But, while people will enjoy the money, what is the point, exactly?  If you're still working, you don't need it.  If you're not working, well, unless you're in that narrow band from $53K to $75K, you'll either not get it or be making more on unemployment.  It's thoughtless throwing around of money, because, GOP or DEM, if there's one thing you're good at, it's spending tax dollars.

I'm not on board with "Trump made things worse".  The WHO was downplaying this from the beginning.  Trump took early action to curb travel from China and was called a racist.  He's acting like a moron, but if you want to blame anyone for making it worse, try the head of the WHO who may as well be (and may well be) on China's payroll.

 

I stand corrected on the $600. I thought it was per month, not per week. Just for general stating purposes, unemployment is 60% of your normal income, usually factored over a period of many months. Different states do figure it differently. I had a choice of filing under one New England state or another, one was considerably higher in payment.

While the WHO isn't above reproach, imho Trump made things much worse and tens of thousands of lives are (well, will be) directly on his hands. There are many reasons for this, but one of them is the original deny-er and down playing (that he's still doing) of the severity. Anyway, on THAT issue we could go back and forth. I'm not up to that. I just know you're wrong.

And while I was just "schooled" about the SSDI by someone with the IQ of a radish... yeah, no.

Edited April 7, 2020 by Seicher Rae

[Seicher Rae]

15 minutes ago, Amina Sopwith said:

Just pay someone to tar and feather you and cling wrap you to a pillar. It'll be more enjoyable and leave you feeling less dirty.

I'd probably really enjoy the cling wrapping to the pillar. Tar and feather not so much. Candle wax and feathers? Maybe. I'm allergic to feathers though.

[Amina Sopwith]

Just now, Seicher Rae said:

I'd probably really enjoy the cling wrapping to the pillar.

You probably wouldn't, it makes you sweaty and leaves your skin wrinkly. Ask me how I know. 

 

[Scylla Rhiadra]

1 minute ago, Amina Sopwith said:

Ask me how I know.

Well, you know someone was going to.

/me awaits your detailed explanation patiently

[Seicher Rae]

1 minute ago, Amina Sopwith said:

You probably wouldn't, it makes you sweaty and leaves your skin wrinkly. Ask me how I know. 

 

And how do you know?

And you think latex suits are any better?

Keeping it on topic: I state "Covid"

[Scylla Rhiadra]

1 minute ago, Seicher Rae said:

And how do you know?

And you think latex suits are any better?

Keeping it on topic: I state "Covid"

Wait. The shrink wrap isn't an anti-viral barrier?

[Seicher Rae]

Just now, Scylla Rhiadra said:

Wait. The shrink wrap isn't an anti-viral barrier?

/me digs out the "shrink" wrap on a roll that I used for moving to a new apartment purposes and allocates its use for science! medical purposes

[Amina Sopwith]

I know because I was a student once, in halls of residence no less, and I kidnapped a cactus and attempted to hold it to ransom. They were quite nice about it, though, they answered my phone for me. I suppose Prok's comment about millennials being stupid wasn't entirely off, but back then we were the age everyone thinks we still are.

My God, if anyone I know reads this, I've just outed my secret identity quite spectacularly.

 

 

[Seicher Rae]

1 minute ago, Amina Sopwith said:

I know because I was a student once, in halls of residence no less, and I kidnapped a cactus and attempted to hold it to ransom. They were quite nice about it, though, they answered my phone for me. I suppose Prok's comment about millennials being stupid wasn't entirely off, but back then we were the age everyone thinks we still are.

My God, if anyone I know reads this, I've just outed my secret identity quite spectacularly.

 

 

Yeah, that *totally* wouldn't have happened when I was living in college dorms. Nope. Not even. We were steadfast and studious. This type of craziness at college only happened with the millennials.

[Love Zhaoying]

*vents my spleen* ahh, much better! 

[Marigold Devin]

Just reported to our police in special Covid-19 form group of older teen white mother*****ers playing football together on nearby playing field, totally recklessly tackling one another, like its just college holidays. hashtagwhenaretheygoingtotakethissituationseriouslyenough!

 

[LittleMe Jewell]

3 hours ago, FairreLilette said:

Regarding the "states rights" to be prepared and to make decisions regarding staying at home issues, etc...I think it should be changed in times like this.  I think a President should have the right to declare a shelter in home for the whole USA during a pandemic.  

How do you feel about that, Prokofy?  Should it be changed.  

Just Generally Speaking About Other Stuff: 

And, is that what Marshall Law is more or less...a President and the it's armed forces taking over these "states rights"?  Well, with almost 9 states of last week having no shelter in home declared, I think a President needs more power here.   

I know you asked Prok, but my opinion on it:  A resounding NO - our President most definitely should not be given more power right now.  Even with a President that I trusted in a general sense, I would still say NO.

Edited April 7, 2020 by LittleMe Jewell
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