All things Corona Virus

[Nature Boy 2.0 8,370]

15 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

I know some people get upset about boosted unemployment benefits, but I don't have much of a problem with it for the duration of the problems we currently face. People are being laid off severely right now and they need severe help to pay the bills. And when they aren't working, they're then likely be without insurance which you really need if you get sick. It does create some financial stability for the laid off worker.

Agree, it sure gives me some peace of mind. The guy that is the manager of our detail dept, said if his guys get on unemployment he will never get them back to work 

[yuna628 9,676]

1 minute ago, Nature Boy 2.0 said:

Agree, it sure gives me some peace of mind. The guy that is the manager of our detail dept, said if his guys get on unemployment he will never get them back to work 

Makes you wonder that perhaps employers should be paying their employees a little more or maybe treating them a little better somehow. At the Walmarts here (and there's rumor of a cluster of infected there) they've still got the elderly employees out there working as 'essential'. 

 

 

[Steeleballz 7,550]

7 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

Makes you wonder that perhaps employers should be paying their employees a little more or maybe treating them a little better somehow. At the Walmarts here (and there's rumor of a cluster of infected there) they've still got the elderly employees out there working as 'essential'. 

 

 

 

 

     From the health care side, I am certain hospitals are probably all over budget now, so they are probably already making contingency plans to layoff employees on the other end of this. It will be hush hush, because they don't want people quitting right now, but it's coming.

 

  I don't think employers have a lot of loyalty to employees. At some point we went from being assets to commodities. It's also why employees are quick to move elsewhere for an extra couple of bucks nowadays too. We used to have people who had been employed here for 40+ years and retire. It's rare to see people stay 10 years now. 

[yuna628 9,676]

1 minute ago, Steeleballz said:

 

 

     From the health care side, I am certain hospitals are probably all over budget now, so they are probably already making contingency plans to layoff employees on the other end of this. It will be hush hush, because they don't want people quitting right now, but it's coming.

 

  I don't think employers have a lot of loyalty to employees. At some point we went from being assets to commodities. It's also why employees are quick to move elsewhere for an extra couple of bucks nowadays too. We used to have people who had been employed here for 40+ years and retire. It's rare to see people stay 10 years now. 

My sister said they laid off everyone in the orthopedic department yesterday, without any warning, and then locked the doors. Apparently they didn't make the rent for the building. At her office they are sending people home on rotation, thankfully still paying her.. but not sure how long that will last. They are down two doctors that don't want to risk it, and the rest are getting tested for exposure.

 

Maybe we really need to fundamentally change our mindset about the employer-employee relationship in this country... I keep saying we're all going to be deeply psychologically traumatized as society after this is over, but perhaps there will be some changes for the good as well.

[90DayFinancier 910]

3 minutes ago, Steeleballz said:

 

 

     From the health care side, I am certain hospitals are probably all over budget now, so they are probably already making contingency plans to layoff employees on the other end of this. It will be hush hush, because they don't want people quitting right now, but it's coming.

 

  I don't think employers have a lot of loyalty to employees. At some point we went from being assets to commodities. It's also why employees are quick to move elsewhere for an extra couple of bucks nowadays too. We used to have people who had been employed here for 40+ years and retire. It's rare to see people stay 10 years now. 

I am assuming, but I don't know, that the hospital system will receive financial support in the 2 trillion stimulus bill.  If not that will need to be remedied.   I hope we don't see bailout of insurance companies, who have generated 20% surpluses in recent years.

[Steeleballz 7,550]

56 minutes ago, Nature Boy 2.0 said:

Looks like the Bill will pass. The hang up last night was that the Feds are going to give 600 per week on top of state unemployment benefits. Many will make more on unemployment than they will employed, and this may cause problems. They wanted to cap the max amount at your normal weekly salary 

 

For Me unemployment would around 3700 per month. Not a lot, but better than sitting around making next to nothing on commission 

 

  When this first started, we had canceled a lot of elective procedures and non urgent appointments. So it was kind of slow for about a week or 2 before we started getting a lot of patients. So we had a meeting and the manager said they want to start sending people home or not come in if it's slow. One guy knowing it was going to get nuts in a few weeks, says if they really don't want us to work, he would rather just stay home and get unemployment for the duration of this. Never heard anything else about leaving if it's slow. 

 

   

 

  

[Steeleballz 7,550]

2 minutes ago, 90DayFinancier said:

I am assuming, but I don't know, that the hospital system will receive financial support in the 2 trillion stimulus bill.  If not that will need to be remedied.   I hope we don't see bailout of insurance companies, who have generated 20% surpluses in recent years.

 

    Hard to say. Just using past performance to predict future behavior on this one. 

[Steeleballz 7,550]

6 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

My sister said they laid off everyone in the orthopedic department yesterday, without any warning, and then locked the doors. Apparently they didn't make the rent for the building. At her office they are sending people home on rotation, thankfully still paying her.. but not sure how long that will last. They are down two doctors that don't want to risk it, and the rest are getting tested for exposure.

 

Maybe we really need to fundamentally change our mindset about the employer-employee relationship in this country... I keep saying we're all going to be deeply psychologically traumatized as society after this is over, but perhaps there will be some changes for the good as well.

 

   I think the law is tilted too far to the employer side right now. We got crazy with the unions years back and took it too far the other way. Things work best if there is some balance.

 

  The other thing I hope comes out of this is they realize that it is imperative to fix the health care system. Replace Obamacare or fix it or whatever they want, but we need something that works. What we have is embarrassing. It's become obvious that it is only working for the people who make money off it. We shouldn't be letting those people influence what we need it to become.

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

1 hour ago, yuna628 said:

I know some people get upset about boosted unemployment benefits, but I don't have much of a problem with it for the duration of the problems we currently face. People are being laid off severely right now and they need severe help to pay the bills. And when they aren't working, they're then likely be without insurance which you really need if you get sick. It does create some financial stability for the laid off worker.

Normally, I too would be against government supplements to income.  But since our government has allowed this to happen with very little reason not attempts to stop the fear-mongering of the media, I don't really mind it so much.  

 

[Sonotony 82]

50 minutes ago, laylalex said:

Agreed. I don't think this is going to encourage people to stay on unemployment. It's a bridge during an unprecedented time, and unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. One way to support or shore up a sagging economy is to get money in pockets where those receiving it can not only meet their bills (landlords should get paid rent, because they rely on it for their income after all; ditto for utilities) but also be able to spend it in their communities and support local businesses. The majority of Americans are good people who will not abuse this, and we need to be more concerned about those people than the likely relatively low number of cretins who will take advantage of it. 

 

Where I am, in another small city surrounded by LA, the Chateau Marmont laid off nearly all of its workers yesterday. https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/03/25/coronavirus-chateau-marmont-fires-employees/ No severance, no promise of a job after this is over, and no continued health insurance after having been told they would stay essentially employed while no one was working and they would keep their insurance. Some of these are people who have worked for the hotel for decades. Now, I understand why the hotel financially needed to do this -- there needs to be a business to return to eventually. But you can't have people not being able to pay their bills or feed their families or get medical care, either. Enhanced benefits in the short term will help.

It will definitely encourage people to stay on unemployment.  I guess you haven’t lived among the section of society I grew up around.

 

I lived in a Mexican bario in high school. Every night, I used to hang with a bunch of people next door. Out of 8 of us, only two of us had real jobs. The rest were on some sort of welfare, unemployment, disability, or sold drugs for a living. They would swap notes on how to scam the system and work long enough to get injured or get free money some other way.  The owner of the Apartment building was Extra clever... he was collecting long term disability from two different employers. This man was my father.

 

My ex-wife was making more on disability than going back to work as a school teacher. She did this for years with no intention of going back to work. The only reason she went back to work is because her son will turn 18 and her disability will go down. Then, it makes financial sense to work.

 

People will act in their own best interests. It is not rational to take a financial hit by going back to work. If I make more money staying at home, I will stay at home. If the Goverment is giving away free money, most people will take it.  We know that a large number of people don’t NEED their $1,200+ stimulus money. How many people do you think will refuse it?

 

Trust me, there is a very large portion of our society that will milk everything they can from this.

Edited March 26, 2020 by Sonotony

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

23 minutes ago, Sonotony said:

It will definitely encourage people to stay on unemployment.  I guess you haven’t lived among the section of society I grew up around.

 

I lived in a Mexican bario in high school. Every night, I used to hang with a bunch of people next door. Out of 8 of us, only two of us had real jobs. The rest were on some sort of welfare, unemployment, disability, or sold drugs for a living. They would swap notes on how to scam the system and work long enough to get injured or get free money some other way.  The owner of the Apartment building was Extra clever... he was collecting long term disability from two different employers. This man was my father.

 

My ex-wife was making more on disability than going back to work as a school teacher. She did this for years with no intention of going back to work. The only reason she went back to work is because her son will turn 18 and her disability will go down. Then, it makes financial sense to work.

 

People will act in their own best interests. It is not rational to take a financial hit by going back to work. If I make more money staying at home, I will stay at home. If the Goverment is giving away free money, most people will take it.  We know that a large number of people don’t NEED their $1,200+ stimulus money. How many people do you think will refuse it?

 

Trust me, there is a very large portion of our society that will milk everything they can from this.

Not everyone has enough life experience to realize the wisdom and accuracy of your post. Thank you for sharing reality, hopefully it will open someone's eyes.  

[yuna628 9,676]

16 minutes ago, Voice of Reason said:

Not everyone has enough life experience to realize the wisdom and accuracy of your post. Thank you for sharing reality, hopefully it will open someone's eyes.  

We all know those type of people, unless we live inside a unique bubble. There will probably be a host of individuals living large.. but there's not a lot we can do right now. There's good hardworking people that do need help, even though I'm not sure it will give much help. As I said, I don't have a problem for it, if it's for the duration, but likely not any farther out than that, if things slowly return to normal.

[laylalex 7,285]

It's a time-limited measure. This isn't forever. I fail to see why the majority must be punished for the selfishness of the few. Enforcing misery, despair and ruin on honest people because some smaller number of people cannot be trusted is a false economy. Supporting our people so that when we are open for business again they are ready to return to work, healthy and not financially destroyed, is important for the economy as a whole. You know how to create a massive underclass that has its hands out forever? Thrust the middle class into ruin. A short term bridge pumps money INTO the economy, helps keep the gears of business moving when otherwise they might fall dormant, or even rust up for good. Also, for many people there IS no work to go back to -- they aren't being fired and replaced. Their business is closed. It's not like "ohhhh, I'll live high on the hog on my sweet sweet Uncle Sugar checks because it's better than going back to work" -- there is no work and they are under government orders to stay indoors. 

 

My particular circumstances are not relevant here -- and yes, there are people in my extended family who are exactly the type of mooching, swindling losers and schemers described above. I haven't lived life in a bubble. I do not have much to do with them due to geography (other side of the country) but also by choice. There are members of my family who excuse what they do and enable them but not me. 

[Dashinka 24,512]

5 minutes ago, laylalex said:

It's a time-limited measure. This isn't forever. I fail to see why the majority must be punished for the selfishness of the few. Enforcing misery, despair and ruin on honest people because some smaller number of people cannot be trusted is a false economy. Supporting our people so that when we are open for business again they are ready to return to work, healthy and not financially destroyed, is important for the economy as a whole. You know how to create a massive underclass that has its hands out forever? Thrust the middle class into ruin. A short term bridge pumps money INTO the economy, helps keep the gears of business moving when otherwise they might fall dormant, or even rust up for good. Also, for many people there IS no work to go back to -- they aren't being fired and replaced. Their business is closed. It's not like "ohhhh, I'll live high on the hog on my sweet sweet Uncle Sugar checks because it's better than going back to work" -- there is no work and they are under government orders to stay indoors. 

 

My particular circumstances are not relevant here -- and yes, there are people in my extended family who are exactly the type of mooching, swindling losers and schemers described above. I haven't lived life in a bubble. I do not have much to do with them due to geography (other side of the country) but also by choice. There are members of my family who excuse what they do and enable them but not me. 

Socialism.

[yuna628 9,676]

• Numbers continue to go up in MD even though we have received fairly good ratings on social distancing.
• Still we are not testing efficiently. Those in towns and cities that have good hospital access can manage to get a test, but those in rural areas I'm told are experiencing a waiting list sometimes for several weeks to receive one and then 10+ days to even get a result. So numbers that we are seeing increasing are people that got a test some time ago and does not reflect the number of those currently sick and waiting for an answer now.
• Our health department is keeping a different tally than the official number, because once they get a positive it must be 'confirmed' which could then take even longer.
• Have heard that all pregnant women are being turned away from the hospital and ordered to go elsewhere, often to hospitals already swamped with infected.
• Have heard stories of elderly people being turned away from the hospital while extremely sick and dying in their homes. Families don't know what to do.
• DE also has infections rising, though they are now mostly relying on doctor ordered testing. They have a fair number of patients in critical condition, losing two. Now there is an outbreak in a nursing home.
• The trauma center there does have access to a 24hr turnaround test now. It's mostly reserved for the sickest and doctors being exposed.
• Have read some info this morning that wearing a mask (any sort) may actually be of benefit, and that if we had encouraged every American to do this, infection spread may have helped. Some other countries have had good success with this.
• BoJo has it and is spreading it around, not to his mistress of course, because she left the building after she punched him in the face. This is something I mentioned to my husband *last month* as a big possibility. Concerned about the Queen. They are still only testing someone if they seem sick if at all. Have heard so many stories of young and old dying there.. the death numbers continue to rise.
• Interesting 'reinfections' from Wuhan. https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/03/27/822407626/mystery-in-wuhan-recovered-coronavirus-patients-test-negative-then-positive