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The COVID-19 Shutdown Impact On The Economy And Markets

Cory
May 21, 2020

Trader Vic Sperandeo wraps up today’s editorials by sharing his thoughts on how this COVID-19 shutdown will have lasting impacts on the economy. It’s not just about Q2 or even Q3 but the possible carryover for many years if unemployment remains high. We also address the moves in the markets as a discount mechanism for the future of the economy.

Discussion
43 Comments
    May 21, 2020 21:37 PM

    Agree with Vic. We are in the early stages of a very nasty global economic depression, which will likely take years to repair the damage inflicted. Equity markets and global economy’s have been divorced for some time now. This is very reminiscent of ’29. Expect things to worsen before getting better. Money being printed will Not stimulate any economic growth, but merely keep the lights on.

    May 21, 2020 21:50 PM

    Why would you wear a mask?? If healthy..Coronavirus is a weak virus..Viruses make for a strong immune system…The west is augmenting the numbers to scare the masses into submission. This was a planned communist takeover ..The United states and all white Christian nations are to be destroyed or greatly diminished.

      Ron
      May 21, 2020 21:24 PM

      You are being trained to wear the mask so you feel safe so that when the deadly version comes out in October you will think you are safe but will contract the virus and die.

    May 21, 2020 21:14 PM

    He’s Da Man !

    May 21, 2020 21:27 PM

    Masks, Masks, Masks! So simple but we had officials like the Surgeon General telling the US population to quit buying them and preaching they didn’t help prevent catching the virus. All oe had to do was look at the TV shots of Hong Kong or any of the Asian cities on the nightly news and everybody had masks. We forget they went thru the SARS scare a few years back and so had some experience. Our country; we’re simply exceptional in everything…….so who would follow the Asian model? Like Chris Martenson says: “It didn’t have to be this way, folks.”
    Once again, Trader Vic knows what he’s talking about! Thanks for putting him on again.

      May 21, 2020 21:00 PM

      I agree with your comment 10,000% Silver Dollar.
      Well put!

      May 21, 2020 21:44 PM

      The arrogant Western White man will not take advice from an Eastern Yelllow man.

    May 21, 2020 21:34 PM

    Artificial eye that sees like a human will transform robotics, see your deepest fears visualized. The real world is gone we live in a technocratic state. DT
    https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/robot-artificial-eye-bionic-retina-blind-a9525151.html

    May 21, 2020 21:32 PM

    70% of Dubai companies expect to go out of business within six months due to coronavirus pandemic, survey says
    Thursday , May 21 2020

    https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/21/coronavirus-dubai-70percent-of-companies-expect-to-close-in-six-months.html

    May 21, 2020 21:39 PM

    Trust is fading quickly between the superpowers. We are now in a war cycle of great significance especially with an economic collapse. Here’s what we know that when civil unrest breaks out in America and it’s inevitable could be before Summer’s over our enemies are going to be right there at the door, standing at the ready to take advantage of it. China and Russia are so anxious to dethrone America off the world map you would have to be so ignorant not to believe this because the tensions are so high with everything. DYX is roll wipe after all that will probably trigger a war its going to collapse and we have a series of events unfolding all the same time with debt this nation is literally falling apart. Our military will be greatly comprised. The only way our military was kept strong is because of our economic strength and DYX.

    https://americanmilitarynews.com/2020/05/pompeo-announces-us-withdrawal-from-major-open-skies-us-russia-treaty-for-nuke-surveillance/amp/

      May 21, 2020 21:08 PM

      A lot of wasted time………..like I said before……

        May 21, 2020 21:28 PM

        Agreed OOTB. The shutdowns caused so much pain for the 40 million Americans now out of work, those that are yet to close up their businesses, and lay off even more, and most of it was unnecessary due to group think and fear.

        “Fear is the mind killer” – Dune, Paul Atreides

          May 21, 2020 21:21 PM

          The Economic collapse was going to happen eventually, it should have happened in 2008.
          The 25 Trillion of debt isn’t group think. The effects of debt on the Economy have been more detrimental than the Covid Virus ever will be.
          Zero Hedge does a good job of keeping your eye off the ball.

            May 22, 2020 22:15 AM

            The economic collapse may have still happened, but not all in 2 months and it would not have been nearly as severe, sudden, or manufactured. Yes the problems leading up to the 2008 Great Economic Crisis were never fully solved, but society became very good at kicking the can down the road and dealing with it in pockets, instead an all out forced surrender.

            As Trader Vic pointed out in the editorial above, normally in a depression it takes years of business slowing and gradual layoffs, which society can adjust to over time. It has never been anything like this mess with sudden mass layoffs of huge segments of society all for some ridiculous forced lockdown thrust upon the citizens by overzealous power-hungry state governors that want to control every aspect of daily life now.

            The tragic part was, it didn’t work anyway and just caused unnecessary pain for any nation that tried it. They locked people in sky rise buildings in New York and the numbers just got worse with them all in close quarters. They locked down dozens of entire counties in each state, with 2-10 cases. (WTF??) These policies were so much more draconian, hurtful, and near-sighted than they needed to be, and it was the wrong call. Anyone with 2 brain cells to rub together knew that from day 1 when they started doing mandatory lock-downs, that it was the wrong call.

            Many small businesses could have bought out their competitors in a typical recession/depression, or recruited some of the workers being laid off from competitors, but not in forced shut down, so the natural business processes were severed in an unnatural way. This ridiculous farce has forced even successful and well-loved businesses to close, which would have evaded a typical corrective cycle. This didn’t weed out the weak and wounded, but punished some of the best businesses indiscriminately based on terrible policy decisions.

            In addition, the bail outs to the airlines, or large corporations that just spent the prior decades buying back their own stock to juice corporate bonuses and stock options packages are simply disgusting. No company is too big to fail, and instead of learning this lesson from 2008-2009, that they shouldn’t have bailed out the solar companies, or car companies, or insurance companies, or crooked investment companies, they’ve only thrown gasoline on the fire with even more bailouts. It flies in the face of free market, and if businesses got crushed, then they weren’t meant to survive, and in a free market, other companies would have absorbed them or new businesses would have started to take their market share. Bailing out the bloated corpses of mismanaged mega companies is the opposite of what they should be doing.

            Even some of the social programs are going way too far, and now encouraging people not to go back to work, but to stay sucking on the government teet. I know a few local business owners that got the payroll protection loans to keep their people at work, but the workers won’t come off unemployment right now because they are making more than when they were at work to stay at home. That is direct government intervention in the business cycle, it is socialistic nonsense, and it is one step away from universal basic income that folks were scoffing out just last year, and carried out on a supposed conservative administration’s watch. It’s bullshit.

            I agree with your point though, that in the rush to bail out everyone and every company, while piling on more and more debt is making the cure far worse than the health impacts will ever be. The debt was already untenable from years of terrible policies from previous administrations where government stimulus checks were given out like candy with helicopter money, where TARP, Cash For Clunkers, Home Credits, QE1, QE2, Operation Twist, and all the other interventionist policies were carried out, and where each time the debt limit was hit, instead of getting out the scalpel and cutting costs, the debt ceiling was raised even higher. The government has been acting like a kid with their first credit card, maxing it out to live for the moment, without any thoughts of the ramifications that are coming down the road call from their careless spending.

            The government has wasted untold Trillions trying to prop up 50% of the population, trying to give illegal immigrants that aren’t supposed to even be here benefits and a free pass, forced diversity training, planned parenthood population control programs, bailing out worthless solar and wind companies, bailing out terrible banks that should have failed, bailing out bad business models that needed to get their asses whopped by competitors, funding a dysfunctional postal service that never would survive as a stand alone business (and could be better run by private industry like FedEx or UPS), and worst of all by spending an astronomical amount of taxpayer money on ridiculous wars all over the planet while putting our noses in other nations business and trying to be Team America World Police. It’s sad, it’s disgusting, and it was a huge waste of money that could have done so much more at home on infrastructure, paying down debt, and by getting back to having a safety net for the very worst 10%-15% of folks affected, not trying to bankroll half the people and crony capitalist businesses in the country.

            So year, there were already problems that would eventually come home to roost from all that fiscal mismanagement, but it would not have played out like it has during this “pandemic” if it wasn’t orchestrated and deliberately crushed by terrible policy decisions.

            Sane countries quarantined the sick, vulnerable, and elderly (like we have in any previous health scare) but kept everything open, and didn’t punish the 96% of healthy people. In those countries, mostly Asian countries that had a clue how to address this having been down this road before, people used social distancing and PPE they had hardly any deaths proportionate to their populations.

            In addition, nations that quarantined the sick, but not the vast majority of healthy citizens, and kept everything open, didn’t self-destruct their economies in the process. Conversely, countries that used the western complete shutdown model, have simply destroyed daily life and their economies and now how to paper their ways out of it with even more debt, and it makes more and more folks dependent on the government, and took out the most free-thinking and self-motivated segment of society – the entrepreneurs. It’s not just in the US, but look at South American countries that used the shut-down model and are now 1000% more screwed than they were before this. It was all unnecessary.

            The fact that the US has some of the worst supposed death rates (even though nobody should trust the official numbers at all, since they are attaching to Covid-19 to any death they can for financial reasons and for spin), shows how ridiculous this whole charade has been. Now they’ve taken all the economic momentum that was in place, and imploded everything. Yes, there were structural problems, and yes it was built as a house of cards that would “one day” come down, but one has to seriously consider whether this was done knowingly.

            This sure seemed like a “controlled demolition” of the economy and they had to realize that knowingly that shutting down all businesses, keeping people locked in their homes, and shaming people for daring to go to the park or go surfing with fines and media hate, would end in a cluster mess. And here we are….

          May 22, 2020 22:38 AM

          Ditto ………Fear is a mind killer…..

            May 22, 2020 22:37 AM

            Excelsior, you said it’s “”controlled demolition””. What are now going to be the consequences and who are the perpetrators. Why would they do this ??

            Because these consequences are going to be a severe economic collapse along with major chaos mayhem bloodshed type event at the very least coupled with a military destructive war right here on our soil most likely.

            May 22, 2020 22:49 AM

            Josey Wales – The Deep State wants total control and wants to replace individual liberties with a technocratic constantly monitored and managed subservient public.

            It’s classic “Problem/Reaction/Solution”.

            > Manufacture a Problem: Hype up a human created virus in Wuhan China, where the WHO & CDC a& GAVI were involved (thanks to Gates and Fauci), and use this virus to create a global pandemic where numbers in each nation are misreported using WHO/CDC guidelines, where false positives are triggered by anyone with an immune response in their lungs, and any death were a false positive can be attached counts as another Covid-19 death.

            >> Get the people all worked up into Fear = Reaction: The sheeple utter the battlecry the Deep State is yearning to hear in their paranoid response “Someone’ has to do something!”.

            >>> In comes the Deep State with their “Solution”: Let’s lock it all down, monitor groups of people daring to get together in defiance of our orders by tracking their cell phone usage, pump the media full of fear and a desire to get to their desired outcome = “We need a vaccine!!”

            Oh, a vaccine you say, well Gates & Fauci and the slimy Rockefeller created monsters the WHO/CDC/GAVI have coincidentally been patenting virus vaccines a the last few years in preparation of something just like this. How opportune.

            The Deep State puppet masters know many people will resist this vaccine, and there are those pesky anit-vaxers that will be against it, so they’ve been letting the issues escalate until there is a fever pitch of fear where more people are demanding it.

            The narrative was initially – “Hey everybody, let’s help out the medical workers on the front line that are getting overwhelmed at the hospitals and #FlattenTheCurve”. As a result, we’re going to do a 2 week #ShelterInPlace.

            Now the narrative has been shifted over 2 months later to let’s keep people locked down until there is a vaccine. (WTF??) When was this ever about keeping everyone locked down until there was a cure. Some vaccines take years to create. Oh, make sure to run press releases and public service announcements that this virus will be with us from now on and come back every year.

            ________

            > New Problem: After these lockdowns went way beyond the initial 2 weeks shelter in place, all the businesses are struggling and massive amounts of people are getting laid off and some businesses may not be able to afford being down for this long and may not reopen.

            >> Classic Reaction: “Somebody’s got to do something” as the sheeple cry out in fear.

            >>> Classic Government Solution: Well, I guess would create even more massive amounts of debt to do more stimulus to provide all those out of work people with much larger unemployment checks, (just in case things take a few more weeks to get everything opened back up). The government can also bail out the big mega corporations that have lobbyists we play golf with.

            “Yeah, but these companies spend the last decade doing stock buy backs and lining their own pockets, instead of investing in growth, new equipment, their people, or saving for a rainy day, so why would be bail them out?”

            Oh that’s easy…. “These businesses are too big to fail.”

            What about the small businesses that are the engine of the economy. Well, the government doesn’t have lobbyist friends in them, but they’ll give them 30 year loans they can pay back, if they can get approved, and if the government doesn’t run out of money trying to implement this plan (which they did).

            This keeps almost everyone now reliant on the government for hand outs, and kills entrepreneurism and those most independent free thinkers that may resist the coming martial law.

            _____________________________

            > New Problem: The government ran out of money bailing out businesses and individual citizens and some people aren’t getting their stimulus checks or loans. Even those people that just lost everything, their jobs, their purpose, their freedoms, can’t go long on $1200 measles bucks, and mortgages and rent are in peril, as is child care, food costs, and every aspect of life when the money dries up.

            >> New Reaction: “Somebody’s got to do something!!”

            >>> New Solution: The government can just do another another stimulus bill for another $3 Trillion to do another round of stimulus checks, and more business loans.

            Problem solved right? No.

            ___________________________________________

            > New Problem: The people aren’t going to make it with just one $1200 check, and businesses aren’t going to make it if nobody can go into them and everyone is scared shitless about the zombie apocalypse.

            >> New Reaction: We can’t just keep spending Trillions every month to try to boot strap the economy back and keep everyone afloat. We need to open up this economy already. “Somebody has got to do something!!”

            >>> New Solution: We need to get the economy back opened again, but the risk of reinfection is so great that some businesses just can’t come back and will need to rely on the government for assistance.

            Folks, we’re going to have to find a cure (aka a vaccine) and find some way of tracking that people have in fact received this Deep State medicine to make sure everyone around them is “Safe.”

            Thank goodness that Bill Gates and his cronies are funding a project at MIT to administer a small digital tatoo that is placed under the skin during an vaccine being administered. It will show up under a scan with a smart phone app, and that way we can track who has been vaccinated and keep everyone “Safe.”

            By the way if you want to fly, or go into buildings, or go to public events, you need to provide proof of the digital tattoo to prove you’ve accepted their cure.

            What if people resist? We have FEMA camps already built for those types, and besides we’ve done such a good job sewing fear into the hearts of the sheeple that they’ll self police their neighbors just like in 1984.

            “My daughter is having a birthday party, and no offense, but we just don’t want people showing up that can’t prove they’ve been vaccinated.”

            Big Data and Artificial Intelligence can track those that have and those that haven’t yielded to this process by consolidating scanning data and authorities can get involved to help police the situation if warranted.

            “Look I’m sorry but if you want the Government provided Healthcare, you must vaccinate sir.”

            Do you you get it now Josey?

            ________________________________

            May 22, 2020 22:11 AM

            Excelsior, very impressive report and lots of information in there that can be substantiated. However, I do get it and I knew about this years before this is happening right now so I’m not ignorant to the events that are about to unfold. I don’t quite understand the last part of your report I will call a report because it looks like it and that’s great you spent a lot of time on it.

            I don’t know whether to assume this but you’re in favor of vaccinations and maybe a digital implant chip. I don’t know but if that’s the case quite frankly I would be appalled just thinking that someone would be in that camp to do such a thing.

            You call the perpetrators a Deep State whatever. They control all the central banks on the planet who are Western Imperialists Banker Trillionaire Elite families they control everything and they are not under the spotlight for a reason. These people are so wise it would make your skin curl.

            They are going to destroy our economic infrastructure already in progress and there’s going to be major consequences as I’ve stated on this blog so I’m not going to repeat that again.

            We are faced with a major catastrophe in our lives possibly within the next several months.

            The American dream is D.O.A. because these Western imperialist bankers want to crush everything now and there’s many reasons for it. The world is living way beyond its means
            especially America including among many other things. So, buckle up !!!!

            May 22, 2020 22:31 AM

            I believe we are in general agreement, and no I’m appalled at the vaccine initiative, those that stand to profit from it, and most importantly how it will be forced submission to their system of tracking.

            The coming economic collapse is just the beginning, but the real crime is the destruction of civil liberties, the forced change of social norms, new laws, and eventually the monitoring of every aspect of life.

            Citizen: Your power and water consumption will be monitored by “smart meters,” for the good of the republic you understand.

            The “smart devices” in your home will report back if you are being efficient enough.

            “Smart cars” will take you where the government allows, and we’ll tax and fine gas guzzling vehicles that can drive everywhere until they become to painful to use and merely an oddity of the past.

            “Smart Cities” will control human population zones (they have 4 main areas in the US mapped in their Agenda 21 and Agenda 2030 “sustainability” plans), and people will have to be less greedy, without urban sprawl, individual homes, and huge manicured lawns, and will be forced to live in “micro-housing” like sardines in a can.

            Because of the Great Collapse of 2020, and the destruction of the economy, we will have Univeral Basic Income… and yeah, it will be BASIC.

            There will be “Uninhabitable Zones” where people can’t live, to protect the environment.

            This will be paid for by taxing the remaining workers into oblivion or printing money perpetually in a global faux ponzi currency scheme. Thank goodness for that new UN issued digital currency though right? 😉

            “Oh, you don’t like this new set up that forced upon you?”
            – Officer, detain this trouble maker to Fema Camp 66.

            ______________

            See, we’re going to get the Green New Deal one way or the other.

            May 22, 2020 22:42 AM

            Excelsior, that’s actually as you mentioned the green new deal that’s exactly what they’re doing in addition to the rest of this catastrophe that they’re imposing on all of us.

            We’re also the faced with a major military conflict it’s going to be very destructive on our soil so that is coming there’s no question about it Although, the destructive forces are all going to be bad even without a major conflict on our soil and whether one wants to believe it or not at this point it’s already going to be a catastrophe. There’s going to be major bloodshed regardless but a military conflict would be total annihilation it’s not out of the question but either way it’s going to be bad.

            That just about wraps it up that then. We all need to buckle up. And then from there it’s up to everyone with what they want to do. I know what I’m doing and it’s exactly the opposite of everyone else is doing.

            May 22, 2020 22:46 AM

            I did forget to mention that any vaccine will and quite possibly alter your DNA so you will be unable to make a decision on your own to accept the chip so they’re preparing that now and what anyone wants to believe is their business but I will never take no vaccine because that is just leading me into the beast system with a chip implant and there’s a lot of consequences for that eternally forever.

            May 22, 2020 22:32 AM

            Here is what’s extremely hilarious and although it is not today because we’re under this catastrophic event that is a unfolding right before our very eyes.

            Donald Trump was installed by the Western Elite Banker trillionaire families it was a perfect setup and I knew that when he was elected. Everyone I talked to thought that because Donald Trump is a billionaire he was able to fight the corruption and bring the nation to a big economic prosperous future. Donald Trump’s wealth is like a grain of sand under a door mat for these Elite families. I tried to explain this to everyone I was met with great great opposition and criticism. They just used Donald Trump to fleece populous of all their wealth and this trip down the boulevard of broken dreams hasn’t even begun yet. They’re still hanging on to the promise and ignorantly not aware of who’s really in control thinking that he is our president. He has no power whatsoever, he’s in full control of these Elite families. Donald Trump owes communist Bank of China 300 million dollars and with this economic collapse really starts rolling down the hill hasn’t begun yet he’s going to be on his knees because he worships all his wealth it’s quite evident. His loyalty is to his wealth not the people. He loves his ego and his lavish lifestyle has no interest in anything else but probably some love for the country I’m sure but his loyalty is to himself for the most part. Everyone protects their own interests and all you have to do is follow the money. That’s why Washington is all corrupt. They’re all bought and paid for by the Western Elite Imperialist they control it all. Last one out please turn out the lights and they’re going to be going out anyway fairly soon.

            May 22, 2020 22:08 AM

            and there you have it Josey Wales and well stated. We are back in agreement about the dangers of the vaccines, the huge debt monster, and the Donald’s billions just being a grain of sand to the trillionaire handlers of Trump, and that he fit their needs just fine. The only part I’m not as sold on is the war part of your thesis, unless you mean a stealth war of our civil liberties. I sure hope it doesn’t lead to actual war.

            Ever Upward.

            May 22, 2020 22:23 AM

            Ex, how do you see the gooooberment pensions working out…specifically the state and local gooberment pensions?

            I believe you live in Commiefornia…or used to.

            I read there 4 of 5 local tax increases have passed in Commiefornia in special elections since the Covid crisis…freaking amazing…how stupid are the voters? Amazingly in the March primary I believe they defeated over two thirds of the local tax increases.

            The local politicians are going to slash and burn and tax everything to save the pensions…and the sheeple are nothing more than sheeple in the headlights.

            May 22, 2020 22:24 AM

            That was the March 3 primary election in Commiefornia.

            May 22, 2020 22:35 AM

            Excelsior, all your commentary was very impressive and even if we didn’t agree on anything we can still be civil and polite to each other. These kind of conversations and debates bring a lot of invaluable information to those that are not really informed of what’s really transpiring in this world of technocrats etc. etc. as you know there’s so many moving parts.

            It’s been a pleasure to get into this with you and of course we can’t agree on everything or they’re would be something wrong. We are all learning and maybe you have a lot of wisdom in many areas it’s quite evident you do and then others have other gifts to share as well.

            As far as the war is concerned right now we can address that later and it’s always open to discussion. Whether you believe it or not at this time it’s unimportant. I think we have a few more months to be open for discussion here with many things. Precise timing is impossible anything can happen, at any time.

            That being said I hope you have a great holiday under all the circumstances pretty crazy. I completely agree “”ever upward”” but with a small caveat…. with the truth. Living by the truth serves me very well and I wouldn’t change it for anything because I’m not being lead down a path that’s not going to be favorable for me whatsoever. There’s many gimmicks out there and nothing but deception. Whether or not you have a back-up plan you might start considering it. ✌️stay safe

            May 22, 2020 22:50 PM

            Hey b, as far as the pensions, I believe many states have underfunded them and over promised for many years and they are screwed at this point. Look at the trainwreck in Illinois or Commiefornia as you mentioned (no I don’t live in Cali now, but used to live in the Bay area in the 80’s). Pelosi is a nut job, and her requests for bail out money to help with the pensions are laughable, considering they’ve ignored the federal government’s laws for quite some time and have declared it a sanctuary state with several sanctuary cities. They made that mess, and they can clean it up along with their needles and human feces on the streets.

            Yeah, Pensions are a mess, and it is a shame for people depending on them to be there at retirement.

            May 22, 2020 22:56 PM

            Thanks for that thoughtful response back Josey Wales and yes, everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, opinions, and rights to express them.

            As for having an alternative plan, I realize you don’t know me well, but I was a boy scout, an avid camper for decades (and I mean real wilderness tent camping without power; not glamping in an RV – although that is nice too), and an avid prepper. (long life meals, solar powered backup, water filtration systems, all the camping gear to go remote if needed, etc…) In 2008 I sold my coin collection and moved over to buying Silver bullion specifically for prepping for what I thought would be the imminent collapse of society. While I don’t wish for a scenario where those things will be necessary, I’m prepared.

            Cheers!

            May 22, 2020 22:59 PM

            Oh and one more thing… after visiting the grocery store last night, we are also well supplied on toilet paper, so there we got that working too. 🙂

            May 22, 2020 22:03 PM

            Excelsior, right now we have a limited supply here just depends on the store and when they get their shipments in… yada yada yada if you know what I mean. Same here to you on everything and we can always be cordial even in the most frustrating disagreements just depends though I get really impatient when people do backflips on major issues and then I wonder what happened maybe they lost their consciousness. I never usually bring it up until it really starts to be evident that they have just did a complete flip. If America comes bouncing back and something that really is rational as far as we are really turning the corner I’m willing to accept that. Don’t ask me what the odds are on that 🤞. Not that you’re interested 🙂 if you know what I mean. Everyone has their own opinion so we don’t want to get too much into technicalities raises too many eyebrows and people get into it. errrrr😒

            So you’re a real survivalist and I’m about the same a gold bug I guess. I see you sold MUX. It’ll come roaring back I’m not the least bit concerned but I’m just a long-term holder I don’t plan on spending any money anyway. If it goes to zero I guess I’ll be a little bit concerned. Just a wee bit !!! I don’t even watch the pricing anymore little bit but if it goes down or up I don’t get excited I’m not selling anything.

            A lot of guys that were survivalists gave up on it but right now is the time to be concerned. We’re all in a claptrap anyway there’s no way to escape this event everyone’s going to eventually get clobbered one way or the other. They have satellites now they can see every hair on your head and also they can see 50 feet underground something like that. This is the latest technology in the last several years so when people were prepping and survivalists they didn’t have that threat. Right now I believe that you can go through all that trouble and what good is it going to do in the end you’re still going to have our share of problems. Many times the cure is worse than the threat. Catch ya on the rebound. 👊

            So ya, ever upward with the truth !!!

      May 22, 2020 22:36 AM

      And that’s why they call them the sheeple. Or, in some circles, Boobus Americanus. And as Voltaire wrote decades before the American Revolution: “Common sense is no so common.”

        May 22, 2020 22:42 AM

        I would agree……….Common sense is not so common…….
        Problem with the sheeple , they do not consider the LIARS…..nor do they do their homework…..

        May 22, 2020 22:10 AM

        Boobus Americanus sums up a lot of people I can think of.

          May 22, 2020 22:23 AM

          And, from Bing Crosby’s hit “Swinging on a Star,” 76 years ago: “And all the monkeys aren’t in the zoo, every day you meet quite a few…”

    FIH
    May 21, 2020 21:16 PM

    Sad, sad times! I think we are looking at a 5 o’clock not L or U shaped growth pattern. The damage to the private sector is unconscienable and will spiral down for “only God knows for how long”. The Fat cats and happy, feel good faces in the public sector with full benefits and paychecks have no clue! This is the time when people like Trader Vic who try to tell the truth are most valuable, in my opinion. I wonder how far “Cooking the Books” will go toward feeding he World. Let’s revisit these opinions a year from now before passing judgement on the opinions given.

    May 22, 2020 22:37 AM

    Menken was right, living in America is liking living in a zoo. The masses are quite unaware of the changes that are taking place beneath the surface. So enjoy the zoo, because it isn’t the home of an enlightened citizenry and it never will be. DT