The sound is SO SATISFYING every time pic.twitter.com/AZ7nL52Qwj
— Paul F. Tompkins (@PFTompkins) March 15, 2020
The Spousal Unit has been working-from-home on Wednesdays for some months now, which meant we could get to our old peoples’ gym at a reasonable hour. PeopleFit, alas, has suspended services along with all the other gyms around here, but yesterday was unusually clement, so I got him to spend a couple hours raking last year’s leaves in the backyard while I cleaned out the ‘showplace’ flower bed in the front yard. I was pleased to discover that (along with the now-blooming daffodils) an encouraging selection of irises, columbines, daylilies, cranesbills, violets, dianthus, and even mini-roses are starting to green up already… and Himself, after a good dinner and a long bath, actually got to bed at a reasonable hour to deal with his daily online morning meeting. With luck and some good weather, we may just be able to make it through the next few weeks in lockdown, after all.
post office workers, Amazon warehouse staff, grocery clerks, nurses – as in China, the heroes of this epidemic will be the frontline working class. https://t.co/sZn9B8iyrF
— James Palmer (@BeijingPalmer) March 18, 2020
New polling on media attention and #covid-19 from YouGov and The Economist:
% who say they are worried about the virus, by media they most pay attention to:
MSNBC: 74%
National newspapers (NYT/WaPo): 72
CNN: 71
Broadcast news: 68
Local news: 57
Radio: 49
Fox News: 38— G. Elliott Morris (@gelliottmorris) March 18, 2020
After going to the House floor with more than 400 other representatives early Saturday morning to vote on a coronavirus relief package, at least two members of Congress fell ill that evening and have now tested positive for COVID-19 https://t.co/7ksD9j4cF3
— Julie Davis (@juliehdavis) March 19, 2020
Two Members of #Congress have #COVID19.
Rep. Ben McAdams (D-Utah) and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) both confirmed their test results today.— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) March 19, 2020
Thread on a plan I would greet enthusiastically:
THREAD// I'm teaming up with @SenatorBennet, @corybooker and @SenSherrodBrown on a plan to provide Americans with direct cash payments to help them cope with the economic fallout of COVID-19. Here's what that means. pic.twitter.com/WRcnoLnImw
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) March 18, 2020
.@SenSherrodBrown embodies the RAGE of everyone that tried to get a test & can’t, who’s lost their job or fears losing it, who’s fearful for their health…
Mitch McConnell wasted FOUR DAYS ALREADY so he could fly home to Kentucky & hold parties to praise himself #COVID19
WATCH pic.twitter.com/rwpsMrx7AG
— Alexis Goldstein ?️? (@alexisgoldstein) March 17, 2020
Meanwhile, across the aisle…
Senators who voted no on the coronavirus relief package are all Republicans:
Marsha Blackburn
James Inhoffe
Ron Johnson
James Lankford
Mike Lee
Rand Paul
Ben Sasse
Tim Scott of SC— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) March 18, 2020
The Trump administration *today* said they’re moving ahead with trying to kick 700,000 people off food stamps, even amidst the coronavirus crisis.https://t.co/EYPRzOm4OY
— Ian Sams (@IanSams) March 19, 2020
Don't let the right-wing media in this country forget that they spent weeks spreading lies and helping kill people.
— James Palmer (@BeijingPalmer) March 18, 2020
The Dow has now given back ALL the gains during Trump's presidency. All gone. pic.twitter.com/5tO6RauaX4
— Joshua Green (@JoshuaGreen) March 18, 2020
‘MURIKA, FVCK… You:
Some militia groups are threatening the National Guard on the belief that they're in town to take away militia guys' guns.
Feeding Westchester: 'Working as fast as we can against the clock to get ahead of whatever is coming' https://t.co/wXOig5ZdfH via @lohud
— JJ MacNab (@jjmacnab) March 18, 2020
Last month, Feeding Westchester, the nonprofit agency that provides food to 200,000 residents in the county, was on track to make 11 million pounds of food deliveries for the year.
But with coronavirus-related food insecurity in a county that is the epicenter of the outbreak, the agency will distribute 500,000 pounds of food this week alone. The National Guard also has been on hand to help pack items, including fresh produce, meats, dairy, beans and cereal…
“Right now, we are working as fast as we can against the clock to get ahead of whatever is coming,” said Matt Honeycutt, vice president of development at Feeding Westchester.
“We are working with the county authorities to address the needs of seniors who are shut in their homes, children who don’t have access to meals now that schools are closed and our most poverty-affected towns within the county.”…
The 30-year-old nonprofit, which operates out of a 30,000-square-foot distribution center in Elmsford and works with 300 partner agencies including food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and day care centers, is currently also working directly with municipal governments.
On Tuesday morning, the agency, which feeds 60,000 children and 44,000 seniors every year, dropped off food with government agencies in Ossining and Peekskill.
“We are focusing on high-need areas first,” said Jenna Russo, spokesperson for the agency. “We are working with local municipalities who will handle distribution to get this food delivered as quickly as possible in case we have to shelter in place like other cities we’ve seen around the country.”…
OzarkHillbilly
Oh goody. A thread where I can stick this bit of silliness before I try and catch some of that sleep that has been evading me all night: (NYT) Male Mammoths Died in ‘Silly Ways’ More Often Than Females, Study Finds
WereBear
NY has started testing. This will help a LOT.
NotMax
@OzarkHillbilly
“Hold my
beertussock.”A Ghost to Most
@OzarkHillbilly:
As my B-24 pilot FIL was fond of saying, “There are bold pilots, and there are old pilots, but there are few bold, old pilots”.
hueyplong
@WereBear: Answering your question from last night, our cat is much smaller than yours. And my wife corrected my “clone” remark by saying ours is much more attractive.
We’re only three days into our new normal after getting back from a vacation that began when all this was officially a hoax, and our last acts before this hunker down were redwood forest hiking and whale watching, yet all I can think about is the fact that she’s watched The Shining innumerable times in the past.
Hope I don’t get “corrected” soon.
Kristine
I love how the pupster’s tail sticks out of the pile, wagging like crazy.
debbie
There has got to be someone who can get through to Trump.
Maybe we should start calling COVID-19 the Trump Virus?
MagdaInBlack
@debbie:
I started doing that Saturday.
Push it.
OzarkHillbilly
I got more bad covid-19 news yesterday. My wife’s company? The one I thought would never lay her off?
Yeah, they want her to work from home.
debbie
@MagdaInBlack:
Good. I wish that would have occurred to me sooner. I’ve got more than a few RWNJ FB friends and they’re spreading the bullshit (Fake! Overblown!) like crazy.
Baud
@OzarkHillbilly:
Is that bad? It’s not a layoff.
I mean, it’s bad for her because she has to spend more time with you. That I get.
debbie
@OzarkHillbilly:
I’m not seeing the connection. Seems to me they want her to stay healthy.
@Baud:
I hadn’t thought of that. She’s now in my multitudinous prayers.
hueyplong
@debbie: Only a 9mm at the base of the skull can get through to Trump, and that’s against the rules.
But those 3.5 years of votes to own the libs or heighten the contradictions or maintain party order came waaaaay before the orange blob simply followed its nature into highly dangerous as well as innocuous arenas.
As if a single one of them will consider that to be the lesson learned here.
Bruuuuce
@OzarkHillbilly: I hope that doesn’t suggest an impending layoff, or that they’ll think she’s expendable later.
SFAW
@debbie:
Excellent idea. Maybe we can get Maddow, O’Donnell, and Bill
MoronMaher to push it?And maybe Sherrod Brown (among others) can?
ETA: Especially since the Orange Plague grew up in Corona, Queens. [No, not really, but it would be fun to distract the RWMFs with that. Plus, Jamaica Estates isn’t THAT far from Corona.]
OzarkHillbilly
@Baud: She just might decide to put me out of her misery. If I suddenly stop commenting, my body probably lies in several caves. I never should have shown her them.
Dorothy A. Winsor
My writer group met via Zoom last night. It was less than ideal, but I was glad to see them and keep some bit of my routine.
It’s been raining here, which makes it hard to get out and walk. Also, when I do, I feel like a teenager who’s sneaking out after being grounded.
evodevo
@debbie: There is NOTHING you can say that will get through his thick, narcissistic skull…If the markit continues to tank, THAT gets his attention. Otherwise not…
debbie
@SFAW:
After seeing that tweet up top, I think Sherrod Brown ought to be elevated to A National Treasure.
PenAndKey
@OzarkHillbilly: Could be worse. My wife’s boss (small business clothing retailer) closed up shop with a day and a half notice yesterday and thinks he’ll be open again on Monday. He doesn’t have a clue, and I’m still not sure he realizes he’s not going to be able to.
So she’s at home effectively out of work and now we’re down to my income. I work in the food industry in a part of the industry that’s considered “critical infrastructure”, so that part is at least secure. We won’t lose the house or cars, but my credit is going to be trashed after this is all said and done because there are going to be a lot of angry billing departments in the next month or two.
The kicker? In order for my wife to collect unemployment she has to wait a week before applying, and once she does she needs to attend classes and show that she’s actively applying to other jobs. Wisconsin, right now, is treating “you’re out of work because a pandemic shuttered your industry” the same way as “you’re out of work because you got fired”. They’re working on changing that, but right now anyone who’s in my wife’s shoes in this state is screwed.
OzarkHillbilly
@Bruuuuce: Nah, she actually has one of the few CV-19 proof jobs: She works the help desk at a cable company. People will be homeless in the streets before they’ll give up their cable at a time of self quarantine.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
My genealogy society will be meeting via Zoom next week. On the one hand, a lot of us are retired tech. On the other hand, a lot of us are not.
rikyrah
Good Morning, Everyone ???
OzarkHillbilly
@PenAndKey: My NOLA son and his wife both lost their food service jobs this week. On the good side, if I understood him correctly, no wait week for their unemployment. They also have some savings as they were getting ready to buy a 2nd car.
Baud
@rikyrah: Good morning.
rikyrah
Two members that admit it. I think that a lot more have tested positive ??
charluckles
Maybe I am looking for bright spots but my neighbor had time to shoot hoops with her children for an entire hour yesterday. I have lived next to them for a decade and I don’t think I have ever seen that. She and they are all just too busy. The laughter and good times brought the entire neighborhood up. Will people come out of this and begin to question the stress and anxiety that accompanies a lot of our daily lives?
rikyrah
Maddow had on a reporter last night who talked about a thermometer company that talked about how they could measure clusters of fevers, but the muthaphuckin’ CDC wasn’t working with the company because they couldn’t own the data
PenAndKey
@OzarkHillbilly: That’s rough. I nearly had a panic attack when my wife told me until I ran the numbers and reaffirmed that my “this is what needs to get paid” list was less than my own single income and accepted that there are worse things than a trashed credit report. I’m glad to hear that both of them at least have a lifeline.
Out of all of this I think that’s the worst part. The people most hurt by this economically are basically being asked to take one on the chin for others, all while large chunks of society are still arguing that it’s no big deal and that we don’t need to offer any help because things’ll be back to normal soon. Whether by sticking their heads in the sand or just plain ignorance, they honestly don’t have a clue.
Hell, I just got into an argument last night with an old classmate who, knowing I’m an actual microbiologist, tried to tell me that “this is just the flu; people need to quit freaking out about it” and then got pissy when I corrected them and gave them the projection numbers from the UK Imperial College simulation study and what they mean.
MazeDancer
What happens if too many Reps and Senators are sick or quarantined and Congress can’t vote?
Yes, sounds like a joke set-up, but it is a concern.
debbie
@rikyrah:
I think even a couple of the 8 who voted against the COVID-19 aid package. (Looking at you, Louie, you asshole.)
Bruuuuce
@OzarkHillbilly: As a cable subscriber — and more importantly, as a cable internet customer (IMO there is no such thing as truly secure WiFi :-) ) — I can grok that. Squared, now that both my wife and I are working from home (she for a Big Three accountancy firm, I for my desktop publishing contractor to the investment bank whose logo is a bull) and need our service to be stable and constant (I work overnight, she works days).
mrmoshpotato
@debbie:
Maybe Feckless? I wonder if Kathy Griffin would agree.
satby
@Kristine: the tail, and when she wears her butterfly wings just slay me. I’ve watched this about 6 times since yesterday. And Stella has her own YouTube channel, there’s other funny ones. Stella is a very good girl!
Immanentize
Hello All.
@OzarkHillbilly:
We are all Mammoths now.
Thank you for your attention to this PSA.
Meanwhile, OHB, please consider being outside away from the house or driving around aimlessly from 9-6 each work day. Your health may depend on such social distancing.
mrmoshpotato
@OzarkHillbilly: LOL (shakes head)
Chyron HR
Trump: “So from now on, it’s Obama’s market crash!”
Baud
WereBear
@hueyplong: LOL. This explains why my younger brother is relentlessly sending me Jack Nicholson gifs from The Shining.
rikyrah
The basic incompetence is going to kill people ?
Immanentize
@rikyrah: This is so true. It makes me upset when they say “only two members have Covid”. That admit it. What about Romney Daniels? She was quite sick and tested negative for flu or strep? And Ted Cruz extended his isolation because he came into contact with another person — while supposedly in isolation? We know they were criticized for even mentioning seclusion.
We could call it CPAC-virus or Conservo virus too
hueyplong
@WereBear: The Shining is about to become a thing. Nationwide.
Immanentize
@PenAndKey:
They can’t stand the truth.
The truth is really scary and requires them to act less like selfish buttheads. Lose lose to them.
satby
@MazeDancer: they can still vote, most votes, including quorum votes, are done electronically and so could be cast remotely if they deem it necessary, and allow members to vote “yea” or “nay” or “present”.
Edited to remove bolding ?
mrmoshpotato
@Chyron HR: Dump:”Waahhhh! Obummer owns this!”
rikyrah
Immanentize
@hueyplong: I call the Snow Cat!
mrmoshpotato
@Baud:
No need for the extra words, Madame President.
mrmoshpotato
@WereBear: No TV and no beer make Homer go something something.
mrmoshpotato
@Immanentize: And let’s all remember Liz Cheney is COVID-19.
Not sorry.
Immanentize
@rikyrah: I continue to ask people — what other white male presidential candidate would have been willing to go into a campaign and be understudy to a black man? And work with Obama so well in that supporting role for 8 years? After the dust settled, we learned Hillary could too. From that perspective alone, they are both amazing humans in these amazing times.
mrmoshpotato
@hueyplong: Where’s my chainsaw? I want to find a shortcut through the hedgemaze.
debbie
@Baud:
Which is why we all need to start calling this the Trump Virus.
rikyrah
rikyrah
PST
@debbie:
He ought to be elevated to President of the United States. Younger and more progressive that Biden, almost as experienced, and able to win in a reddish swing state. Let’s start over with a Harris-Brown ticket: either order is okay with me.
burnspbesq
Once we get past the runoff and know who the Dems nominate to run against Cornyn, my checkbook will be open.
Already spreading contributions around the Carolinas, Colorado, and Maine. Kentucky, too.
Never lose sight of the fact that if it weren’t for his Republican enablers, there would be no Trump Plague and no Trump Stock Market Crash.
Immanentize
@satby: Don’t the Congress Critter’s have to be in the Capitol building to vote? Currently, a quorum is a majority of members — who must be present. They could change that and maybe they should. Or be ready to.
Immanentize
@mrmoshpotato: HAHA The chainsaw is in the Snow Cat!
mrmoshpotato
Oh, and I knew Tompkins tweet was going to be here from the title. Such a great sound.
mrmoshpotato
@Immanentize: I see. May I?
Chyron HR
@mrmoshpotato:
“Chinese virus! Chinese market crash! Chinese Ivanka’s memoir where she says I raped her!”
Well, I’m a couple years early on that last one.
Immanentize
@burnspbesq: Who is the likely Dem opponent to Cornyn?
Cornyn is a perfect Republican, photographs well but is as dumb as my thumb. I think he could be beat.
Immanentize
@mrmoshpotato: OK, But put gas in it when you finish off in the maze.
mrmoshpotato
@Chyron HR: “My white trash supporters are dying of COVID-19 to own the libs!”
Seriously, I wonder how annoyed his fascist, orange Ommpa Loompa ass is at not being able to have his raving lunatic, Trump trash Nuremberg rallies.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Immanentize:
I was shocked at how stupid Cornyn’s comment was. I didn’t realize he was that dumb.
Now, Ron Johnson, I already knew. What a comedown from Russ Feingold
ETA: On a different subject, Mr DAW plays bridge and the ACBL has notified all clubs not to hold games until May 11. So they’re planning on at least two months.
mrmoshpotato
@Immanentize: Ok. I guess it’s beans for breakfast!
BobS
John Cole’s Senator Joe Manchin is on Morning Joe sounding like an actual Democrat.
mrmoshpotato
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Was it Cornyn who whatevered 3.5% of the US dying?
WereBear
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
Immanentize
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Cornyn was an alum from St. Mary’s School of Law where I taught for most of the 90s. It was the consensus there among he older teachers that they were shocked he graduated and shocked he passed the bar.
He is really dumb.
hueyplong
@mrmoshpotato: Hitler probably felt the same way when he went into the bunker.
The Administration won’t do shit to make any of this better. All they’ll do is watch events unfold and seek ways in which to manipulate 40% of the country’s perception of them.
That’s all they’ve got. They essentially stole/personally monetized the rest.
Kicking myself for wishing a plague upon them, because it’s here and it says “deserve’s got nothin’ to do with it.”
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Immanentize: Katie Porter asked for remote voting when the Obama Bros interviewed her last week. She pointed out that if cross state travel is banned in CA she and many other members, including Pelosi, could be unable to get to DC
hueyplong
@mrmoshpotato: Johnson.
There’s always a dumber one.
Seriously, you can play that mental game every time you read a quote. They’re not infected with that elitist “intelligence” that so pisses off the rubes.
mrmoshpotato
A thread about ventilators.
satby
@Immanentize: when I looked it up specifically for that (present in the Capitol building) it was a bit unclear, but I imagine it would be easy for them to change that if they could vote electronically remotely. I’m sure a rule change would be dependent on what the Republicans think would favor themselves more.
JMG
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Gosh, I would have thought bridge, especially duplicate, is a game that could be distance played by computer. Maybe the organization is working on that now.
germy
WereBear
@satby: In an era of Skype and FaceTime, what would be the point of not letting them be “virtually present”?
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism: My writer group met via Zoom for the first time last night, and we’re a mix on tech too. Luckily for us, the guy hosting runs Zoom meetings all the time, so he coaxed us along to try things last night.
mrmoshpotato
@hueyplong:
I think you hit rock bottom with Gohmert in the House. :)
Dumb as a stump, and less useful.
The Senate? Snowball Boy Inhofe?
Dorothy A. Winsor
@JMG:
He does play remotely on a site called OKBridge. He prefers the live stuff, which I’m glad about. It gets him out of the house. :-)
PenAndKey
This, almost as much as Walker managing to squeak out a late night win in his recall election thanks to vote totals from the same county that always reports late and by just enough to push the GOP over the win line, made me lose a lot of my faith in the integrity of the WI voting system. Johnson is in the running for being the biggest tool in the Senate, and he’s running hard. I refuse to acknowledge that he actually represents me in any facet of government and, as Cole put it, I’d vote for a burning pile of garbage over him any day.
Soprano2
There was a report on the news this morning about our 4th COVID-19 positive patient. This person went to several local restaurants over two days, including the one in Bass Pro (!), and went around Bass Pro (!) (that’s a big tourist destination here). Since we don’t have enough tests because of fucking Donald Trump, they’re telling everyone who was in these locations at the time this person was there to get tested “if they develop symptoms”. I just want to SCREAM these days that everyone needs to be getting tested ASAP. I heard at the bar Tuesday night, right before we shut down, that this person is a realtor. They were trying to figure out if they had gone into any houses after being infected. What a shitshow…..I talked to a nurse there. They know what’s coming, even if no one else does. I was messaged by another friend who’s a nurse that she was grateful that I was saying on FB things that she can’t say.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@mrmoshpotato:
That was Ron Johnson. I’m not good at math and even I was staggered by his insouciance.
ETA: I never get to use “insouciance” and it’s a great word. Insouciance.
germy
satby
@mrmoshpotato: right wingers honestly believe it will be the teeming millions of liberals in urban areas who will contract and die off from this at higher levels than their constituents, who are real salt o’da earth Amurikans out in the heartland.
Looking forward to the shock when that doesn’t prove true.
mrmoshpotato
Oh Cole… (virtual hugs from way more than 6 feet away)
germy
hueyplong
@mrmoshpotato: I also have those two at the bottom of their respective houses, but someone else is bound to show up on FoxNews and shake your belief in your rankings.
We are so early in this timeline, and individual GOPers are just starting to be tested by stress to reveal their worst under pressure.
germy
mrmoshpotato
@germy: Moral depravity doesn’t even come close Rev. Dr. Barber.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@satby:
The beautiful pink hand and body cream came! It’s so pretty.
PenAndKey
It might sound extreme, but that sounds like a good start. Now watch the GOP try their hardest to kill it because it “might encourage people to not work”.
mrmoshpotato
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Fun word. Now where’s my Congresscritter ass-whooping dictionary?
satby
@Dorothy A. Winsor: oh, good! The scent is a little stronger than my normal because you said you wanted the smell to remind you not to touch your face, and all scents will fade over time worn. The sample is spicy pumpkin, and that one sticks too. I hope you enjoy them.
mrmoshpotato
And they’re despicable even when they’re happy as pigs in shit fucking over “the poors.”
burnspbesq
@Immanentize:
The runoff is between M.J. Hegar, a female retired Air Force officer from Round Rock who narrowly lost to incumbent John Carter in TX-31 in 2018, and Royce West, an African-American state senator from Dallas. Either would be fine with me.
burnspbesq
@Immanentize:
‘Cornyn is dumber than a box of rocks, but he ain’t no Louie Gohmert.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@satby:
I wondered about the little sample. I have it here on my desk. It smells nice. Like Thanksgiving.
mrmoshpotato
@burnspbesq: Rocks get no respect I tell ya.
germy
Chiropractors falsely claim they can protect patients from coronavirus
Nicole
The Chinese takeout place next door to our building told my husband that they’re closing after today. His English is not fluent, so we don’t know if he means until this is over, or forever. It makes me so, so sad. I know a lot of the restaurants in the area won’t survive, but this little hole-in-the-wall has been here for ages. They closed some years back, and I was afraid it was for good, but it was for renovations; the neighborhood had changed so that that they felt comfortable taking down the bulletproof glass that had separated them from the customers. And then I worried that all the nicer restaurants coming in meant the end was coming for him, but the business continued to thrive; the food was good, solid Chinese takeout and reasonably priced. They didn’t do delivery; only takeout. The owner had his sons work there from the time they were about 13 and it was fun watching them grow up from the other side of the counter. I still remember the one briefly dying his hair blue, and when I complimented it, hearing his dad, even though I don’t speak Mandarin, clearly expressing his disagreement with my opinion from the back.
My Cambodian stepmom, who has very strong opinions, once said their rice was “pretty good,” which might as well be a Michelin star in terms of how hard praise from her about rice is to earn.
So yeah, I’m really sad for them. We weren’t eating as much takeout recently, but had started getting dinner there every couple of days the past few weeks to show support. And they did good General Tso’s tofu, so it wasn’t exactly a sacrifice for me. I hope they land on their feet.
burnspbesq
@germy:
Boeing will get billions in DIP financing the day it files Chapter 11.
Unless he’s Louie Gohmert-level stupid, Cramer knows this. Fuck him, the horse, the farrier, etc.
PenAndKey
So after reading through the entirety of Waters’ House Financial Service plan. yes please. It includes the following points (sorry for the wall of text) and, all told, I’d consider it a damn comprehensive plan of action. I still think the GOP will try to kill it, but this is exactly the sort of measured response we need right now. Anyone see any issues with the proposal that I’m missing?
——-
Consumer protections
1. The Federal Reserve would be directed through a money-financed fiscal program, to fund automatic stabilizers in the form of at least $2,000 for every adult and an additional $1000 for every child for each month of the crisis.
2. Suspend all consumer and small business credit payments (mortgages, car notes, student loans, credit cards, small business loans, personal loans, etc.) during the pandemic.
3. Establish a facility by the Federal Reserve or Treasury to reimburse creditors, and servicers for lost revenue and expenses, including payment advances.
This directly ties #3 into stabilizing the effects of #2, cutting off the biggest complaint I’ve seen about it to date.
4. Suspend all negative consumer credit reporting during the pandemic. There would be a total moratorium on negative reporting during the pandemic and for 120 days thereafter.
As I mentioned upstream, I’ve already come to terms with triaging my expenses and not making some debt payments and taking the credit hit because my wife’s boss just closed shop. I highly doubt I’m alone in that.
5. Prohibit debt collection, repossession, and garnishment of wages during the pandemic.
6. Ensure protections for territories.
Because, as Trump has shown, the GOP tends to forget that US territory inhabitants are US citizens too.
Rental & Home Owner protections
7. Provide $5 billion in emergency homeless assistance.
Covers the emergency use of hotels and health services for homeless populations.
8. Ban all evictions, foreclosures, and repossessions–including manufactured homes, RVs, and cars– nationwide.
Ties directly into #5 above.
9. Suspend rental and utility payments for assisted renters and provide rental and utility payment assistance for non-assisted renters.
10. Require forbearance for mortgages on rental properties.
Ties directly to #9 for rental owners who aren’t helped enough by rental assistance.
11. Provide $10 billion for Community Development Block Grants.
Community level block funding to help pay for things like mobile testing, meal deliveries, cleaning supply purchases, ect.
12. Provide waivers and authorities to modify existing programs to respond to the crisis.
13. Suspend the work and community service requirements in Federal housing programs.
Because, duh.
14. Provide $300 million for servicer coordinators to assist elderly households.
15. Provide $290 million for fair housing enforcement.
Small Business Protections
16. Suspension of commercial rental payments by private sector actors.
17. Support additional grants for small businesses. This provision would support at least $50 billion in new grants for the Small Business Administration to provide to negatively affected small businesses
18. Tax rebates for small businesses. This provision would rebate 100% of pay roll taxes paid by small businesses this year, and 200% of pay roll taxes paid by small businesses in “hot spots.”
19. Utilize the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund to support small businesses as well as low-income communities.
State Support
20. Support state, territory, and local government financing. This provision would authorize a program that requires the Federal Reserve to support state, territory, and local debt issuance
21. Waive matching requirements for municipal governments.
Health Mobilization
22. Additional funding for emergency production of medical supplies. This provision would appropriate an additional $1 billion for FY 2020 to the Defense Production Act fund
Financial Market Stabilization
23. Disclose supply chain disruption risk. This provision would require the SEC to implement a rulemaking that would require public companies to identify and disclose risks in their global supply chains
24. Disclose global pandemic risk. Mandate the SEC to implement a rulemaking that would require public companies to publicly disclose their risks and exposures to public health events that the World Health Organization classifies as “pandemics,” and the steps they are taking to mitigate these risks and exposures.
25. No Federal rulemaking during the crisis.
26. Temporary ban on stock buybacks and dividends.
27. Promoting responsible use of government assistance to corporations. This provision would require large corporate beneficiaries of government assistance to comply with restrictions on executive compensation, golden parachutes, stock buybacks, and dividend payments.
28. Support global economic cooperation
mrmoshpotato
@germy: Well, if you break someone’s neck causing death…
Then you’re also a shitty shitty chiropractor.
(Don’t mean to sound like I’m bagging on the whole field)
germy
@PenAndKey: I love it. And I wish she was in the majority. Right now her bill has the chances of a lozenge under a hot water faucet.
PST
@JMG: I used to play duplicate bridge online back in the very early, dial-up modem days of the internet. The service I used had a primitive chat function. There wasn’t much conversation, other than the exchange of protocols, but we sometimes satisfied our curiosity about where our partner and opponents were. One of the first times I had an epiphany of the “Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore” variety was when I found myself in a game in which N S E and W were all on different continents. The world had changed.
germy
geg6
@PenAndKey:
Me likey. Which is why it’s never going to pass the Senate.
OT, but I keep reaching for my mouse, which I neglected to pack up to take home. Gotta remember to pick that up when I go in tomorrow.
mrmoshpotato
@PST: Bahdome bahdome skreeeeeeee!!!!! SKREEEEEE!!!!!!!!!
SFAW
@germy:
I’m assuming you mean “I wish the majority of Congress felt that way”? Because other than that, I don’t follow, as she’s a Dem in the House.
PenAndKey
@PST: Some of my first memories of the internet are being a young kid and discovering primitive chess games that had a chat function. It wasn’t uncommon to play people all over the world and just a couple years earlier my school was big on actual pen and paper pen pals so it was like the entire world had opened up to me. After that I found the gaming world and started playing things like Alpha World and Ultima Online. Being able to build projects with others, or help build and run a guild shop with friends in Europe and Australia, permanently cemented my self-identity as a global citizen.
SFAW
@PST:
I keep hoping for a noTrump world.
burnspbesq
@germy:
Fuck. I ate at Cornell’s dozens of times.
satby
Has anyone done an explanation of the emergency bill they just signed?
germy
@SFAW: Yes, that’s what I meant.
Immanentize
@burnspbesq: I know Royce pretty well. We worked some death penalty and criminal law issues when he was in the legislature. I don’t know the woman, but Round Rock is redneck as hell. That and Pfulgerville.* It’s a good place to start for a statewide run.
* I love the word Pflugerville like DAW loves insouciance
PenAndKey
@satby: The Washington Post has a good rundown. But basically? Any employee at a company with between 50-500 workers has sick leave. Small businesses with under 50 employees can apply for a waiver if the government’s assistance isn’t enough for viability. Employees of big firms had better hope they already have sick pay because if not they’re hosed.
So, basically, if you work for a mid-sized company you got a break. Everyone else, like my wife who is one of 10 people at her store, and the people running my local big chain gas stations and grocery stores, is out of luck.
You know, if there’s one thing this whole event and my wife being pregnant has taught me, it’s that we as a society venerate small business owners, but couldn’t care less about the people who actually work in small businesses. No FMLA, no access to affordable insurance, no sick leave, no real protections. Just… wtf?
Cheryl from Maryland
Received a plea and coupons yesterday from a local small business, Waiter on the Way (a food delivery service that has existed for about 20 years and deals with many family-owned restaurants in Montgomery Co MD) to use them to keep their delivery personnel and the restaurants in business. So we went delivery last night — no cash exchanged hands, no need to sign the charge slip, we set up a box on the sidewalk to keep us and the delivery person 6 feet away from each other.
Saving Private Equity
Ken
It can be and there are plenty of programs. I’m sure casual contract bridge players will move to them. But duplicate play with match points at stake – no way.
SFAW
@Immanentize:
I once had roast lamb with an insouciance glaze; it was delicious.
Ken
@OzarkHillbilly:
That’s kind of good COVID-19 news. It means that rural Missouri companies are taking this seriously.
PenAndKey
@Saving Private Equity: I’m not a huge fan of Nintendo’s hyper-draconian IP use enforcement and habit of treating all their customers like children, but the Nintendo Switch would be my system of choice for an 8 year old. It’s got the best library of children’s level games and excellent small publisher/developer support.
germy
gvg
My mother the extrovert whom I expected to have trouble with isolation, had two zoom meetings yesterday with her church volunteer groups yesterday. Dad the tech hermit listened nearby and noted how many 70 year olds said “hey, this is so easy” and went and bought stock in the company online. He is researching recent reviews of all the online service type companies to see how they are handling the huge surge in traffic and says Zoom didn’t crash, most of the others did even though they get back up. He also says this is going to change things after the virus because of it.
I want municipal email service. Sick of having only Cox comes to my neighborhood and I live in a fair sized town. At least make sure all school children have service.
WaterGirl
@WereBear: Good morning, WereBear! Repetitive comments like that gets you thrown into spam. I just freed you.
catclub
BBO has had that for years.
BridgeBase Online
burnspbesq
@Immanentize:
Pflugerville High’s football stadium is called The Pfield. How can you not love that?
Williamson County (Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, and points north) is pretty suburban nowadays, and increasingly blue. Carter has a real demographics problem going forward. If he survives this November, I expect the Lege will gerrymander the living shit out of TX-31, which is now a very clean district (all of Williamson and Bell Counties and nothing else).
donnah
I just emailed my beloved Senator Sherrod Brown, thanking him for his dedication and for his speech on the Senate floor. I am proud and grateful for him, because he listens and acts on behalf of his state and he never gives up. Also, he dissed Mitch McConnell, so extra points for that!
BroD
@donnah: Yeah, you’ve got a good ‘un there.
Bob from Oregon
First time comment, long time lurker. I love all your discussions.
My Senator is Jeff Merkley.
Here is my reply to his latest email message:
Thanks for the thoughts and positive attitude.. But we the people of USA need a real leader as a President. We need a President Hillary Clinton, a real leader.
It is a sorry state of affairs when all we can do is State by State make it up as we go with no resources and no leadership from the unqualified moron currently residing in the office of the President.
As I learned last night 6 States currently have no plans in place at all and are spread across the Midwest. Let that sink in for a moment and it’s ramifications.
I have voted for you from the beginning. I trust you and believe in the goodness in your heart. But now more than ever we need real leadership from the office of the President and that is not going to happen with Trump and Pence.
My wish is that Trump and Pence could be impeached and removed from office for failure to do their sworn oath of office, and Nancy Pelosi would be sworn in as temporary President so we could have some real leadership from the White House and really get the Government of the United States of America to start a real plan of action and give the people real hope. So we don’t have the fear and confusion that is now also infecting us. An extra roll of toilet paper is not going to save anyone.
The fact will always remain that Trump or Pence aren’t qualified to flush a toilet, much less lead us in this crisis. The Republican party is not far behind if they can’t even understand that their own families are at risk.
Sorry for the rant. I know you are doing your best as you always have.
FM
@burnspbesq: I’ve lived in Pflugerville for a long time. I think the addition of “p” to words normally starting with “f” is hilarious. The other day I drove past a sign with a notice about a road project. It included the expected “pfinish” date.
Also I don’t think that P-ville is nearly as redneck as it used to be. The school district was the first in the state to offer insurance benefits to domestic partners. And Obama won both mock elections at my kids’ elementary school.
Travis County has been gerrymandered all to hell though.