COVID-19 Outbreak (Update: More than 2.9M cases and 132,313 deaths in US) (23 Viewers)

[DaveXA]

Nonreligious Questions

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This may have already been posted, but it touches on New Orleans (given the deceased likely contracted COVID19 while in the city), but a timely reminder to listen to medical advice and formal warnings rather than “spiritual” advice.

Being a former pastor/minister myself, I just want to say that not all, or not even most pastors are like this. The pastors I frequently worked with care deeply about their congregations and would take all of the measures necessary protect their people. And for most of them, politics was best left for kitchen table discussions and seldom broached in their churches unless it was to pray for their political leaders. It drives me crazy sometimes when a pastor like this one is held up as representing the way most pastors carry themselves when the opposite is true.

The vast majority of the pastors and churches I know personally are streaming their services and/or holding virtual Bible studies using social media or video chat apps.

I, for one, would never put my church in harm's way needlessly. If the authorities say they staying home is the best way to protect people, we will do that. It's imperative that ministers and pastors are aware of threats to public safety. When they don't do that, you get what happened with the cult in Korea. That incident there was the catalyst that really started the epidemic there. I'm convinced that some pastors here saw that story and started taking measures to protect their congregations here. For the most part, it seems to be working here because of the virtual services and social distancing they're using. The ones not doing this are irresponsible and shouldn't be in the positions they're in.

 

[Eeyore]

I haven't had a chance to look at all 900 pages of the bill, but would love to see what the treasury provisions are calling for with regard to buybacks. I think that there is language in the bill to prohibit this based on how quickly it passed the House. This was a really big deal to Dems.

The money is already gone. There is no oversight.

Trump Suggests He Can Gag Inspector General for Stimulus Bailout Program (Published 2020)

In a signing statement, the president undermined a key safeguard Democrats had insisted upon as a condition of approving $500 billion in corporate relief in the $2 trillion law.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Goatman Saint]

Being a former pastor/minister myself, I just want to say that not all, or not even most pastors are like this. The pastors I frequently worked with care deeply about their congregations and would take all of the measures necessary protect their people. And for most of them, politics was best left for kitchen table discussions and seldom broached in their churches unless it was to pray for their political leaders. It drives me crazy sometimes when a pastor like this one is held up as representing the way most pastors carry themselves when the opposite is true.

The vast majority of the pastors and churches I know personally are streaming their services and/or holding virtual Bible studies using social media or video chat apps.

I, for one, would never put my church in harm's way needlessly. If the authorities say they staying home is the best way to protect people, we will do that. It's imperative that ministers and pastors are aware of threats to public safety. When they don't do that, you get what happened with the cult in Korea. That incident there was the catalyst that really started the epidemic there. I'm convinced that some pastors here saw that story and started taking measures to protect their congregations here. For the most part, it seems to be working here because of the virtual services and social distancing they're using. The ones not doing this are irresponsible and shouldn't be in the positions they're in.

That’s the way it is here. They are all live-streaming, and using technology. If people need help an talk one on one I know the one down the street from me has an awning with chairs in the garden they have where they maintain the social distance and such and have the outside air to lessen any chances. They are doing what they can to meet all needs.
Which to me allows me to say Karma really stinks to this guy. Not only getting himself infected, but his wife and who knows who else. Also, his power as a leader to influence people. As wrong as it is to speak bad of the dead, he made a set of decisions which put him at a huge risk, then paid that price.

 

[RazorOye]

Why give them bailout money?

Isn't this the market showing us that there are too many airlines? They were obviously struggling before or they wouldn't be in such trouble now.

United Airlines To Workers: Expect Layoffs After Bailout Restrictions End

A bailout package signed Friday by President Trump gives airlines money to fund their payrolls through Sept. 30, but United executives warned that they expect a slow recovery from the coronavirus pandemic that will require shrinking the airline.

www.forbes.com

Delta, American, and United all reported record profits in the last couple of years. Delta's CEO said 2019 was the "best year in the company's history."

Is this becoming cyclical, then? Get a bailout. Buy back the stocks. Gouge customers. Squeeze space. Nickel and dime for everything. Deliver an increasingly uncomfortable product. Record record profits. Brag about it. Economic downturn. Get a bailout. Buy back the stocks. Get ready for more price gouging when things return to normal!

 

[Goatman Saint]

The money is already gone. There is no oversight.

Trump Suggests He Can Gag Inspector General for Stimulus Bailout Program (Published 2020)

In a signing statement, the president undermined a key safeguard Democrats had insisted upon as a condition of approving $500 billion in corporate relief in the $2 trillion law.

www.nytimes.com

SMH. What else can we say at this point.....

 

[DaveXA]

Delta, American, and United all reported record profits in the last couple of years. Delta's CEO said 2019 was the "best year in the company's history."

Is this becoming cyclical, then? Get a bailout. Buy back the stocks. Gouge customers. Squeeze space. Nickel and dime for everything. Deliver an increasingly uncomfortable product. Record record profits. Brag about it. Economic downturn. Get a bailout. Buy back the stocks. Get ready for more price gouging when things return to normal!

I'm not entirely sure because I haven't read the bill, but I do recall that it was stated that stock buybacks would be prohibited for companies taking bailout money. I'm sure their legal teams are working furiously to figure out how to get around that though.

 

[RazorOye]

SMH. What else can we say at this point.....

one of the early sticking points the Democrats objected to - and rightly so - was the ability that Mnuchin had to distribute the 500 million by himself. He could decide who got the money. When Trump was asked about whether or not his corporations could potentially benefit, he did not deny it.

There was also a provision that said the details of which corporations benefited and in what amounts would remain secret for a period of 6 months.

After a *lot* of political and social pushback, it was removed.

But this makes it sound like Trump is considering an end around with executive privilege to achieve the same ends.

That's not how this should work. At all. 100% (minus corporate CEOs, I suppose) should object to this sort of shady behavior with half a trillion dollars of our money.

 

[RazorOye]

I'm not entirely sure because I haven't read the bill, but I do recall that it was stated that stock buybacks would be prohibited for companies taking bailout money. I'm sure their legal teams are working furiously to figure out how to get around that though.

Oh, I know that provision is in the current draft.

I also have zero confidence it will *actually* work out that way.

I mean, the President is already considering ways to get around one major provision in the interest of taxpayers. Why wouldn't airline corporations follow suit? And if they did, who is to say that wouldn't be part of some 'gag order'?

This is gross.

 

[DaveXA]

Oh, I know that provision is in the current draft.

I also have zero confidence it will *actually* work out that way.

I mean, the President is already considering ways to get around one major provision in the interest of taxpayers. Why wouldn't airline corporations follow suit? And if they did, who is to say that wouldn't be part of some 'gag order'?

This is gross.

Agreed. I'm curious to see how it all shakes out.

 

[Goatman Saint]

Oh, I know that provision is in the current draft.

I also have zero confidence it will *actually* work out that way.

I mean, the President is already considering ways to get around one major provision in the interest of taxpayers. Why wouldn't airline corporations follow suit? And if they did, who is to say that wouldn't be part of some 'gag order'?

This is gross.

Yes it is. People will be going hungry. Lives turned upside down. But make sure the president and his buddies can end around the corporate welfare to profit themselves. Then wanting to keep it secret for six months. Some serious garbage there. We all knew the level of corruption was there but this obvious is disturbing.

 

[DaveXA]

Italy ain't out of the woods yet. Lot of people are dying there.



Spain's numbers continuing to rise. Looks like they're gonna be overwhelmed for a bit. Their numbers are probably gonna end up being worse than Italy's.

 

[Bill]

Delta, American, and United all reported record profits in the last couple of years. Delta's CEO said 2019 was the "best year in the company's history."

Is this becoming cyclical, then? Get a bailout. Buy back the stocks. Gouge customers. Squeeze space. Nickel and dime for everything. Deliver an increasingly uncomfortable product. Record record profits. Brag about it. Economic downturn. Get a bailout. Buy back the stocks. Get ready for more price gouging when things return to normal!

It's no secret that this is why everything will collapse and go bad in society in the aftermath of this pandemic.
The attitude of the majority will always be 'do what is in the best interest of me' no matter how it may/will affect others.

The chasm between the 'haves and have nots' will be growing as exponentially as the daily COVID-19 infection rate charts.
It's gonna be fun.

 

[kat5s]

 

[RazorOye]

It's no secret that this is why everything will collapse and go bad in society in the aftermath of this pandemic.
The attitude of the majority will always be 'do what is in the best interest of me' no matter how it may/will affect others.

The chasm between the 'haves and have nots' will be growing as exponentially as the daily COVID-19 infection rate charts.
It's gonna be fun.

but they aren't the majority. They have the majority of power and money.

We are the majority.

These are our elected officials and you will hear nary a peep from the Senate 'majority' regarding this explicit desire to keep a half trillion off the books, which makes it an executive slush fund for the White House.

And you will hear a ton of people get up in arms over universities and postsecondary students getting meager protections while they actively look the other way when it comes to this.

Maybe we get what we deserve because this is what we vote for.

 

[RazorOye]

Publicly funded research in the US. But I was told only the private sector was capable of something like this and public research into treatment was anathema to America. /s