There should be a national dialogue in getting back to work

[3rdnlng]

1 hour ago, Buffalo_Gal said:

Hush-up.  This is my only chance win finish compete pretend I am a runner.

 

We've got a runner, men. Break out the hounds.

[keepthefaith]

4 hours ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

....are you kidding me??...MS-DOS?......I have a 386SX-16 or IBM 8088 computer for sale if you're interested.......

 

NYS using MS-DOS to process unemployment claims

Jennifer Lewke
Updated: May 26, 2020 06:11 PM
Created: May 26, 2020 03:03 PM 

 

 

 

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — The New York State Labor Department says it has now paid out $10 billion in unemployment benefits to 2 million New Yorkers, but as so many of you know, the process has not been a smooth one.

 

News10NBC Investigative Reporter Jennifer Lewke has been exposing major issues with the unemployment system for weeks and now she is in possession of an internal training video that shows just how antiquated the system is. 

 

Hundreds, if not thousands of New Yorkers have contacted News10NBC over the past two months, people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic and have been struggling to get the unemployment benefits they are entitled to. When non-essential businesses were closed, New York’s unemployment system was crushed with claims. Making matters worse, that system is antiquated at best, archaic to most. 

 

In June 2017, when asking for bids to update the system, the Labor Department wrote in an RFP, “the state has faced the pressing problem of maintaining, modifying, and extending outdated and expensive mainframe-based UI benefits and contributions systems that were written in the 1970’s and 1980’s and remain constrained by the technology of that era.”

 

https://www.whec.com/news/nys-using-ms-dos-to-process-unemployment-claims/5741693/

 

How much for the IBM and is it a PC or XT?

[Taro T]

4 hours ago, B-Man said:

 

 

BOSTON MARATHON CALLED OFF OVER CORONAVIRUS, RACE WILL BE ONLINE ONLY.

 

“Boston Athletic Association officials said they plan a ‘historic virtual marathon.’”

 

More details at the Boston Athletic Association Website:

 

So, rather than LightBrites shutting down Boston, will it be Ms PacMan now?

[Magox]

If there was any shred of doubt whether or not Sweden took the right approach, you can officially eliminate that doubt now.

 

Quote

 

The Swedish economy expanded at a far superior rate than many of its European counterparts over the first three months of the year, data published Friday showed, following the government’s decision not to impose a full lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

The Nordic country’s statistics office reported gross domestic product (GDP), the broadest measure of economic health, grew at an annual rate of 0.4% in the first quarter. 

 

 

 

They actually grew!

 

 

[Magox]

Whoah!

 

There will be pent up demand.  Just got to get them back to work.

 

 

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

12 minutes ago, Magox said:

Whoah!

 

There will be pent up demand.  Just got to get them back to work.

 

 

 

…...and so Big Fredo hits the "pause" button for today as of late yesterday afternoon.....SMH...…..

 

Finger Lakes region not entering Phase Two on Friday

 

WHECTV
Updated: May 29, 2020 08:42 AM
Created: May 29, 2020 04:16 AM

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Phase Two appears to be on pause, at least for another day.

Many of you expected to wake up on Friday morning to find a number of reopened businesses in the Finger Lakes region, but that isn't the case. 

This news is not sitting well with some local retailers who were poised to open Friday morning. Some of these stores have been closed for more than two months.

Business owners told News10NBC's Andrew Hyman they question if the state is being completely transparent. Many expected more communication on all the health and safety guidelines they need to follow and that they would reopen today.

https://www.whec.com/coronavirus/phase-two-will-not-start-friday/5744432/?cat=565

 

 

[snafu]

16 hours ago, Joe in Winslow said:

Virtual. Marathon.

 

Good God.

 

 

Here’s the virtual marathon winner:

 

[GG]

19 hours ago, Magox said:

I just alluded to this in my previous post.  Corporate bond market is gonna get awfully hairy in the next 3-18 months.   Luckily for them, the federal reserve will backstop it.

 

I wouldn't count on that.  Fed is "backstopping" it with zero interest rates.  The high end of the corporate bond market is going gangbusters, where no additional support is needed.  On the other end of the corporate debt pole, are deeply indebted companies that are owned by the buyout shops.  Don't expect Fed support for those cases.  That's where the defaults are going to come in, because liquidity is starting to evaporate for the weaker companies.  S&P just raised their default expectations to 12.5% for 2020 and Moody's is above 13%.

 

[Magox]

1 minute ago, GG said:

 

I wouldn't count on that.  Fed is "backstopping" it with zero interest rates.  The high end of the corporate bond market is going gangbusters, where no additional support is needed.  On the other end of the corporate debt pole, are deeply indebted companies that are owned by the buyout shops.  Don't expect Fed support for those cases.  That's where the defaults are going to come in, because liquidity is starting to evaporate for the weaker companies.  S&P just raised their default expectations to 12.5% for 2020 and Moody's is above 13%.

 

 

As you know during these Fed minutes releases, you learn to read in between the lines.  The way I read it is that they will do everything that they possibly can to stave off job losses and support the labor markets, meaning they will pull out the all the stops.  This economic crisis is probably only in the 2nd inning.  If they believe that corporate defaults will lead to a weaker economy, then I think they will do it.  You could be right, but my hunch is that this economic crisis will be a rolling crisis and I think they have more tools at their disposal to head these things off.

[GG]

7 minutes ago, Magox said:

 

As you know during these Fed minutes releases, you learn to read in between the lines.  The way I read it is that they will do everything that they possibly can to stave off job losses and support the labor markets, meaning they will pull out the all the stops.  This economic crisis is probably only in the 2nd inning.  If they believe that corporate defaults will lead to a weaker economy, then I think they will do it.  You could be right, but my hunch is that this economic crisis will be a rolling crisis and I think they have more tools at their disposal to head these things off.

 

I don't think they will touch the political hot potato of supporting the buyout shops.  You already saw it when there was a lot of pushback to these companies receiving PPP funds.  It's a valid argument of whether firms that paid billions of dividends to its owners should be getting federal tax-payer funded aid.

[Magox]

Just now, GG said:

 

I don't think they will touch the political hot potato of supporting the buyout shops.  You already saw it when there was a lot of pushback to these companies receiving PPP funds.  It's a valid argument of whether firms that paid billions of dividends to its owners should be getting federal tax-payer funded aid.

 

I certainly hope that they don't have to.  But I don't think they are eliminating that possibility. But you are right though, there are political implications.    But I do think it's gonna get awfully hairy.

[Magox]

Similar to what has been posted earlier but this lends a lot of credence that there could be a surge in sales over the next few months.   The key is getting people back to work.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if they do another round of stimulus checks, that is a concession that the R's will probably have to make to the D's for the next bill.

 

[Magox]

Another sign of the economy coming back.

 

 

[Buffalo_Gal]

And after John Roberts siding with the liberal portion of the SC  on Friday, these churches are hosed:
 

 

[Chef Jim]

On 5/29/2020 at 5:38 AM, Magox said:

Whoah!

 

There will be pent up demand.  Just got to get them back to work.

 

 

How do they define personal income?  I got a tax refund for the first time in years and the budgeting system I use recorded it as “income”. So were the stimulus checks counted at income?  Does this include the unemployment checks?  If so and it likely does no one needs to work. This is proof that the government can take care of all of us!  ?

[GG]

How can the government justify fining small business owners and churches for small gatherings, while there are thousands of people out in the streets now. 

[Magox]

1 hour ago, Chef Jim said:

How do they define personal income?  I got a tax refund for the first time in years and the budgeting system I use recorded it as “income”. So were the stimulus checks counted at income?  Does this include the unemployment checks?  If so and it likely does no one needs to work. This is proof that the government can take care of all of us!  ?

 

Im not sure how they tally it up but with that sort of rise, I would imagine that it did rise substantially over the past month.   Maybe @GG would know

[Boatdrinks]

On 5/28/2020 at 8:12 PM, Koko78 said:

 

They cancelled the Genesee and Wyoming County fairs as well.

All fairs and festivals have been cancelled or postponed until 2021. Protests and riots are on !

[Deranged Rhino]

That’s one positive to take from all this. If there are not major outbreaks in LA, NYC, Chicago et al, within 10-14 days, we will know we were lied to about the virus. 
 

And there will be no reason to deny us football, concerts or other large events. 

[SoCal Deek]

1 minute ago, Deranged Rhino said:

That’s one positive to take from all this. If there are not major outbreaks in LA, NYC, Chicago et al, within 10-14 days, we will know we were lied to about the virus. 
 

And there will be no reason to deny us football, concerts or other large events. 

As long as we can keep the rioters from visiting nursing homes we should be ok! So let’s pray those old folks haven’t been stashing Red Bull and Bud Light. 

[B-Man]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[B-Man]

 

 

Treat violent rioters as harshly as you treat salon owners trying to save their businesses, that’s all I ask . . .

 

 

UPDATE: Harsh, but fair:

 

 

 

 

[B-Man]

The “Experts” Led Us Into a Cul-De-Sac by Design

 

It is incredible that the US economy was shut down on the basis of the predictions of a faulty model, as discussed here. Not just one, but ALL of the doomsday predictions from that model were wrong!

Who knows how many lives and livelihoods were destroyed as the “unintended consequences” of authoritarian policy decisions of largely Democrat governors? Missed elective surgeries and treatments, suicides, mental depression, increased drug and alcohol use, etc., etc. The lives affected are merely speed bumps on the road to Democrat political hegemony in America.

 

And then there is the evidence emerging that all efforts should have been focused on risk groups instead of slamming the general population and destroying the economy, as reported here:

2.1 million Americans, representing 0.62% of the U.S. population, reside in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

(Nursing homes are residences for seniors needing help with activities of daily living, such as taking a shower or getting dressed, who also require 24/7 medical supervision; assisted living facilities are designed for seniors who need help with activities of daily living, but don’t require full-time on-site medical supervision.)

 

Among states reporting their death totals, 42% of COVID deaths have taken place in long-term care facilities; we also estimate the share as 42% for the full U.S. population, based on incorporating the demographics of the non-reporting states.

Let that sink in: 42% of all COVID-19 deaths are taking place in facilities that house 0.62% of the U.S. population.

In other words, if 43% of deaths from the ChiCom virus are from nursing home and long-term care facilities, then that amounts to 43,000 of the 100,000 deaths of Americans in nursing home and long-term care facilities. That simple statistic never gets reported by the legacy media because it doesn’t fit the doomsday narrative.

 

More at the Link: https://www.redstate.com/stu-in-sd/2020/05/31/the-“experts”-led-us-into-a-cul-de-sac-by-design/

 

 

 

 

 

 

THESE DAYS, I GUESS WE HAVE TO BE GRATEFUL FOR SMALL MEASURES OF GOOD SENSE: 

 

Portland Walks Back Its Plan to Revoke Sidewalk Cafe Permits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[B-Man]

 

[GG]

2 hours ago, Magox said:

 

Im not sure how they tally it up but with that sort of rise, I would imagine that it did rise substantially over the past month.   Maybe @GG would know

 

I'll check in with our economists.

[Rob's House]

[BuffaloHokie13]

21 hours ago, Chef Jim said:

How do they define personal income?  I got a tax refund for the first time in years and the budgeting system I use recorded it as “income”. So were the stimulus checks counted at income?  Does this include the unemployment checks?  If so and it likely does no one needs to work. This is proof that the government can take care of all of us!  ?

My admittedly thin understanding is that the stimulus checks were a tax credit, and they will effectively count as income next cycle. I actually rushed to file my taxes ahead of the stimulus in an effort to minimize my check because of that, and also I didn't really need it. 

 

Not sure how unemployment works, but I'd imagine that is also income unless the check is issued pre-taxed. Not sure how much sense it makes to tax checks that are being funded by taxes in the first place, but they do love to take their piece of every transaction...

[GG]

20 hours ago, Magox said:

 

Im not sure how they tally it up but with that sort of rise, I would imagine that it did rise substantially over the past month.   Maybe @GG would know

 

Don’t have their answer yet, but my hunch is that this is mostly timing related.   They totaled up the $1,200 stimulus payments that were approved in April and that provided a huge monthly boost to incomes.   May will tell a vastly different story.

[Magox]

5 minutes ago, GG said:

 

Don’t have their answer yet, but my hunch is that this is mostly timing related.   They totaled up the $1,200 stimulus payments that were approved in April and that provided a huge monthly boost to incomes.   May will tell a vastly different story.

 

Yeah, I have little doubt that it's as a result of the stimulus and the unemployment benefits

[mead107]

Insurance companies should not pay for property destroyed by looters. Let the governors pay that told police to stand down. 
 

 

?

[Buffalo_Gal]

25 minutes ago, mead107 said:

Insurance companies should not pay for property destroyed by looters. Let the governors pay that told police to stand down. 
 

 

?

You would punish the business owners a second time?

 

[SoCal Deek]

My Southern California office reopens today. We’ve worked out a socially distant seating plan, and we’ll see how it goes. We’re allowing employees to keep working from home if they have a personal / family issue or other preexisting condition. Should be interesting!

[plenzmd1]

This piece nails what my thoughts have been since about mid to late April, when real data and facts started to emerge and decisions could be based on science and not models.These lockdowns, while not scientifically correct, also disproportionately affect those at the lower end of the economic spectrum. The very same people "far left liberals" pretend to always fight for, are getting devastated , and may not recover.

 

BTW, i really like Muhammad El-Erain, wicked smart dude.

 

 

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2020-06-01/great-unequalizer

 

[SectionC3]

37 minutes ago, mead107 said:

Insurance companies should not pay for property destroyed by looters. Let the governors pay that told police to stand down. 
 

 

?

 

That makes sense.  Destroy the insurance policy (assuming it covers the loss) for political reasons.  

[plenzmd1]

9 minutes ago, SectionC3 said:

 

That makes sense.  Destroy the insurance policy (assuming it covers the loss) for political reasons.  

read somewhere yesterday that a lot of insurance policies do not cover social unrest..not sure if that is accurate or not. . But may be advantages to business owners to have that plan enacted..whats a couple hundreed million thrown on a trillion?

[SoCal Deek]

47 minutes ago, mead107 said:

Insurance companies should not pay for property destroyed by looters. Let the governors pay that told police to stand down. 
 

 

?

I’d be interested to see if any business property insurance policies even cover social unrest, but assuming that they do, are you suggesting that the building owner shouldn’t make a claim against the policy....and instead  just sit there, with their business destroyed, in hopes of making a statement? Not gonna happen.

[SectionC3]

4 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

I’d be interested to see if any business property insurance policies even cover social unrest, but assuming that they do, are you suggesting that the building owner shouldn’t make a claim against the policy....and instead  just sit there, with their business destroyed, in hopes of making a statement? Not gonna happen.

 

Well said.  Nobody complained when they accepted the premiums.  If the policy covers the loss, then it should pay.  Not debatable. 

[SoCal Deek]

Just now, SectionC3 said:

 

Well said.  Nobody complained when they accepted the premiums.  If the policy covers the loss, then it should pay.  Not debatable. 

I’m not sure if people understand how insurance works. You have to make a claim before you get paid. The insurance company doesn’t call you! You call the insurance company.

[SectionC3]

1 minute ago, SoCal Deek said:

I’m not sure if people understand how insurance works. You have to make a claim before you get paid. The insurance company doesn’t call you! You call the insurance company.

 

Yup.  And this idea that business owners and those who have been damaged as a result of the violence shouldn’t get what they paid for is just one more nutty thing in a nutty time.  

 

I’ve been out of the coverage game for awhile, but I suspect that social unrest is an issue with respect to business interruption policies only insofar as unrest that shutters a business won’t trigger coverage (or will trigger an exception), whereas interruption occasioned by physical damage would be covered.  

[Reality Check]

1 hour ago, mead107 said:

Insurance companies should not pay for property destroyed by looters. Let the governors pay that told police to stand down. 
 

 

?

They should sue the state and local governments for their gross negligence. Then again, maybe they will prefer a bailout when the time is right.