I logged into Yahoo Finance.com as I often do to get an idea of how the stock market is doing and there was an article which suggested individual 1 was “failing” – right under that link was a link to another article which was titled “Markets are giving Individual 1 (of course, they used his actual surname) an “F” – and I decided to read a few of the “comments” in the section following the article. The first thing I noticed was the members of the CULT which continues to support this IMPEACHED so-called president were regurgitating the propaganda coming from the “White House” which has made the covid-19 crisis potentially much much worse. That is, it’s the media’s fault for the stock market’s plunge, or it’s just another form of the flu, or……… Well, I stopped reading.

The coronavirus (covid-19) is NOT the fault of individual 1. The misinformation coming from our IMPEACHED so-called president IS, obviously, his fault. It’s making this crisis worse, and, in my view, it should surprise no one. Many Americans, not just me but MILLIONS of others, have been pointing out our IMPEACHED so-called president is UNFIT for the job he holds for over three years now. It was a couple months ago when individual 1’s score card of documented LIES exceeded 16,000 and his lack of credibility becomes a serious problem at a time like this.

I listened today to a health provider who is in a position to understand what is happening who suggested there is the potential for upwards of 200,000 people who could need treatment in ICU beds in a hospital and there are, right now, 90,000 of those beds available nation wide, but MOST of them are regularly full. He suggested Italy is facing this reality and it’s almost as if those who are availed of the ICU treatment are the lucky ones as if the beds are distributed by “lottery.” Of course, what happens to the others, the ones who don’t get the needed treatment? Despite what our IMPEACHED so-called president has said, this is not “the flu.”

So, now that even members of the right wing in America are beginning to realize government has a role to play in our society, what is our government likely to do? Well, I surely don’t know, but I was not surprised to hear our IMPEACHED so-called president propose canceling all “payroll taxes” for the rest of the year. Of course, that might sound good to a few people, but, to me, it’s nothing more than one more right wing attack on Social Security and Medicare. It’s like taking hundreds of BILLIONS out of the Social Security trust fund, which the government has already borrowed. If you’ve been paying any attention at all, you already know individual 1’s budget proposal for the next fiscal year includes massive cuts to what republicans refer to as “entitlements.”

Here’s the dictionary’s definition of “entitlement” – “the belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.” Well, I’m collecting Social Security BENEFITS and, the reality is, I started paying into Social Security back when I was in high school in 1963. I worked for 50 years before I finally retired. To me, Social Security is not an “entitlement” it’s an “earned benefit” – just like a retirement policy in the work place. For most people their Social Security BENEFIT is not enough to retire on over and above basic necessities, but I know a lot of people who are very thankful for their Social Security benefit. (I believe you have to pay into the system for something like 10 years to be eligible. The more you pay in, the more you get back out.) And, republicans really don’t like Social Security DISABILITY benefits because, well, they apparently believe they are an “entitlement.”

Well, all I know about that is my niece receives Social Security disability and it’s a good thing it was available for her. She was in the Air Force for several years (I believe about 10 years) as an air traffic controller and was discharged because she developed an inner ear issue (it’s called meniere’s disease) where it was dangerous for her even to carry her babies around the house as she would fall. The Air Force refused to call this issue (which resulted from the head sets they wear doing their jobs and the effect whatever goes through those head phones has on the ear) the result of her job and refused to provide her any disability despite the FACT she’s 100% disabled. The process of gaining disability via Social Security took, I believe, close to two years, and required significant proof of the disability. My point: Social Security disability isn’t something which is randomly approved for Americans. My niece, in my view, SHOULD have disability from her service in the Air Force, but, well…………………

So, today, with the “right hand” our government was funding Wall Street with $1.5 TRILLION in relief for companies who have been affected by this sudden downturn (the most sudden downturn in history from what I understand) and, with the “left hand” are attempting to FOOL “we the people” into financing relief for those on “Main Street” by attacking the Social Security trust fund. I believe the “Fed” simply “printed” the money it rushed to the Wall Street gamblers and, apparently, is unable to do the same thing for “we the people.” I certainly hope democrats in Congress see through this charade. It will be a major disappointment to people like me if they allow this TERRIBLE idea, coming from individual 1, to gain any traction. In fact, in my view, he should be further publicly exposed for his INCOMPETENCE by even suggesting it! (This reminds me of those who claim republican “capitalize” their gains and “socialize” their losses)

I took a trip to the store today and it was very busy, much more so than usual, with people clearly stocking up on supplies. The lady at the check-stand said people were buying virtually ALL the TOILET paper they had in stock. There was no hand sanitizer on the shelves, and basic staples seemed to be “getting thin.” I saw pictures of the streets in Italy and they are barren. I heard one report of a cook at a fancy restaurant which had been closed down distributing the food they had in stock to himself and the other employees in light of the reality it would spoil before they were back to work and, on the way home, he chose to walk around on one of the deserted streets and he was fined 60 euros. People are realizing, it could happen here.

This virus apparently spreads exponentially and can be quite deadly to people like me who are above 70 and have other issues. (I’ve been battling arthritis for 40+ years and know many of the medications reduce your immunity system which can allow you to be one of the really sick ones if you get the virus) Well, there’s a shortage of test kits so when you go out in public you really don’t know if you’ve been exposed. For example, today as I was walking into the store there was an elderly woman pushing her cart toward the parking lot who started coughing repeatedly (right onto the handle of her cart without covering her mouth) and then stopping to kind of rest herself on the cart as if being short of breath. No one, including me, wanted to get close to her.

I wasn’t the only person who noticed. I said a quick prayer for her (not knowing her name – and, in all honesty, not wanting to know her name) and went into the store. Unusual for me, I grabbed one of the sanitary wipes at the entrance and wiped off the handle of my cart – not knowing if that would make any difference if someone affected by the virus had it prior to me. (I believe the virus only survives on a hard surface for a couple of hours) From what I’ve heard over the past couple of days, it’s incumbent on ALL of “we the people” to follow the steps necessary to minimize the spread of this virus. I told my wife today I’m expecting our son, who works at a normally very busy restaurant, to be laid off within the next few days. They don’t have much business (as of yesterday).

Last night I watched as much of individual 1’s address from the Oval Office as I could stomach – the more he tries to BLAME others for issues he believes makes HIM look bad, or give himself FALSE “credit,” the more I just can’t bring myself to give him ANY semblance of respect – and, then, today I watched Bernie Sanders give a speech as to what he believes needs to happen to address this issue going forward. Watching Bernie all I could think of was I was watching someone who was acting “presidential” and, I hoped more people were watching him. If there was any reason to understand the importance of what he’s been “pushing” for years, it SHOULD be this “crisis.”

The sad reality there are, as he said, 87 MILLION Americans who are not insured or under-insured very well could make this crisis much bigger. Sanders clearly believes government works best from the “bottom up.” He is proposing NO ONE be burdened with the medical costs of the testing or treatment from this disease, should the get it. He’s proposing people like my son don’t lose their income because the business they work for has been shut down or impacted. He even referenced people who depend on tips for their livelihood should receive unemployment benefits the equal of their pay with a maximum of something like $1100 per week or $60,000 per year. To me, these are the people government should be intervening on their behalf in a situation like this.

Actually, because I’ve admitted many times here I don’t understand the workings of the stock market (although, I predicted a significant “fall” over two months ago. Just sayin……) I have no problem with the “Fed” finding $1.5 TRILLION for Wall Street (although, I have to admit, that’s a lot of money to just have sitting around for when our IMPEACHED so-called president starts yelling at you to “do something”) it will just really BUG me (I could think of other words to use here) if the Congress agrees they need to get the money to bail out those at the bottom from the Social Security trust fund. And, make no mistake, by stopping the collection of the payroll taxes for the rest of the year, that is a significant “hit” to that fund and will simply accelerate the republicans in their effort to undermine Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

I’ve come to the point where I don’t trust republicans when things are going well, but when times are like this I REALLY don’t trust them. Only ONE of them had the courage to do what they ALL knew was “what’s right” in the IMPEACHMENT trial of individual 1. (And, if you don’t know, he got the moniker “individual 1” by committing two FELONIES with his lawyer Michael Cohen who’s sitting in prison as I write this partially for those FELONIES – individual 1 can’t be charged because, well, he’s a our IMPEACHED so-called president) So, why would “we the people” expect them to do “what’s right” during this crisis. Let’s “hold on to our seats” and just see if they try to plunder that Social Security trust fund. If the democrats want to win in November, for sure, they won’t allow it and they’ll make sure EVERYONE understands what it would mean to drop those payroll taxes for the rest of the year!

Final Thought: OK, I think it should be clear to ANYONE it’s not helpful to have a narcissistic pathological LIAR in the “White House” in the midst of a serious crisis. And, it CAN be said, this crisis did originate in China, it’s just that the response by individual 1 actually made the situation worse to a level which is not quantifiable. Tonight, as I was pondering some of the BLUNDERS of this IMPEACHED so-called president I was reminded he actually suggested building his STUPID wall would help protect “we the people” from the covid-19 crisis. The more I think about that comment I just want to suggest “That says it all.”

One more thing: It would cost less to the Federal Government to simply refund a couple thousand dollars to EVERY taxpayer than the $1.5 TRILLION they managed to come up with almost instantaneously for Wall Street the other day. I’m, in all honesty, concerned about the amount of DEBT we’d be incurring – but, the reality is, if “we the people” are heading toward a severe recession/depression as many economists are now predicting – the national debt is going to be taking a “hit.” This, to me, is why giving away a couple TRILLION dollars two years ago to people who didn’t need it was a colossal blunder – despite the demands of the republican donors. But, at this point in time, as “they” say, “it is what it is.” We have an opportunity to begin the needed corrections to all this in November.