The Coronavirus popped on my radar the first week of December and as a nation we are roughly 75 days in to the Coronavirus nightmare. Recently I asked myself, what have we learned to date? Have you asked yourself the same question? Do you have time to ever give thought to what is happening around you and how we got to this point? Ms. Lucy says I am a deep thinker. That is a debate for another time. I simply like to live outside the box and always try to see beyond todays realities. Now, she doesn't call me Charlie Brown for nothing.
I try to stay away from the large flat noise making lie box as much as possible. It hurts my brain. I choose to get my news from other sources in the alternative world. Yet, this afternoon I walked in to the living room and the noise maker was on and I heard the voice of that woman who some call "stretch" and she uses her hands constantly like a windmill in action. She was explaining all the wonderful benefits of the multi-trillion dollar relief package up for approval. All in all, the bill can increase to around $6 trillion dollars. Get that? S-I-X trillion dollars. Frogs, dogs, tadpoles, dancers, prancers, and midnight romancers all will probably end up with a free present. Have you figured out what FREE means yet? It means a politician is smiling because everyone but the politician will pay it back one way or the other. That is why we all have or had a J.O.B. This stands for Just Over Broke. The relief package when fully exercised will equal about 30% of our current GDP. For a country who believes printing money is the "fix all" solution to a spending problem, we just never learn. I heard a gent on a podcast say "when the Dems won't agree to a $2 billion dollar relief package there is a problem, until you hear the Dems want a $2.5 billion dollar relief package." So, this is a problem. Let's move along.
What is the difference between the Covid 19 Coronavirus from the viruses of the last 20 years? Please understand, I'm not making light of the current situation on any account. It is bad and will get much worse before its finished. But, think about this. In the past 20 or so years we have endured Hantivirus, Bird Flu, Swine Flu, Zika virus, West Nile, MERS, SARS, EBOLA, H1N1, and even the Anthrax scare. At this point, more died in the other viruses. That will change before Covid 19 is over, I do believe. So, what is different? The media frenzy to create panic which created a chain reaction in our country. To this point we have endured a run on supplies by the unprepared; a stock market crash losing about 40% of it's value, a rush on hospital supplies which created hospital shortages, job losses, company closings, and the list goes on. This is another problem. Shall I continue?
Now we hear a national debate trying to make the case for who should get relief aid. Yes, many Americans need immediate assistance. The national estimate says over 60% of working Americans live payday to payday. A large number of these same citizens live on their credit cards. Like I wrote in my book, Hope For Survival, the national debt for citizens is unsustainable. So think about this. Each qualifying citizen will get an aid check for about $1,200. This is great for the moment. I ask, where will these same citizens spend their free money? If we dont give aid to U.S. businesses and they go out of business, where will our fellow Americans shop? You see, many of our large businesses also operate on limited available funds. They also keep large sums of debt. Just like citizens, they are also cash and debt strapped. No, I'm not pitching for them, but they do provide jobs and goods to the public. If Americans are out of work and not spending money, these companies also sink. This is a big problem on every level. Without financial aid, both citizens struggle and the corporate world sinks and many citizens will lose jobs. It's a no win situation. This is a bigger problem than we want to face on any level.
The next problem I have witnessed is the national and global medical system is about a single pandemic from total melt down. Imagine if this was the same level as the 1918 Spanish Influenza where about 500 million people got infected and around 50 million died. We have learned about medical problems from A-Z. Shortages of doctors and nurses. Supply line issues and resource shortages. Many of the medical professionals left the medical field at the start of the Obamacare era. Red tape and pay cuts forced many doctors in to new professions. So we have medical professional shortages, bed shortages, resource shortages, facility shortages, staff support shortages... Do you get the picture? So this is a really big problem. Let's hope we don't have a civil war or attack on our country.
Another problem that is not new and ongoing is we have witnessed our political leaders from both parties failure to step up to lead our nation during a crisis and do what is best for red, white, and blue. Hopefully we all knew this already. Let's just hope many will remember this in November at election time. I do not believe we can endure another four years of the current mode of operations and continued failure in leadership. This could be one of the biggest issues for our country short and long term. No one is fighting for the best interest of our people who are the backbone of this great nation. With this new debt they are creating with a smile, our monthly and annual interest payments will exceed our ability to pay without printing more fiat money. Think about that one. Better yet, maybe you shouldn't think about it.
For this last problem, I must first say I am very thankful I live the life of a preparedness minded person. I could list reasons why I prepare but its not the point of the article. It is important to share this point. I spent many months in third world nations who suffered and lived their daily lives without resources and supplies that we take for granted in many cases. The difference is even with starvation and the iron fist of the law they lined up organized and when nothing was left, they departed in orderly fashion.
With that said, my last point is one that any person who pays attention should have noticed and then stopped and said a prayer of thanks for being preparedness minded. If watching the unprepared around us go off the deep end and raid stores didn't make you want to retreat and put as much separation between you and the threat, I don't know what will. In many disaster type events, this is going to always be the biggest threat to you and your family.
There has been an invisible threat floating in the air that was ignored completely by the 95% unprepared group who raided the shelves in a crazed dash. Yes, the media blamed us preparers which tells me how much the media doesn't know. We, who prepare, didn't need to be in the stores because we are prepared 24 x 7. Right? The unprepared continue to be the biggest threat to our way of life. Add the media tool to this problem and it is a disaster of its own making. If this isn't sign enough for anyone to start preparing I don't know what will change their mindset. Plan, prepare, distancing, preparing, planning, distancing.....till this event is over and the next disaster occurs. BE ALERT AND PREPARED 24 x 7. Remember, 90% of Preparedness is Awareness.
What have YOU learned?
Blessings,
Bravo Echo Out,
