Friday, April 3, 2020

Coronavirus potpourri edition




      Hello faithful readers.  I hope everyone is coping well with the Coronavirus pandemic and staying safe and healthy.  In today's article, I will again utilize my amazing analytical skills, superior problem-solving expertise, and serene humbleness to contribute a smattering of useful and thought-provoking insight into the discussion.

      Masks.  I see people wearing these medical masks everywhere.  I go bicycling down the remote, wooded trails that wind alongside the bayous and creeks of Houston, and there I see people wearing masks while riding a bike!  
      The purpose of wearing a face mask is supposed to be to protect others from you if you are infected, especially if you cough or sneeze.   Not only does a mask NOT protect you from others, but it may actually INCREASE your risk, because you will probably touch your face while putting it on.  Leave the masks for the medical people who must care for sick patients.  For you, the best defense from the virus is actually pretty simple:  wash your hands often, avoid touching your face, and if you must go out in public, keep your distance.

      Beaches.  Why are local authorities closing beaches?  Here in Texas, we have hundreds of miles of seashore beaches - plenty of room for everyone to spread out.  Furthermore, the virus has a hard time surviving in hot sunshine, or in salt water.  
      There may be wisdom in closing public latrines and restrooms, however.  Thus if you need to "go", here's my advice:  For a "number one", there's a great big ocean right there.  For a "number two", bring a shovel, and some tarps or sheets, and rig up a privacy cubicle.  Dig a hole.  Deposit.  Cover with sand.  There.

       Stay-at-home orders.  There is some ambiguity and lack of consistency over whether these orders are mandatory and enforced, or just voluntary.  I understand that in some corners of the world, it IS indeed mandatory.  But here in the USA, it is, for the most part, voluntary.  Or at least SHOULD be voluntary.  
      I shudder when I read news accounts of church preachers who openly defy the stay-at-home protocol, hold services, and urge their congregations to come.  And then get arrested for it.  There are two serious problems here:   Obviously, the pastor and the followers need to exhibit a bit more common sense.  Pastors, like politicians, are not gods.  But more importantly, law enforcement needs to stay out of it.  We don't need to be consuming precious resources like police, the judiciary, and jails for these kinds of scofflaws.  Stopping the virus ultimately comes down to ALL of us taking personal responsibility, and is not a job for government or the police.

      Hoarding.  May those who hoard resources such as toilet paper be condemned to eternal damnation.  Few things in life make me shake my head in disgust at the stupidity of my fellow man than being unable to buy toilet paper and facial tissue, because the grocery shelves have been stripped clean by panicky morons.  In my wildest imagination, I cannot envision a relationship between a virus and a run on paper products.  Food and fuel, maybe, but paper products?  The really scary thing is that these hoarders are VOTERS also.  It does explain a lot of the stupid s*** government does, however.   Meanwhile, hoarding is related to:

      Price "Gouging".  Liberal politicians and pundits have come out and said that "price gouging" during this crisis is a crime against humanity and should bear the full impact of the law!  Baloney.  "Gouging" is just the market reacting to a change in supply and/or demand.  If supply goes down or demand goes up, then the resulting high prices will make consumers consume less and producers produce more.   Vice-versa for the opposite situation.  The free market is a very self-correcting mechanism, and is actually the best deterrent to hoarding.  Once the price spikes, then the hoarders realize that they can sell (or give away) their excess supply at prices that undercut the gougers.  Wage and price controls, meanwhile, do NOT fix supply/demand problems, and in fact, only make the situation worse.  Like so many problems in our lives, "correcting" the market is NOT a job for government.

      Online jobs.  The virus has caused a virtual explosion of opportunities for working online.  One of the many online jobs with big demand right now is teaching.  I teach online English classes to Chinese kids, and stargazing to American kids, and my schedule is as full as can be!  
      There is a huge potpourri of various online opportunities.  Meanwhile, application numbers for unemployment compensation are off the charts.  And according to the latest news reports, it seems that would-be unemployment applicants are hopelessly frustrated with jammed up phone lines and websites.  So, if you are among the recently laid-off, here's my advice:  rather than asking the government to pay you to NOT work, look into working online.

      In closing, remember that liquor stores are considered "essential businesses", and the supermarkets have ample supplies of wine and beer.  Hunker down and imbibe!


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