U.S. Economy Shrinks at 4.8% Pace, Signaling Start of Recession

Re:U.S. Economy Shrinks at 4.8% Pace, Signaling Start of Rec... by ModernMech on Wednesday April 29, 2020 @12:36PM (#23021121)

Keep in mind death is not the only negative outcome of this. My wife's uncle is relatively young (50s), completely healthy, gainfully employed, and has contracted Covid. He's been in the hospital for over a month, has been on a ventilator for weeks, is currently off but has been in and out of the ICU, his lung has collapsed, he can't feed himself, he can't walk, and he's currently re-learning how to swallow. If he makes it out of the hospital (that's a question mark right now), he's not going to be able to support himself. He won't be able to walk without getting winded so he will need a wheel chair, which will prevent him from doing the job he had before he went in. His experience, which has a decidedly negative economic impact and which is not uncommon for those who have needed to be hospitalized by covid, is completely missing from the "covid only impacts old people who were unproductive and probably would have died anyway" narrative.

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Re:U.S. Economy Shrinks at 4.8% Pace, Signaling Start of Rec... by tartoran on Wednesday April 29, 2020 @01:14PM (#23021616)

This is absolutely true and this would get a lot worse if people decide to end the lockdown early. If one needs money to feed their family now, the chance of them either passing or being incapacitated are not to be taken lightly.

I had hoped the government would freeze all the mortgages, bills and offered real assistance to people in need. The stimulus check for the hoi polloi is a joke. I personally don't need it, why did I get it? I know I could donate it to the poor but that's not the point I'm trying to make. That stimulus seems to be a way of saying "but we already helped you".

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Re:U.S. Economy Shrinks at 4.8% Pace, Signaling Start of Rec... by klmadfejno on Wednesday April 29, 2020 @03:40PM (#23023273)

I'm sorry to hear that. I'm not arguing that covid only impacts old people, I'm saying 4 things (in general, maybe not the one particular quote above):

a ) covid won't destroy society in any case

b ) we cannot endure a lockdown until the disease is eradicated or a vaccine is produced

c ) a lockdown ended before the disease is eradicated or a vaccine is produced will just lead to a second wave of the disease

d ) the economic burden of the lockdown will increase exponentially as more businesses run dry

I don't want your uncle to be sick. But I'd rather your uncle get sick than have you, your wife, and your uncle lose your jobs; and then have your uncle get sick anyway.

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