True, but unfortunately, neither are so simple. If everyone goes back to work tomorrow, the economy will still be down if only because people are (rightfully and realistically) scared and won't go back to their normal spending and leaving the home habits until it has begun to subside. Sure, some will, but when we get to the point that everyone knows several people who have been in ICU for two weeks and someone who has died because they weren't the best candidate for a ventilator, it won't be back to normal.
It is much bigger than that. 84% of employment in this country is considered service sector. Sure, plenty of white collar folks can work from home, as this group here shows. But tens of millions are sitting at home right now furloughed, laid off, or just plain without a job right now. I don’t have, and never have, claim to have the answers. All I know is that the government can’t take over enough stuff, or print enough money to make this all better. All I’m trying to say is ease off on the folks who are focusing on the economic side. Some of us focus on the business stuff and leave the doctoring stuff to the doctors in our family. Or to put it another way, after 16 years I can still watch Grey’s Anatomy and find a medical crisis of the week interesting Instead of ridiculous.
Like I said I don’t have the answers and I don’t know where that Balance is. I’m just trying to say that it’s OK to start discussing where that balance is at.
I would say, we have passed the point of no return (or at least likely will be beyond that point very soon) with the economy, If they were gonna start ramping thing back up right now, I would think you would still be looking at months if not years for everything to get back to were it was pre-pandemic, IMO the worst thing the government could do now with the economy would be for them to "false start" where they tell everyone to go back to business as usual then there is a second infection wave where they have to shut everything down again. I think the best thing that can happen now is for Congress to pass it's bill, and then for everyone to stay isolated until we can flatten out the infection rate. Then slowly ramp things back up. Leadership needs to come up with a plan to get the workforce going again. I agree the echo chamber of the internet allows for overreaction on all sides of the ideology spectrum but I really think most people with common sense are all on the same page. After all, I don't agree with Liz Cheney on much of anything but she was 100% right with this.
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