Trump has telegraphed that he is going to open the economy in eight days (or seven, depending upon when you start counting), or at least partially open the economy. He is focused on the damage to the economy. He damn well has a reason, this will be the biggest economic challenge to the United States since the Great Depression. I hope he’s worried about the economy

But the economy depends on healthy workers, and so do lives. Every expert that I have read – and I’ve read a lot of them – has said that the crest of the wave could begin in 1-3 weeks, and continue for however long. The experts are saying that what we have seen is nothing compared to what’s coming. Trump wants to unload workers, against Fauci’s advice, right at the point of the crest.

I can give you an anecdotal story that goes to preparedness. In our home, we have a sweet 87-year-old woman, me at 49, my wife at 36 (Yes, I did notice she is much younger than me when I married her 13 years ago), and we have an 11 year who is the meaning of my life, a daughter. Last week I proudly told my MD Intensive care father that I was only going out once a day, to one store, to get essentials.

He immediately shot back: “Are you out of your fcking mind? You’re supposed to be the smart one. You should be quarantining that home to protect granny – and you. You should be going out every 10 days, and that’s it, period. A day later I bought close to $400 in groceries, and we found room for all of them. Seven days later we still have tons of food and drink. We have not gone out except a run to the pharmacy drive-through, sanitizing wipe for both of us, masked up. As I drove home, I expected to see a ghost town. Nope. It looked like every other day. No one cared at all. Other people were walking into the pharmacy as if nothing was unusual at all. These are all people that watch Fox News.

If 50 people test positive in this town (and we’re likely there, just no tests), it will rip through one-third of the town.

That’s just our little town. If one third-get it, it will mean 100-200 people will likely get sick enough to be in the hospital, 50 on ventilators. I doubt our hospital even has more than 2-3 vents – they get sent to the University by helicopter.

So, 1) The wave coming to crest in 2-3 weeks. 2) Trump looking to unload the economy in seven days, 3) a town in Mississippi that watches nothing but Fox thinks Trump has this under control and thus is ignoring it.

That is the exact recipe for the disaster predicted to happen if the disease isn’t controlled through shut-downs. The scientists have predicted it, and this president doesn’t care. He wants that economy back up to 28,000 or he’s not elected. Of course, with one-third of a town shut down and another one-third now terrified, with one third doing what we do and quarantine by choice.

The economy dies in that scenario anyway. But that’s where Trump’s lack of intellectual depth that’s often been noticed, ask John Cornyn.

So the most sensible thing to do is listen to the scientists and the economists, and listen to real news, scary news, then make an informed, sensitive decision. That’s not going to happen, and it seems it will make the situation worse.

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Peace, y’all

Jason

[email protected] and on Twitter @MiciakZoom