Another edition of Monday Meanderings looking at interesting factoids that may make you say "hmmm", "ahah" or bang your head against the wall.
Small Business Outlook Not Good
I wonder what happened in 2017 that gave small business such a positive outlook?
We know what happened in early 2020 for that outlook to fall but why is it heading even lower in 2021?
I wonder.
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| Source: https://twitter.com/LizAnnSonders/status/1447923132019453966/photo/1 |
Job Happiness With Younger Workers Not Good Either
Over 60% of the 18-34 age group voted for Joe Biden and the Democrats.
Why aren't they happy working?
The decline started right after Biden took office?
Did they think they would not have to work and stimulus money would continue forever?
Prices of Food
CPI- Food Index.
What inflation?
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| Source: https://twitter.com/asymmetricbets/status/1447391322852270083 |
According to the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki this is because of the "progress" that the Biden administration has made with the economy.
"We're at this point because the unemployment rate has come down and been cut in half,"..."because people are buying more goods, because people are traveling, and because demand is up, and because the economy is turning back on."
I get dizzy with that much SPIN.
Energy Prices
A chart of prices for oil and natural gas over the last 12 months.
Oil + 96%
Natural Gas +157%
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| Oil (blue/left scale) and Natural Gas (orange/right scale) Prices Over Last 12 Months Source:https://www.macrotrends.net/2500/crude-oil-vs-natural-gas-chart |
More progress I guess.
The Rise, Fall and Rise of Covid Cases
There is a cool data visualization that someone has done on the 7-day average of Covid cases from the beginning of the pandemic to early October time lapsed over 60 seconds.
It gives a great perspective on how the virus has moved seasonally and regionally over time irrespective of interventions.
Here is a screenshot from October 1, 2020.
Here is a screenshot from October 1, 2021.
What jumps out at you?
Cases in both years are clustered more predominantly in the northern states as the weather gets cooler and people spend more time indoors.
However, we had many more cases in 2021 than in 2020.
This is after almost 80% of the adult population has received at least one dose of the vaccine that we were told was going to end the pandemic.
Is this more progress?
By contrast, here is the screenshot for August 1, 2020.
Cases clustered more in the Sunbelt where people are seeking air conditioning to beat the summer heat.
Here is the screenshot for August 1, 2021.
By the way, Florida which was the hot spot in August is now ranked 49th in per capita cases (tied with CT) among the 50 states despite employing no interventions--no mask, vaccine or other mandates.
The U.S. states and territories with the lowest 7-day averages in cases per 100,000 per the latest New York Times summary.
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| Source: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html |
The big question right now is what the map is going to look like on December 1, 2021?
This is what it looked like on that date last year.
Approximately 80% of those age 12+ should be double vaccinated by December 1. Millions will have had boosters. We will have started vaccinating children as young as 5 years of age. Untold numbers will have been terminated from their jobs or not allowed to go into a restaurant or other public space for not agreeing to the vaccine mandate.
If the map doesn't look almost completely green at that time is someone going to admit that something is not working as designed?
If Only There Was A Vaccine For Hopelessness
The Biden administration has mandated that all military service members be vaccinated against Covid or risk being terminated from duty.
This headline puts the lunacy of that mandate in perspective.
More U.S. military members died of suicide in one quarter of the year than have succumbed to Covid in over a year and a half and it makes sense to discharge those who don't want to be vaccinated?
The Navy, in particular, must be getting nervous about the loss of highly trained pilots, SEALs, nuclear and language specialists due to the mandate because it is now telling sailors that they may be liable for paying back all of their training costs if they don't comply.
Training costs for pilots and SEALs and other specialities can run into the millions of dollars.
Discharge is no longer a sufficient threat?
Is this real life?
We have entered the Twilight Zone.
No masks allowed for Halloween. Required every other day.
If you doubt we have entered the Twilight Zone consider this directive from the Wheaton North High School in suburban Chicago.
No masks allowed for Halloween.
Masks required every other day of the school year.
Nothing to prevent the clear identity of the student?
Benefits and Risks
I have written multiple times in these pages about the fact that every medical intervention carries benefits and risk that must be weighed.
That is particularly true for the Covid vaccines.
The benefit/risk profile is different for everyone.
It may make a lot of sense for someone older. It may make little sense if younger.
Despite that fact, we have heard a constant narrative that the vaccines are safe and effective for EVERYONE. That will soon include children as young as 5 years of age.
I am reminded of a physical exam I had with my physician when I was in my late 30's where he told me I should take a daily low aspirin as a preventive measure against a heart attack or stroke. He told me I was at the age where I should start that regimen and continue it for the rest of my life.
This is advice that has been generally given for decades. It was SCIENCE.
Until now.
It seems that it has now been decided that the risks of the intervention outweigh any benefits.
It only took them 40 years to reach that conclusion.
Why would there be any reason to have any questions or concerns about a new vaccine, using new technology, that was authorized for emergency use faster than any drug or vaccine in history?
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