Two weeks ago, I made a flippant post about the Corona Virus and the media frenzy over it being responsible for the economic downturn. I’m not reversing my position, but I am definitely modifying it.

The media have been horrible fear mongers on the left and irresponsible conspiracy theorists and deniers on the right.  Neither stance serves the public.

The virus is here.  Most people who get it show no symptoms, and if they do it takes two weeks for them to manifest.  Our government has been pitifully inadequate in developing and deploying tests.  So basically, we are all going to be exposed to it, just as we are all exposed to the common cold, which is also caused by corona viruses.  People will die, just as people die every year from the flu.  We don’t actually know what percentage of people because we haven’t been testing enough for exposure.  The 3.5% is based on known infections, not actual infections.  Chances are, the number is lower.

Dear Donny, BANNING TRAVEL FROM EUROPE (except the English speaking UK) WON’T DO A DAMNED THING.  YOUR STUPID WALL WON’T STOP IT EITHER.

Basically, we all just have to ride this out.  Practice good hygiene, stay home if you’re sick, and be especially careful around vulnerable people. If you are invested in the stock market, stay calm, it will come back.  That is the one thing Donny Dumkopf got right in his address.  Buy stock when it hits bottom, if you can. All you sports fans, read a book for a change, even if it’s a biography of Kobe. Students on mandatory vacation, study anyway.  Or go out and have fun. If you are not sick or at risk, go out and frequent those businesses who depend on you.  They are all going to be hurting now.

Our president may be an incompetent buffoon, but there are a lot of intelligent compassionate people working on this day in and day out.  Next year, we will all get vaccinated against it.

Whatever you do, this is not the time to start reading Stephen King’s The Stand.