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* Keep in mind that Germany has done a much better job than the US at containing the virus…

German Chancellor Angela Merkel:
"Nobody likes to hear this but it is the truth. We are not living through the final phase of this crisis, we are still at its beginning. We will still have to live with this virus for a long time.” pic.twitter.com/BCbbrdZxT3

— David P Gelles (@gelles) April 23, 2020

Despite the Merkel quote, do try to keep the conversation Illinois-centric and please be nice to each other.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:21 am

Comments

Change is scary for many people. Terrifying even. A lot of folks are approaching this pandemic as ‘let’s hurry up and get this over with so we can get back to normal’ but it will take a long time for things to return to some semblance of ‘normal’. But it may very well be a new normal that doesn’t look like the pre-pandemic normal. The quicker we accept that the easier the transition will be.

Comment by Cubs in '16 Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:28 am
I wonder how long people will abide by the stay at home order. It seems to me that people, even in Chicago, are already starting to break some of the more stringent requirements. When the weather is nice all the time and people see that the death rate of the virus isn’t anywhere near 10% or 5%, is it realistic to expect people to stay inside and not congregate with friends?

Comment by Senator Blutarsky Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:29 am
Will the Bears draft a quarterback with their first pick? Will Tua go in the first round?

Comment by Angry Republican Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:31 am
‘A long time’. When your a kid a long time was a one hour mass. When you get my age a year flies by like it was just yesterday. A long time is when you get to your deer stand and you wait for it to get daylight.

Comment by Blue Dog Dem Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:32 am
we need testing, both to identify those who have COVID-19, and to identify those with the COVID-19 antibodies. For those who test positive, they need to be isolated from those not infected, and they need access to the health care required to defeat the virus. We also need the ability to trace interactions those newly infected may have had to identify any who might have been infected by that individual. We need protective equipment for all those front line health care workers. We also need to protect those who’s jobs have been determined to be essential. Those folks need PPE to defend against the virus, and financial support if they contract it and are unable to work. For those who test positive for the antibody, that’s great, but you’re not out of the woods until such time that the scientists can determine that you cannot be reinfected. If that proves to be the case, we will have the beginning of the universe of people needed to consider herd immunity. But we won’t truly have a possibility to approach herd immunity until we have a proven vaccine administered widely throughout the world. So, for those suggesting we need to open up the country right now, know that we aren’t even close to where we need to be to do so responsibly. The economy will always lose to mother nature. The economic toll of this virus has been devastating, but it will be far worse if we rush, and cause a collapse of our health care network. Please do your part by staying home, let the scientists do their part by working on a vaccine and modeling, and let our elected officials do what they need to do to balance the need to protect citizens, while preventing them from losing everything. While challenging, we can do this, and we can be better and stronger on the other side of this.

Comment by 32nd warder Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:35 am
Angry Republican
Tua will go in the first round. He might not go in the top 6 though.

Comment by Dance Band on the Titanic Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:36 am
=== Will the Bears draft a quarterback with their first pick? Will Tua go in the first round?===

They are the Bears, so no, lol

However, Tua, it’s been reported his physicals by teams have dropped his draft status, possible 2nd round now. Looks like Jalen Hurts might be drafted before Tua.

The Bears could use a young QB…

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:37 am
I doubt this is over before the long term care facilities are largely depopulated. This is going to seriously reorder things. The industrial consolidation of production facilities allowed only through the castration of anti-trust laws will soon become apparent.

The liberation protests seem well timed with the daily death count in excess of 2,000 in the US. Nice distraction by the billionaires whom through Trump eliminated the pesky death tax. These trillion dollar deficits will have negative consequences. The Federal Reserve is now buying junk bonds for heaven’s sake.

Comment by Al Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:38 am
Germany’s infection rate (1800/M) is not too unlike USA’s (2500/M), a little lower but their death rate is substantially lower (64/M vs 144/M), and they have tested about 1/3 more per capita than the USA (24,700/M vs 13,000/M). Sweden’s “open for business” with restrictions model has yielded an infection rate slightly lower than Germany’s (1,659/M vs 1,800/M), but a higher death rate (200/M) albeit with a smaller sample size than either country, and a testing rate lower than either country (9,300/M vs Germany’s 24,700/M and USA’s 13.000/M)). It’s like the world is a giant laboratory where the governments are experimenting with their citizens, some more cautiously than others, and the true results won’t be known for awhile if ever.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:43 am
- Al -

Lemme Finnish my coffee first, bud.

:)

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:43 am
COVID-19 is the new norm for the foreseeable future. The highest priority has to be public safety and then reopening the economy. We have to have high-quality PPE‘s and the ability to produce everything that is vital to protect one another from this terrible virus. Our biggest threat at this point are those confederate flag waving, gun toting, Hee Haw watching goofs that protest Shelter in place.

Comment by Frumpy white guy Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:48 am
makes me reflect upon what we’ve experienced in just the past 20 years and how we have responded and how we have not. following 9/11, we ramped up military spending, engaged in seemingly unending and unnecessary overseas conflicts, created a new federal bureaucracy (homeland security), and undertook a host of other measures because of what amounts to a few people with box cutters on air planes. the 2007-2008 financial crisis and recession are probably best characterized by action that wasn’t taken (namely holding the people who caused it all accountable). and in 2020, here we are with a pandemic. if there’s a theme for us as individuals, as a state, and as a nation, its that we live in increasingly volatile, uncertain, ambiguous, and complex times where intervals between dramatic social, economic, environmental, and public health events are becoming increasingly closer. the question is how can we (public officials, people in general) not just mitigate the likelihood of these events, but acquire resilience and ultimately thrive (not just survive) against these unfavorable trends and conditions.

Comment by go sox! Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:48 am
I see the Bears drafting a QB somewhere in round 3 or after - more of a project if you will. They have so many needs. I see them going for defense early.

Comment by Stones Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:48 am
Cubs in ‘16 - agree wholeheartedly. We don’t know what the ‘long haul’ will be, but assuming it will last another 12 months is not playing Chicken Little. If it truly falters and ends sooner, so much the better, and we should remember and employ all the truly useful things this crisis has forced upon us, in the micro and macro sense, i.e., things around the house, the city, and the country.

Comment by Sayitaintso Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:49 am
The Bears could use a QB…
There, fixed it.

Comment by Skeptic Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:49 am
I’m pretty resigned to the fact that this won’t be over until there’s a vaccine. So two years at earliest.

Comment by Politix Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:49 am
I think the Bears go O-line and receiver with their first two picks. They will probably trade back to pick up a 3rd or 4th round pick as well. Look for a safety and corner to be in the mix. Doubt they draft a quarterback unless they take a flier on James Morgan in the 5th round.

Comment by Han's Solo Cup Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:52 am
As to the Bears situation.

What is it with some organizations? Regardless of staff, GM, coach, scouting, they go decades without a really good player at key positions.
Like it’s ingrained as part of their organization.

Comment by efudd Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:53 am
So on the basis of Rich’s deeply thought out analysis, can we conclude Illinois has done a much worse job than California, given that California’s per capita death rate is is well below that of Germany’s rate and Illinois’s rate is twice that of Germany’s?

Comment by Soon to be deleted, because narrative. Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:53 am
This crisis brings us the meaning of each day, and that we may learn to appreciated it more. Today many of us woke up without symptoms, a great start to the day.

As far as the people protesting and demanding that we open up right now, would we be want to be fighting an actual war with them? They’d rush out and do something rash and premature to get many of us killed and injured.

Comment by Grandson of Man Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:54 am
It is helpful for leaders to set expectations, even though it takes a while for many people to come around to accepting it. Those leaders who are expressing that we are almost finished with the need to stay at home are not helping. And the Tribune’s asinine headline today: “State No Closer to Reopening” is illogical and wrong. We just are not as close as some would like us to be.

Comment by Groundhog Day Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:55 am
I’m retired but a tax preparer to picked up some extra cash to snowmobile, golf and fish more. Anyway, I think our lives will change in the future and it is going to hurt many causal relationships. Most of my clients have been with me for 10 plus years and I consider them friends since I hear about their lives when I sit with them a their homes to do their taxes. Most times, when taxes are done, we just sit there with a beer or two talking about our families, life and whatever. I missed those conversations a lot this year and I’m afraid that most people will avoid these types of interactions at home.

Comment by snowman61 Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:56 am
Bluebells are showing color. Second favorite flower. Memorial Day peonies are first.

Agree with BDD. My deerstand is in a hedge row. Have to hunt with my ears. Harder as I age. but love feeling alert and alive.

Germany rebuilt after WW2. We can regroup and reshape from this pandemic. It won’t be easy or automatic. My brother worked on privatizing companies in the newly independent Estonia. This may be similar.

Comment by Last Bull Moose Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 9:58 am
Can people explain to me how some elected officials just won’t listen or care to listen. The Mayor of Orland Park put out a Video about summer concerts and having events in June. He appeared with the guy who ran for State Treasurer last year.
This after the largest bakery in Orland Park just had to close down because of employees testing positive.
What are some of these Mayors thinking???

Comment by Hard D Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:00 am
“State One Day Closer to Reopening” is accurate, whether you’re a “glass half full” or “glass half empty” person.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:00 am
=== Germany rebuilt after WW2.===

With respect,

The United States rebuilt, at least, West Germany.

The Soviet Union rebuilt East Germany.

They were rebuilt, but weren’t rebuilt the same.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:01 am
North of the border, golf courses are reopening according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Golf can be played with social distancing rules in place.

“It hasn’t been that long, but it seems like this closure has been going on for months — everyone is a little stir crazy,” said Milwaukee County golf services manager and PGA professional Chet Hendrickson.

The first tee times at each course Friday will be 8 a.m. and must be booked in advance online at www.mkegolf.com. No cash payments will be accepted or walkups permitted, and no rain checks will be offered. The courses also will space the tee times by 15 minutes, as opposed to the usual eight, to prevent gathering on tee boxes and backups.

Staff asks that golfers do not arrive more than 15 minutes ahead of the tee time to avoid gathering in the parking lots, putting greens or the first tee area.

Once on the course, golfers are permitted only to walk. Depending on the course, push carts could be available for rent.

Ball washers, bunker rakes and trash cans will be removed from the course. The course will fill holes with a foam piece, so a putt can actually fall into the hole but it will be raised enough so players will not have to touch anything but their ball.

Your move, Illinois.

Comment by Practical Politics Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:05 am
Covid deaths per million population

US 145
Germany 64
China 3.3- They have the most supportive media

Sweden (who kept economy open)-198

Italy, Spain, Belgium all over 300

in the US, Illinois at 123 deaths per million

New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Louisiana all over twice as many as Illinois, with New York, New Jersey and Connecticut with 56% of fatalities

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/coronavirus/

Comment by Lucky Pierre Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:11 am
I think people overestimate the public’s willingness to put up with these measures. Sad as it is to say, a death rate of around 1% is not going to be enough to scare people into following government guidelines if the economy continues to nosedive. I completely agree that we took the right approach at the outset. That is when public health expertise matters most. But as Gov. Pritzker says, we cannot view the issue through a single lens. This will become increasingly apparent as the professional upper-middle class, whose livelihoods have been relatively unaffected thus far, begin to experience the effects of the economic downturn. The political moment where the public’s support for staying at home at the expense of economic productivity deteriorates is not as a far off as some think it is. Absent more massive, direct government assistance, how can families expect to pay bills? Indeed, without tax revenues, how do states and municipalities like Illinois and Chicago expect to be able to handle their already massive debt loads? These are questions with difficult answers, answers which public health officials cannot provide.

Comment by Senator Blutarsky Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:17 am
“What is it with some organizations?h” I’ve wondered that myself. The Lions. The Browns. The Indians. The Maple Leafs. For a long time, the Clippers and yes, the Cubs.

Comment by Skeptic Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:18 am
Let me know when anyone can get tested for active covid infection and antibodies. Let me know when anyone can get a mask. Then, and only then, can we begin to plan on re-opening the economy and getting people back to work. Daily testing with quick results turnaround for anyone “in-person” working with the Abbott Labs 5 minute results turnaround is what is needed.

Comment by PublicServant Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:18 am
===So on the basis of Rich’s deeply thought out analysis===

Man, some of y’all are really super-sensitive. Go take a walk or something. Preferably to another state.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:18 am
- Lucky Pierre -

Germany canceled Oktoberfest.

Germany, with your numbers, is doing better than Illinois…

So, there’s that.

=== Your move, Illinois.===

#FirstWorldProblems

Here’s the thing, and maybe you can reconcile it…

If there’s such a concern, even in Illinois, about unemployment and jobs and worrying about, well, eating…

… where do you think “golfing” falls on the list of “essential”… as others who worry about living… care?

If you’re waking up worrying about getting a tee time, you’re not worried too much, especially about the people needed to open a golf course.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:21 am
Blutarsky, I think you underestimate a person’s willingness to infect his/her own family. Until they can be tested before beginning work for the day, and after the workday ends, they won’t feel safe to return to work for their family’s sake, if not their own sake.

Comment by PublicServant Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:21 am
I agree with that generally. But absent more massive government assistance or action, it won’t be an option. Look at the games both sides are already playing Washington. I would say the most obvious parallel is the way they handle the debt ceiling. They won’t act unless absolutely necessary. But unlike the debt ceiling the consensus around what is absolutely necessary doesn’t seem to be emerging.

Comment by Senator Blutarsky Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:25 am
Regardless of one’s opinion of Angela Merkel the quote is simply true.

Comment by Hamlet's Ghost Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:34 am
There will need to be more government action. The people will demand it, and the economy, getting the vast majority of people to go back to work, is dependent on it. The republicans will either go along with the necessary spending, or come November, they won’t be there to obstruct.

Comment by PublicServant Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:34 am
@Senator

Not following the guidelines won’t restart the economy. So it isn’t really a choice.

The real choice us do we face economic collapse with more or fewer COVID 19 cases.

Comment by Hamlet's Ghost Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:37 am
Dear Owl,
It was re-cycling day in my neighborhood so I was up early. This is a once in a Hundred Year Pandemic so feel free to Irish your coffee this morning.

Comment by Al Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:39 am
Will there even be and NFL season?

Comment by Nick Name Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:41 am
=== feel free to Irish your coffee this morning.===

Is there any other way to *have* coffee these days?

I’ll have another in your honor.

Stay well.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:42 am
Other countries did real shut downs. Don’t leave the house but for food unless you are a medical professional.

I can go get my tires rotated, drop into the auto parts store for some curb feelers, buy some pot, and hit the McDonald’s drive trough on the way home. Pritzker made this political not medical and we are paying for it.

And yes, when you can’t drop your offering off at church and have the preacher hand you communion, but you can go through McDonald’s and hand them money for a bag of food, it is political.

If we really shut down March 20th, we peaked. This half backed shutdown will put the last all summer and put the last nail in the IL coffin.

Comment by the Patriot Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:51 am
=== a death rate of around 1% is not===

The death rate is 24 to 40 times greater (2.4% - 4%) than the flu.

If you’re gonna go “Dr. Oz” and say people will be fine with that percentage, polling disagrees with you, and frankly, the more it stays at that level and the Covidiots push to open too early, those like Dr. Fauci will be the voice people would be challenging. So far the differences between Dr. Fauci and the “freedom” folks, science is, luckily, winning.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:52 am
OW, good point on the rebuild. I hope we follow the modified capitalist approach of the West Germans, not the centrally planned approach of the East.

Comment by Last Bull Moose Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:53 am
When are folks going to start upheaval about not being able to workout at their gym?

Comment by Jose Abreu's Next Homer Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:54 am
“put the last nail in the IL coffin”

Man, I miss drinking in the morning.

Comment by efudd Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:55 am
=== Man, I miss drinking in the morning.===

It’s “as you remember“.

=== put the last nail in the IL coffin.===

Great…

“Illinois, the Zombie State”

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 10:57 am
Golf courses re-opening. The guys ai golf with won’t have to worry. The way I slice, the folks on the other fairway might tho.

Comment by Generic Drone Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 11:02 am
=And yes, when you can’t drop your offering off at church and have the preacher hand you communion, but you can go through McDonald’s and hand them money for a bag of food, it is political.=

So if you’re a first responder or front line worker getting a meal is a political statement? I’ve never heard of anyone dying due to a lack of communion.

Comment by Pundent Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 11:05 am
—Public Servant: Blutarsky, I think you underestimate a person’s willingness to infect his/her own family—

That is very true. As Rich has mentioned in a previous post it was not so much the “stay at home” orders that shutdown the economy but that people voted with their feet out of self preservation.

But Blutarsky is not wrong either. Myself, RNUG, and other commenters have mentioned that because the US is chasing the curve we may never be at a point where it is safe to open the economy but at some point we will have to bite the bullet and begin the process. Otherwise there will be a lot of hardship. And to your comment of people playing it safe, we are probably headed for a lot of hardship anyway as businesses can open but that does not mean people will rush to them.

RNUG - Tuesday, Apr 21 https://capitolfax.com/2020/04/21/a-look-at-the-numbers-3/#comment-13248891

Big Jer Tuesday April 21
https://capitolfax.com/2020/04/21/a-look-at-the-numbers-3/#comment-13248951

This is the price we are paying for not taking COVD-19 seriously and heeding warnings in years past that a pandemic(s) was coming.

Comment by Big Jer Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 11:05 am
If we “open the economy” back up and scores more people fall ill won’t we be setting our selves back? I am unclear as to how people fail to recognize that potentially throwing more kindling on a fire will cause it to grow.

As for the Bears, the QBs available in the second round are not worth the pick. There is better value at other positions.

Comment by Ok Boomer Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 11:19 am
look at the German plan OW

Businesses that don’t exceed 800 square meters are allowed to reopen, as well as car dealerships, bike shops and bookstores regardless of their size. Hair salons can reopen on May 4 but workers must wear personal protective equipment. All shops that reopen must adhere to regulations on hygiene and must prevent lines from forming.

I will bet they will also be teeing it up soon

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/15/coronavirus-germany-will-begin-to-reopen-businesses-and-schools.html

Comment by Lucky Pierre Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 11:34 am
=== put the last nail in the IL coffin.===

I nominate the City of Coffeen as the official resting place of the “IL coffin”.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 11:44 am
==Pritzker made this political not medical and we are paying for it.==

Do you think every other Governor who did things similarly made it political?

==This half backed shutdown ==

Feel free to volunteer at a hospital. But we won’t provide you with any personal protective equipment since you don’t think things are all that bad.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 11:45 am
=The Bears could use a young QB…=

You left out one very important word - “new”. The Bears could use a “new” young QB.

Comment by Say What? Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 11:47 am
Angela Merkel is just giving people the hard truth. I think too many people think that this is all going to get better soon and everything will get back to normal. That isn’t going to happen. While we may get back to a more normal life it won’t be the same for quite some time. People need to start wrapping their heads around that fact.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 11:47 am
===look at the German plan===

Yeah, it’s pretty good. Unfortunately for us, we as a nation and as a state aren’t in the same position as Germany.

It’s like making me, a horrible golfer, tee off from the pro tee with chopsticks.

So go soak your head.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 11:49 am
==look at the German plan==

A. We aren’t Germany.
B. Germany had a far stricter lockdown than us and has gotten their outbreak under control. We haven’t.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 11:52 am
==because of what amounts to a few people with box cutters on air planes==

Wow — talk about having blinders on. Guess the tip of the ice berg is all that needs to be worried about, huh?

Comment by Flapdoodle Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 11:53 am
Dear Luckie, I don’t trust data out of China. Their institutions and press are not free. My friends in Gotenburg Sweden tell me they have all been self quarantined and wearing masks out in public since before Valentine’s day. Swedes have adult thinking and are behaving themselves without the need of government orders. My understanding is they have all been given warnings on their smart phones from the National Health Department. They are not having concert halls filled in Sweden; it is not business as usual despite what Tucker Carlson may have said last night.

Comment by Al Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 11:58 am
- Last Bull Moose

It would be helpful if the Administration and Congress look at the future in, almost a WWII Marshall Plan, seeing the devastation like that war DC wants this framed.

Politics towards aiding.. states, businesses, schools, municipalities… that’s not going to rebuild things any quicker with a political taint.

Stay well.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 12:16 pm
===people voted with their feet out of self preservation.===

Exactly. The NCAA, NBA, MLB and NHL shut themselves down, not any government. Why did they do that? They saw a bigger threat in hurting their fanbases than in losing millions in revenue.

Comment by Proud Sucker Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 12:21 pm
I’m worried about what the effect of the virus is going to be on the state’s public universities. Less tax money coming into the state is going to mean less money going to higher education, I fear. Maybe budget cuts in this fiscal year, too. Then there’s the loss of revenues caused by cancellation of camps and tournaments, and maybe summer school. And fall semester? Who knows what’s going to happen to enrollment. There will be online classes, but if students aren’t on campus, that will mean incidental revenue losses. Not to mention the impact on the cities where universities are located. Higher education never recovered from the last recession and the cuts that came with it. Now, I fear, it’s headed for another rough stretch.

Comment by up2now Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 12:24 pm
I will start with the positive. I am beyond impressed by how the governor and the public health team have handled this crisis.

What I hope changes and stays changed is state government figuring out how to spend money short term to upgrade their systems and save money in the long-term. I want to specifically focus on paper checks and the mail.

I have mailed three checks to various government agencies and departments in Springfield “recently”, two at the end of March(!) and one on April 15, and they were all cashed today.

Why paper checks? One was a tax payment, so I had no interest in getting a payment there fast.

The checks sent in late March, which again were not cashed until today need some explanation. One was for a fee. There was an option to pay online, but the credit card fees would be passed on to me rather than absorbed as a cost of doing business. The potential penalty of the check arriving late was small.

The other check sent in late March was a COBRA payment. I pay it monthly to maintain health insurance until I take another job or find another option. Pre-COVID, it would often take 10 days after I mailed the check for it to be cashed, which caused some anxiety, but I was never given an option for an online payment. Now, you can pay it online, but again the fee whether it is paid by credit card or ACH is passed on to me. I’m glad to have the electronic option for peace of mind, but the state has got to embrace the 21st century with its payment processes.

Comment by Urban Girl Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 12:40 pm
Comparing our response to any other countries is a bit pointless. Both our response and our testing have been lagging. We also have to consider the overall physical health of any nation we compare ourselves to and the healthcare resources that are available to treat the sick and critically ill. We know that co-morbidity is high in the US. That is, we have a higher prevalence of things like hypertension, diabetes, and obesity all of which lead to an at risk population. We also had a shortage of health care facilities and critical care equipment going into this. Both our short and long term preparation has been lacking. And now we’re faced with a virus that requires us to address those problems immediately. Not necessarily the same problem as other parts of the world.

Comment by Pundent Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 12:48 pm
If liquor stores are considered essential then so can golf courses.

Comment by Stones Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 1:07 pm
- Stones -

Golf is addictive, I’ll give you that.

:)

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 1:10 pm
OW -

We all have our vices. Let’s just hope we back to some normalcy sooner than later.

-Regards

Comment by Stones Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 1:17 pm
People like pointing at covid19 numbers - try these numbers.
New Zealand population 4.9 million
1,451 confirmed cases
1,065 recovered cases
16 deaths
3 new cases on 4/22

Did you see that or did you read it go too fast. 16 total deaths and 3 new cases yesterday.

Wonder what the New Zealand Prime Minister did to have such a dramatically different result? Island nation probably helped out a bit.

Comment by Huh? Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 1:34 pm
== I’m worried about what the effect of the virus is going to be on the state’s public universities. Less tax money coming into the state is going to mean less money going to higher education, ==

Don’t worry about the universities. They found ways to survive Rauner; they’ll survive now. /s?

Comment by RNUG Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 1:44 pm
What did New Zealand do? Per the BBC:

== But its relative success - it has among the lowest cases per capita in the world - has mainly been attributed to the clarity of the message coming from the government. ==

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-52344299

Comment by Hamlet's Ghost Thursday, Apr 23, 20 @ 1:54 pm