I met toilet paper refugees in Grand Junction yesterday. It was exactly what it sounded like. They had traveled over 3 hours from south of Moab in Utah to try and find toilet paper.
I hope they were able to hold it the whole time. Isn't driving 3 hours in Utah just "running down to the shops to pick up a few things, dear-1, dear-2, dear-3."
Well I meant more predictable like the value of the stock decreasing when the business is not actually operating at the moment. Like no shit the stock price is gonna go down. But if people just didn't panic and held onto their stocks wouldn't in theory they go up again later? This kinda feels like the government is sending the message that the stock market is like gambling with house money and even if you lose they'll pay you back. Imagine a casino giving the guy on a losing streak his money back? Isn't the whole ********ing point is you're taking a gamble? Also if you don't pull your money out you've only lost money on paper if it goes up again later you're fine
Market value of stocks is, in large part, based on future expectations. If people believe the market will rebound quickly, or that buying a stock is still the best holder of value out there, the price won't change much. If you hold that this virus is going to end and then it's going to be business as usual, and you have some money you can play with, stocks are essentially 33% off right now. Right now that future to a lot of people is awfully up-for-grabs, though. What will the world look like three months from now? A year from now? Economically, politically, socially? If a voluntary quarantine is successful, does that mean it's time to go back to business as usual, or does it mean it needs to be continued so COVID doesn't come back? Cash is safer than stocks - with cash you're only losing 2-3% of value every year. It sounds like you're saying maybe the market shouldn't have injected money into this problem. I think when people heard the headlines, they thought of Mr. Peanut walking into Wall Street and giving all the rich people inside $1.5 trillion. In reality, my understanding is that it's short-term lending, and in the spirit of the Fed's chief role as Lender of Last Resort, and that they have to pay back to make sure liquidity continues. I'm still not sure doing that was a good idea right now, let alone necessary, so I tend to agree with you. But that's the great thing about not having to do it - I get to say either decision they made is wrong, and things would have been better the other way. Market failure is no joke, however distant that possibility may seem. Casinos *do* give some people their money back when they're on losses - they're called loss rebates. Also, you can deduct gambling losses on your taxes. All money is just money on paper - even gold, which, well, is definitely not paper It only works because people have faith that it will. My hunch is there are a lot of people who are questioning to what degree they had faith in a system that they will later come to believe was to some extent unfounded - in essentially a global economic system, in long supply chains, in confidence in leaders, politicians, and in experts (holy wow the UK), in people's rational behavior. I know a lot of leftists are looking at the events of today and saying this will doom Trump. I'm not so sure, and I'm not thrilled with the idea of him being in power for four more years.
I know one can, but one should absolutely NOT be able to deduct gambling losses on one's taxes. Of all the ridiculous nonsense deductions (and a deduction that survived the 2017 tax overhaul), that is one of the worst for individuals. Sure, many lost the moving expenses for a new job deduction, State and Local Taxes deduction and mortgage interest deduction was limited, but the gambling deduction? Sacrosanct. As I understand it, you need to "win" first and then have losses to take advantage of the deduction. But, still, it is absolute crap. Of course, the corporate tax give-a-aways are worse.
Yes, you do have to, at least in theory. It's not like casinos are going to give you a form of how much money you lost. I drove through one of my favorite places on the planet - Cairo, Illinois, a few weeks ago. If you've never been, it's an experience. (Also has the best barbecue sauce on the planet in my opinion). I saw at least two Video Gaming places there. Considering the town doesn't have a supermarket or a gas station, and has several apocalypse-style crumbling buildings along their main drag, that's noteworthy. I think the thing that did in my libertarianism years ago was seeing how many very poor communities always had Video Gaming places. I get that some things that are societally bad (gambling only being one) can't and probably shouldn't be completely banned, but I'm not sure making them easily accessible is in the community's best interest either. Addictions are serious business, and at the risk of having everyone in here hate me even more my experience with alcoholism around me has made me very wary of having nearly every adult recreational activity one where alcohol is societally condoned.
Yes, I have been to Cairo, Illinois. It is a strange place. My sister lives south of Carbondale, so when I drove my mother down there a few years ago, I insisted that we take the trip to Cairo before returning to Chicago and, well, civilization. Addiction is a problem, for the addict and for society. I do think there is a difference between alcohol and video poker/slots, though. Video poker seems to be, basically, an "opium den" and serves no purpose but to provide addicts a fix they cannot get elsewhere. Bars are not the same. Bars with video poker/slots? Well, that is something.
Online gaming is ubiquitous enough that harm reduction is the only strategy that could work, abstinence is pretty impossible today. Same is probably true with alcohol. Same is probably true with guns. It's always harm reduction for what we don't consider to be sins, abstinence for what we do. I don't have an answer for any of this, and I'm skeptical of anyone that claims they do. My mind was kinda blown when I learned that *half* of all people in prison were drinking when they did whatever it was they did (or were alleged to have done) ... funny enough, when I was born my dad was in prison from an alcohol-related charge, so it makes sense to me.
Online gaming is ubiquitous enough that harm reduction is the only strategy that could work, abstinence is pretty impossible today. Same is probably true with alcohol. Same is probably true with guns. It's always harm reduction for what we don't consider to be sins, abstinence for what we do. I don't have an answer for any of this, and I'm skeptical of anyone that claims they do. My mind was kinda blown when I learned that *half* of all people in prison were drinking when they did whatever it was they did (or were alleged to have done) ... funny enough, when I was born my dad was in prison from an alcohol-related charge, so it makes sense to me.
Yes, I voted this morning. Voting was at the elementary school at the end of my block. There were very few people there. However, -No hand sanitizer or wipes anywhere -Everybody was using the same few pens and sharpie's -The polling booths were rightnext to each, even though there was plenty of room to space them out a bit -The workers were extremely close together Anyone who has not voted, please go to the Chicago Bar Association website to grab the judicial guide. You don't even have to print it anymore. I just pulled it up on my phone in the polling booth. Note, there are others, but this one is the longest running judicial evaluation program. https://www.chicagobar.org/chicagob...ters_Guide/CBA/JEC/Judicial_Voters_Guide.aspx
I voted. The polling place was clean, with lots of hand sanitizer available, and one volunteer wiping down each pen after someone used it. The booths were spaced fairly far apart. I went about three. It wasn't't too busy, but people were there voting. The volunteers said it had been slow but steady. Thank you to the folks who showed up to work. And it looks like Biden has won all three Dem races today
I voted. For Bernie of course. I went late, almost 6:30, my polling place got moved form old folks home to community gymnastic center which is closed because of the obvious. Was pretty clean, lots of sanitizer, lots of space...but too many old volunteers :-( ... 3 or 4 that I recognized because they do it often .... I'm really one of them is going to catch it and die..... :-(
If money doesn't grow on trees where does this come from? https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...mp-wants-money-sent-to-americans-in-two-weeks but, if I do get it considering giving it to the bernie campaign. I swear if Trump get's relected I'm looking up realestate in the uninhabited part of northern canada.
So... I don't know if this is the right thread or the "What are you drinking?" thread? But here goes: The word is in places like my original home state of Pennsylvania and maybe also Delaware that Liquor stores will also be forced to close. Now to me THIS makes this officially VERY serious! In Pennsylvania the State is a Commonwealth and they also regulate and tax all liquor and "sin tax" anything people enjoy like tobacco. Liquor stores are not called "Liquor Stores" there, they are called "State Stores" and sell hard liquor and wine and are not privately owned. Beer stores are separate entities and called Beer Distributors. Unless things have changed Wine and Liquor is available at State Stores and Beer is available at Beer Distributors and neither is available at Pharmacies or Grocery Stores. So...with this all in mind the State government shutting down Pennsylvania State Stores doesn't worry me much. What does worry me is now that I know about that, will JB Pritzger or Lori Lightfoot consider this rash and morale killing maneuver here in Illinois? Because if that's the case I need to hit 3 liquor stores tomorrow and drop a bunch of $$$. I'm not gonna make it! https://www.usnews.com/news/best-st...anias-state-owned-wine-liquor-stores-to-close https://www.ydr.com/story/news/2016/02/19/liquor-laws-how-get-beer-pennsylvania/80508058/
It's basically every establishment in the Bridgeview/Burbank/Summit area nowadays. It's just kinda sad to see when I'm driving through there.
The first time I entered a Binny's after living in Philly for four years, I immediately understood how residents from behind the Iron Curtain felt visiting an American supermarket. We at least have good alcohol selections at grocery stores, so it'd be near impossible to screw us over the way PA residents are going to hurt. The corner store near me in Philly when I was there put up a couple tables and was therefore a "cafe" and was able to sell alcohol, but I'm guessing there's been a run on places like that which have an exception.
I voted mail (requested my ballot on the last possible hour, and it arrived Monday). Wife went to our polling site and said no lines. I went for a jog last night and could see the place was pretty empty a half hour before polls closed. I've voted in every election since 2012 in this city and the only time I've ever seen a line was the last day of early voting for the '18 midterms. Was in line over an hour.
On a related note, detoxing from alcohol dependence should only be done in a hospital. Had a friend that died at 32 from it, and a grandpa I never knew died at 37 from it. Out if the ways to die it's one of the less pleasant ways.
Oh, I know. My friend owned a bar in Northlake that had 4 or 5 machines. I watched one drunk acquaintance drop a couple of hundred in about 30 minutes...and then get mad. It is sad.