Economic Conditions - Nashville, TN, U.S., Global

[smeagolsfree]

Question for you guys. When do you think the markets will take the dive? We just had the fastest fall and recovery of the markets in history. We have 40 million unemployed,  earnings are down, the fed has infused all of this money into the market, bankruptcies will soon be following the bad earnings. Too many speculators trying to get in some fast cash right now. We  all know who is counting on the market for reelection hopes, but the markets cant hold out till Nov.

The market is the most overvalued in history. It is going to crash and crash hard, so when will it?

[Nash_12South]

I'm not a money person, but I think when and how bad the economy sinks all relate to how quickly and successfully we can get the US economy going again from the virus. The republicans will pull out all the stops to get things moving and keep things strong onto November and beyond if they win and the democrats, if they win, will also push to quickly enact policies to get things moving too. I think pent up demand will get folks buying things they've been putting off. People will eagerly be planning vacations next year that they couldn't take this year. A lot depends on how June unfolds virus wise. If numbers stay stable or at least workable, I keep hearing July 6th as a date many companies are thinking about as starting to send employees back into offices (to a degree). That would stir up all kinds of demand from gas to lunches out, child care needs etc. My hope is that the government push to rebound from the virus shut down will soften whatever downturn is coming. I know a lot predict that many are still too scared to get out, I think that number shrinks daily.

Maybe to summarize, I think the downturn we were headed for prior to the pandemic, pushed a lot of folks out of jobs in the last 3 months that were already headed that way. Companies that in the past would lay of 3-5 a month over two years, laid off 50 in a week. Weak companies that would have taken 2 years to slowly die in a traditional downturn, folded in a matter of weeks. A lot of needed correction is already occurring. The huge amounts of money the the government is pushing into the economy is what they would have done, in the expected downturn, only faster and on steroids. We come out of traditional downturns when folks feel comfortable enough to spend again, and I think that is coming.

Edited June 1, 2020 by Nash_12South

[DDIG]

The good news (if we are allowed to have any) is this virus is going away. I'm pretty convinced of at this point. Enough data is in to show kids are invulnerable, death rate under 50 is maybe .025, and 60% or so of U.S. deaths are going to be nursing home residents.  Georgia has been open a month and a half now and still hitting its lowest hospitalization points. Growing sentiment there is no second wave. 

Edited June 1, 2020 by DDIG

[JoeyX]

Gee it sounds like someone is hoping that the markets will crash just for political purposes. Why? That doesn't seem to be very nice.

[smeagolsfree]

11 minutes ago, DDIG said:

The good news (if we are allowed to have any) is this virus is going away. I'm pretty convinced of at this point. Enough data is in to show kids are invulnerable, death rate under 50 is maybe .025, and 60% or so of U.S. deaths are going to be nursing home residents.  Georgia has been open a month and a half now and still hitting its lowest hospitalization points. Growing sentiment there is no second wave. 

I would not say kids are invulnerable after that strange syndrome is causing death and sickness to kids that have had the virus. How many kids dying is acceptable? There is still a lot the doctors don't know about this virus and that is what scares them. There are going to be long term heath issues from having the serious version of the virus as well in folks that have had it from what I have read.

I do think that people being outside help keep the transmission rates low, but when late fall hits and people are indoors once again, there will be problems. The warmer weather helps keep the rates lower right now, but the virus has not gone away and to think we have got this thing beat is not wise.  There are still relatively few treatment options for those with the virus. A couple of drugs and the plasma treatment at best. The evidence is there for a second wave when you look to S Korea. 

So many folks are just complacent and think its totally safe to do any and everything you could do before the pandemic.  The Stock market will not keep the current inflated rates up. You have 40 million people not spending, maybe loosing their homes or out on the street. I would say 30% of the population that is working or has the money will not be going out and spending at restaurants and traveling till this is over. So take another almost 100 million people reducing their spending out of the economy. Retailers are in big trouble. Commercial retail property owner are going to be in big trouble next. What I have been seeing is stock earning for the next ten years are flat. You may have little ticks up and down, and of course this can change, but banks are scared right now. 

All of the folks living in the apartments not paying rent are going to put a big hurt on multi-housing real-estate owners. How many of these small business owners are going to be able to weather the storm? They have already lost 3 months or so of business and will have to continue several more months on much less business because people are not traveling as much or eating out as much or spending as much.

If you are a small business in a tourist area the chances of survival are getting worse. There will be a host of small business bankruptcies to came as well as personal bankruptcies. To say that will not have an affect on the economy and the banks that lend is ludicrous. Even with rates at historic lows, it will be hard to get a loan as the hoops you will have to jump through will be monstrous.  Bank earnings will take a hit probably in the 3rd and 4th quarter.

To summarize... THE Market is Inflated! A lot of folks have the heads buried in the sand hoping they will not be the last one out.

[DDIG]

49 minutes ago, smeagolsfree said:

I would not say kids are invulnerable after that strange syndrome is causing death and sickness to kids that have had the virus. How many kids dying is acceptable? There is still a lot the doctors don't know about this virus and that is what scares them. There are going to be long term heath issues from having the serious version of the virus as well in folks that have had it from what I have read.

I do think that people being outside help keep the transmission rates low, but when late fall hits and people are indoors once again, there will be problems. The warmer weather helps keep the rates lower right now, but the virus has not gone away and to think we have got this thing beat is not wise.  There are still relatively few treatment options for those with the virus. A couple of drugs and the plasma treatment at best. The evidence is there for a second wave when you look to S Korea. 

So many folks are just complacent and think its totally safe to do any and everything you could do before the pandemic.  The Stock market will not keep the current inflated rates up. You have 40 million people not spending, maybe loosing their homes or out on the street. I would say 30% of the population that is working or has the money will not be going out and spending at restaurants and traveling till this is over. So take another almost 100 million people reducing their spending out of the economy. Retailers are in big trouble. Commercial retail property owner are going to be in big trouble next. What I have been seeing is stock earning for the next ten years are flat. You may have little ticks up and down, and of course this can change, but banks are scared right now. 

All of the folks living in the apartments not paying rent are going to put a big hurt on multi-housing real-estate owners. How many of these small business owners are going to be able to weather the storm? They have already lost 3 months or so of business and will have to continue several more months on much less business because people are not traveling as much or eating out as much or spending as much.

If you are a small business in a tourist area the chances of survival are getting worse. There will be a host of small business bankruptcies to came as well as personal bankruptcies. To say that will not have an affect on the economy and the banks that lend is ludicrous. Even with rates at historic lows, it will be hard to get a loan as the hoops you will have to jump through will be monstrous.  Bank earnings will take a hit probably in the 3rd and 4th quarter.

To summarize... THE Market is Inflated! A lot of folks have the heads buried in the sand hoping they will not be the last one out.

 

I don't disagree with you on the market. It is all make believe. 

But I'm damn near a kids right activist when it comes to this virus. I think kids are being done a horrible disservice. Here are some facts:

- Ten times as many deaths in U.S. by influenza than COVID for Children under 14 during same time frame.

- Children are a primary driver flu spread, this is proving not to be the case for COVID.

- European countries who have reopened schools have seen zero transmission increases and no schools clusters: https://www.wsj.com/articles/is-it-safe-to-reopen-schools-these-countries-say-yes-11590928949

- I personally believe kids being removed from social interaction, taken out of schools is infinitely more damaging to them than the virus. The poorer the child sent home without a school safety net for food and guidance, the worse the outcome will be. 

As for the kawasaki syndrome, I've done enough reading on it - it doesn't move the needle and shouldn't:

- The number of incidents in the world is in the 100s, it is statistically insignificant

- In NYC, only 45% of kids who had it tested positive for COVID, so correlation is unclear

- The syndrome is treatable, the treatment is known, and recovery is usually 100%

- The syndrome does NOT pass child from child, its an autoimmune response

Edited June 1, 2020 by DDIG

[ruraljuror]

58 minutes ago, JoeyX said:

Gee it sounds like someone is hoping that the markets will crash just for political purposes. Why? That doesn't seem to be very nice.

Based on your comment here, is it fair to say that you think that hoping the markets will crash for political purposes is a bad thing?

If so, allow me to introduce you to this quote from our current president Donald Trump from way back in 2014 (when unemployment levels where 1/2 to 1/3 as high as they are now).

"“We have a lot of people that are unemployed that have no idea of getting a job. They love the system, they don’t have to work, they’re being taken care of, and it’s a problem … You know what solves it? When the economy crashes, when the country goes to total hell, and everything is a disaster, then you’ll have riots to go back to where we used to be, when we were great.”

[ruraljuror]

1 hour ago, DDIG said:

The good news (if we are allowed to have any) is this virus is going away. I'm pretty convinced of at this point. Enough data is in to show kids are invulnerable, death rate under 50 is maybe .025, and 60% or so of U.S. deaths are going to be nursing home residents.  Georgia has been open a month and a half now and still hitting its lowest hospitalization points. Growing sentiment there is no second wave. 

First, I think you're right about most of the stuff you've written in your last couple posts, especially about kids and school openings. 

You're also right that Georgia has been in much better shape with regard to hospitalizations than I expected, for one, so that's been very encouraging - although it is important to note that hospitalizations were dropping at a pretty quick rate until about 2 weeks after the reopening, at which point that decreasing rate then leveled off.  Since about the middle of May, the 7 day moving average of hospitalizations has seen a trend line on slight incline, but it's still way better than a sharply rising slope that many experts predicted, so that's all good news for the most part.

That said, however, while Georgia is not rushing to a new peak in terms of cases/hospitalizations/deaths, we're also not seeing a sharp resurgence in economic activity, which might indicate that the "reopening" hasn't been adopted/endorsed by most people, who are instead choosing to largely continue some degree of their shelter-in-place routine. Ultimately, if this is the case, that kind of 'dip your toe in the water' hesitant recovery could backfire and make the economic situation worse since there will be less government cash propping up the economy and still not enough demand for many companies to stay in business - so that remains to be seen.

To be clear, this is largely speculation on my part based on comparing the correlation of the hospitalization trend and the economic recovery trend, of course, so let's keep our fingers crossed that there's a causation/correlation disconnect here.  If there is causation here, however, then I fear that the "Growing sentiment [that] there is no second wave"  that you reference may in fact be the very cause of the next second wave.  Either way, the slow rate of growth we've seen recently in Georgia is definitely a good thing and is buying more time to advance treatment and continue pursuing cures/vaccines/prophylactics in the meantime. 

[DDIG]

5 minutes ago, ruraljuror said:

First, I think you're right about most of the stuff you've written in your last couple posts, especially about kids and school openings. 

You're also right that Georgia has been in much better shape with regard to hospitalizations than I expected, for one, so that's been very encouraging - although it is important to note that hospitalizations were dropping at a pretty quick rate until about 2 weeks after the reopening, at which point that decreasing rate then leveled off.  Since about the middle of May, the 7 day moving average of hospitalizations has seen a trend line on slight incline, but it's still way better than a sharply rising slope that many experts predicted, so that's all good news for the most part.

That said, however, while Georgia is not rushing to a new peak in terms of cases/hospitalizations/deaths, we're also not seeing a sharp resurgence in economic activity, which might indicate that the "reopening" hasn't been adopted/endorsed by most people, who are instead choosing to largely continue some degree of their shelter-in-place routine. Ultimately, if this is the case, that kind of 'dip your toe in the water' hesitant recovery could backfire and make the economic situation worse since there will be less government cash propping up the economy and still not enough demand for many companies to stay in business - so that remains to be seen.

To be clear, this is largely speculation on my part based on comparing the correlation of the hospitalization trend and the economic recovery trend, of course, so let's keep our fingers crossed that there's a causation/correlation disconnect here.  If there is causation here, however, then I fear that the "Growing sentiment [that] there is no second wave"  that you reference may in fact be the very cause of the next second wave.  Either way, the slow rate of growth we've seen recently in Georgia is definitely a good thing and is buying more time to advance treatment and continue pursuing cures/vaccines/prophylactics in the meantime. 

All fair points. You are right, continued vigilance regardless is necessary. Here's a good article that hopefully proves true on the virus's future: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-italy-virus/new-coronavirus-losing-potency-top-italian-doctor-says-idUSKBN2370OQ

[Armacing]

9 hours ago, smeagolsfree said:

To summarize... THE Market is Inflated! A lot of folks have the heads buried in the sand hoping they will not be the last one out.

I would say the dollar is inflated and the market is a reflection of that.  The Fed has blurred the line between cash and equities to a surprising extent during this crisis.  The Fed announced and then followed-through with a plan to buy every class of asset:  Stocks, Corporate Bonds, Mortgage-backed securities, basically all manner of debt instruments.  Their plan was to prevent price drops across the board so that people would not attempt to sell.

An economic downturn usually includes a drop in prices (stocks, real estate, commodities).  But not this one.  We got an oil price drop, but the US conspired with OPEC to raise that price back up again in fairly sort order.  It should now be obvious to all astute observers that the Fed is willing to print (or create) any amount of money (or credit) necessary to prevent a lasting drop in the stock market. 

Think about it this way:  You know how they target 2% inflation (CPI) because that is their strategy for growing the economy?  Well, now they have a target for what the DOW should be and how it should gradually move up over time to ensure "stable" and "functioning" markets.  Interest rates will not be allowed to rise because that would crater the US budget.  Stocks will not be allowed to drop because that would call into question the value of all the assets now in the Fed's portfolio.  Translation:  The ultimate ponzi scheme in the history of mankind just entered the final phase where the guy at the top of the ponzi pyramid starts buying his own shares to keep the ponzi victims from selling their shares.

However, we don't know how long this last phase will persist.  Could be months.  Could be decades.  The thing you want to watch for is any event that calls into question the value of the US Dollar.  Everything hinges on that now.  As long as most people around the world think the dollar is a store of wealth, then the status quo will persist indefinitely.  When that faith is shattered, prepare to witness the fall of an empire and the rise of a new world order. 

[Craiger]

On 4/30/2020 at 9:11 AM, DDIG said:

It ultimately will because there's no choice. Although you can't overstate the absolute fact that Cooper has truly alienated most of the city. Typically when passing something like a massive property tax rate, entities will come to support you and help deflect. The Chamber announces this has to happen, corporations and community groups pledge their support, release statements. This will not happen for Cooper. He has not built any  support or trust, and has acted like it is him against the world since the first day he became a council member.

 

[Nash_12South]

The competing budgets all seem to either raise taxes almost as much or not be that realistic. The mayor may have helped himself by moving forward on reopening fairly expeditiously. This way everyone will still point to the tax increase as Cooper's doing.

[DDIG]

2 hours ago, Craiger said:

 

I'm surprised! Definitely maybe some promises made to get that backing.

[Nash_12South]

14 minutes ago, DDIG said:

I'm surprised! Definitely maybe some promises made to get that backing.

I imagine the conversation went like - "support my budget or reopening (Phases 3/4) will drag out until Christmas"......

[DDIG]

Anybody feel like the world has reached a crazy place when the Metro Council stays up until 5 a.m. mostly to hear public commentary urging them to defund the police? Reform the police? Certainly. Fund body cameras? Yes please. Defund? Uh I'd prefer not. 

I used to consider myself left of center but positions previously deemed radical making their way to mainstream have me asking myself where this is going.

[WebberThomas4]

15 minutes ago, DDIG said:

Anybody feel like the world has reached a crazy place when the Metro Council stays up until 5 a.m. mostly to hear public commentary urging them to defund the police? Reform the police? Certainly. Fund body cameras? Yes please. Defund? Uh I'd prefer not. 

I used to consider myself left of center but positions previously deemed radical making their way to mainstream have me asking myself where this is going.

It’s insane. Check out this image that the Nashville People’s Budget Coalition has been sharing:

[Armacing]

2 hours ago, DDIG said:

I used to consider myself left of center but positions previously deemed radical making their way to mainstream have me asking myself where this is going.

The whole left v/s right paradigm is what's causing you confusion.  I think things will make more sense to you if you think in terms of free v/s not free, or freedom v/s oppression.  As a Libertarian, I often get the chance to out-democrat democrats and out-republican republicans because those two parties are just a mish-mash of disjointed policy positions designed to cobble together voting blocks.  There is no consistent philosophical underpinning in either one of those parties.

I would say that the positions on both sides (left & right) reflect the rational reactions that people have towards the state of affairs they see around them.  And they are all acting in what they perceive to be their best interest for their future well being.  Even though it seems crazy to you from your personal world-view that someone would be radically anti-police, you should consider the possibility that from their perspective that sounds like an improvement over their current situation.

Of course, lots of people are uninformed and uneducated about how law and economics work, but I tend to think the level of information is pretty uniform between the two groups.  And by that I mean uniformly low because most people still get their world view from public schools and TV.  And both of those platforms are pro-government and pro-establishment.  So I would encourage you to contemplate all the ways in which freedom has been taken from those aggrieved groups of people and see if their position starts to make more sense.  For successful professionals like us, the US system is designed to keep us rich and keep us on top.  For the lower class, the system is designed to keep them down and keep them poor.  For those in the middle, the system is designed to push them down into poverty.  At least, that's the perception held by some.  Personally, I could present arguments on both sides of that position.

[MLBrumby]

4 hours ago, DDIG said:

Anybody feel like the world has reached a crazy place when the Metro Council stays up until 5 a.m. mostly to hear public commentary urging them to defund the police? Reform the police? Certainly. Fund body cameras? Yes please. Defund? Uh I'd prefer not. 

I used to consider myself left of center but positions previously deemed radical making their way to mainstream have me asking myself where this is going.

I'm almost 50... so I've been there. One thing I've noticed since 1992, is these crises happen every time there's an anticipated 'change election' '92, 2000, '08, '20. 

I think they're contrived more than happenstance, and our news media is the problem.  They have no credibility, with many outright fanning flames of division.  I have a friend from Argentina who lives here now. He thinks the situation in America has reached a point of no return. He saw the same thing in Argentina in the 1970s/80s.  He said when cynicism is the prevailing mood of the population, anything bad can and will happen. People give up.  That's really alarming. 

The fact you're questioning everything you've considered yourself politically is a good thing. Someone above mentioned it's not left vs. right (per se) but rather people we don't see.... whether that's bureaucrats, global business or sovereign nations who will take advantage of that paradigm to get what they want. I've been all across the so-called political spectrum. I also believe in keeping things simple. To wit, I hold firm to the US Constitution and my faith. And I won't cower in the face of those who would stoke divisions along that spectrum. Stay informed. Always question who, what, and why things are being done.  Don't sleep-walk to the beat of a media culture that marches to the beat of the lowest common denominator.

 

On 6/1/2020 at 10:44 PM, Armacing said:

I would say the dollar is inflated and the market is a reflection of that.  The Fed has blurred the line between cash and equities to a surprising extent during this crisis.  The Fed announced and then followed-through with a plan to buy every class of asset:  Stocks, Corporate Bonds, Mortgage-backed securities, basically all manner of debt instruments.  Their plan was to prevent price drops across the board so that people would not attempt to sell.

An economic downturn usually includes a drop in prices (stocks, real estate, commodities).  But not this one.  We got an oil price drop, but the US conspired with OPEC to raise that price back up again in fairly sort order.  It should now be obvious to all astute observers that the Fed is willing to print (or create) any amount of money (or credit) necessary to prevent a lasting drop in the stock market. 

Think about it this way:  You know how they target 2% inflation (CPI) because that is their strategy for growing the economy?  Well, now they have a target for what the DOW should be and how it should gradually move up over time to ensure "stable" and "functioning" markets.  Interest rates will not be allowed to rise because that would crater the US budget.  Stocks will not be allowed to drop because that would call into question the value of all the assets now in the Fed's portfolio.  Translation:  The ultimate ponzi scheme in the history of mankind just entered the final phase where the guy at the top of the ponzi pyramid starts buying his own shares to keep the ponzi victims from selling their shares.

However, we don't know how long this last phase will persist.  Could be months.  Could be decades.  The thing you want to watch for is any event that calls into question the value of the US Dollar.  Everything hinges on that now.  As long as most people around the world think the dollar is a store of wealth, then the status quo will persist indefinitely.  When that faith is shattered, prepare to witness the fall of an empire and the rise of a new world order. 

Precisely!  The American stock markets are the 'least ugly girl at the dance'.  For now! And the Fed's focus has shifted over the past 12 years (since the 'too big to fail' federal hammock of '08) from monetary to wealth stabilization. Very simplistic, but I recall Erin Burnett explain the state of the economy circa 2011-12 thusly: "The economy is a balloon with a puncture in it, but instead of fixing the puncture which would require too much political courage, the Fed keeps pumping air (in the form of issuing long term debt in exchange for short term debt) into the balloon." 

There's a problem with that strategy when the engines of wealth are put under more and more stress... in this case, the offshoring of production and the increasing federal debt combined with artificially low rates. The latter will sustain this strategy until 'a prettier girl arrives', i.e. a better place to invest.  Which country will that be, with both the size and full credit that the USA has traditionally had? I don't expect it to be a 'tipping point' at which everyone will see the economy implode at the same time. It will be more like Japan in the 1980s/90s with systemic stagflation... except that nation had at least a core manufacturing base to keep it from going under completely which more often than not causes a gradual descent into tyranny. But make no mistake, there are forces both within and outside the USA that want to see that happen. There are very rich people and organizations shorting the American economy (mostly in the form of currency and equities).  We must be very careful in the conclusions we draw. As I mentioned above regarding my Argentinian friend, when cynicism rules then NOTHING good will be done. Opportunists will take advantage of the situation. 

Edited June 3, 2020 by MLBrumby

[titanhog]

^^We definitely have become a cynical nation.  Does anyone really believe our media and our government are telling us much truth?

[MLBrumby]

I have a friend from grad school who has lived in Manhattan for 25 years.  He and his wife are putting their apartment up for sale and getting the hell out of Dodge. He called me specifically to ask about Atlanta. I answered his questions to the best I could b/c I haven't lived there in 17 years.... and my parents still live there. Then before we closed, he said, "Do you know anything about Nashville?"   We talked for another thirty minutes.

Here's part of the reason why he's getting out. He's an independent financial consultant and has been able to go anywhere for several years now. Notwithstanding his choices, the lockdown and (now) the riots are going to hit NYC real estate very hard. Nashville may benefit from that. I'd guess the executives of Alliance-Bernstein are giving a collective 'Whew!' 

https://www.ft.com/content/e5dabfc6-8ccb-43b1-a7a8-ae4b090ef540

[DDIG]

2 hours ago, MLBrumby said:

I'm almost 50... so I've been there. One thing I've noticed since 1992, is these crises happen every time there's an anticipated 'change election' '92, 2000, '08, '20. 

I think they're contrived more than happenstance, and our news media is the problem.  They have no credibility, with many outright fanning flames of division.  I have a friend from Argentina who lives here now. He thinks the situation in America has reached a point of no return. He saw the same thing in Argentina in the 1970s/80s.  He said when cynicism is the prevailing mood of the population, anything bad can and will happen. People give up.  That's really alarming. 

The fact you're questioning everything you've considered yourself politically is a good thing. Someone above mentioned it's not left vs. right (per se) but rather people we don't see.... whether that's bureaucrats, global business or sovereign nations who will take advantage of that paradigm to get what they want. I've been all across the so-called political spectrum. I also believe in keeping things simple. To wit, I hold firm to the US Constitution and my faith. And I won't cower in the face of those who would stoke divisions along that spectrum. Stay informed. Always question who, what, and why things are being done.  Don't sleep-walk to the beat of a media culture that marches to the beat of the lowest common denominator.

 

Precisely!  The American stock markets are the 'least ugly girl at the dance'.  For now! And the Fed's focus has shifted over the past 12 years (since the 'too big to fail' federal hammock of '08) from monetary to wealth stabilization. Very simplistic, but I recall Erin Burnett explain the state of the economy circa 2011-12 thusly: "The economy is a balloon with a puncture in it, but instead of fixing the puncture which would require too much political courage, the Fed keeps pumping air (in the form of issuing long term debt in exchange for short term debt) into the balloon." 

There's a problem with that strategy when the engines of wealth are put under more and more stress... in this case, the offshoring of production and the increasing federal debt combined with artificially low rates. The latter will sustain this strategy until 'a prettier girl arrives', i.e. a better place to invest.  Which country will that be, with both the size and full credit that the USA has traditionally had? I don't expect it to be a 'tipping point' at which everyone will see the economy implode at the same time. It will be more like Japan in the 1980s/90s with systemic stagflation... except that nation had at least a core manufacturing base to keep it from going under completely which more often than not causes a gradual descent into tyranny. But make no mistake, there are forces both within and outside the USA that want to see that happen. There are very rich people and organizations shorting the American economy (mostly in the form of currency and equities).  We must be very careful in the conclusions we draw. As I mentioned above regarding my Argentinian friend, when cynicism rules then NOTHING good will be done. Opportunists will take advantage of the situation. 

Yeah let me add as describing myself as "Center of Left" I have never rubber stamped any party's agenda, looking independently at issues, and have voted for Republicans and Democrats. Just on a lot of issues where I'd trend slightly left in the last year, today I find that leaning stance now practically considered to be far right - atleast by the loudest voices on social media and often mainstream media.

[Nash_12South]

My office is allowing folks back in after July 6th, but with so many rules most are sounding like they will continue to work from home. No coffee, no water fountains or water/ice machines, no lunch gathering, or non work related gathering. Masks for all meetings, in fact a mask if you even leave your desk, and you may not actually get to sit at your desk if it’s too close to anyone else....Sound like fun? 4 per elevator. 
I hear elevator logistics are a big stumbling block for many offices in high rises. 4 per elevator makes for hours to get folks up or down.
 

[markhollin]

Rebuilding America: How Nashville and Tennessee will rebound.

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2020/06/03/rebuilding-america-nashville-economic-awakening/3139050001/

[Nash_12South]

If Metro had been following the openings of Phase 1 and 2, moving to Phase 3 would have been announced this morning. The mayor said the slightly upward trend in metro cases prevents starting Phase 3, which could have been next Monday. This could change, but hurts the restaurants stuck at 75% and no bar service. Phase 3 opens restaurants to 100% and bars to 50%.

Cynically , I think this is a move to push the Broadway bars to be agreeable to reopening rules. Upwards trends, as we reopen, are pretty unavoidable and as long as the hospital bed counts stay manageable, which according to Metro they are, we should continue. Just my opinion.

Edited June 4, 2020 by Nash_12South

[OnePointEast]

24 minutes ago, Nash_12South said:

Upwards trends, as we reopen, are pretty unavoidable and as long as the hospital bed counts stay manageable, which according to Metro they are, we should continue. Just my opinion.

I agree with this. There's no need to keep it at some sort of capacity when hospital beds are available. I believe NYC's healthcare system didn't collapse or at least wasn't on the brink of collapse and that's considering it was easily the worst hotspot in the world.

Nothing of that magnitude would ever occur in our city due to the fact that we don't have a public transport system where people move around. We don't have multi-family homes where many multi-generational families live beacuse of high cost of living in NYC. Also, the fact that single-family homes is what dominates the land and equates to much lesser density compared to even some peer cities like Louisville, much less hard-hit cities like NYC or Philadelphia. I believe it's time to take those things into consideration and make a logical resolution on what constitutes a good and safe reopening in relation to our city.

Edited June 4, 2020 by OnePointEast