NEW YORK, N.Y. — Sorry folks; 2020 was not the worst year-rather, it will be the first of many miserable years to come.
Our “Recovery” from protracted lockdowns looks like is unfolding- and it is turning into an incomprehensible Orwellian nightmare.
It was recently that the US was considered a pariah against other countries that were touting how much they each respect human rights, privacy, and decency. Surprise, the same countries that are now competing for who can trace, track, and contain a virus.
History lesson: The US saw two depressions practically back-to-back.
The first lasted around years: from January 1920 to July 1921. The presiding president of the time, Warren G. Harding, did nothing: no bailouts, no subsidies, landlords could still collect rent.
Then the favorite, 1929. The stock market crash marked the beginning of what is now called “The Great Depression “and was felt around the world. Both Hoover and Roosevelt meddled heavily in the economy with inflationary measures; this lasted from 1929 to 1939.
Simplistic, but1 year vs 9-ish.
What is generally accepted is that World War 2 got the US “out of the depression.”
So, will the world governments handle the recovery like Harding-or like Hoover and Roosevelt?
Harding had guts; the other two, well, not. In fact money is that we are electing for taking the inflationary/interventionist route to “recovery.”
But people are starting to see this for what it is: a communicable excuse to seize human rights and liberties under the guise of “public safety.” Why else would the protests we are seeing in countries throughout the world starting to gain momentum?
The protests have taken to the streets in Ireland, Ontario, Canada; Wellington, West Jerusalem, New Zealand; Tripoli, Lebanon; Israel; Tbilisi, Georgia; as well as Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, France, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Seriously, there is no rational way one can claim that these countries “think alike.” But they are definitely acting alike.
Greece
Thousands also took to the streets in protest over similar laws to France, where vaccines are being mandated to return to normalcy. Greece opened up vaccinations to children as young as 15 years old, and require full vaccination for healthcare workers or for anyone who wishes to enter any leisure facilities.
Their protests were organized by cardiologist, Faidon Vovolis who said:
“Every person has the right to choose. We’re choosing that the government does not choose for us.”
Ireland
Protesters turned out in droves in response to the recent passing of a law requiring vaccine passports to simply dine out:
The Health Amendment No 2 Bill was passed by 74-68 votes on Wednesday night to introduce new indoor dining legislation for the country, which will allow those who are fully vaccinated to sit indoors.
Even a 13-year player for the Irish National Hockey team, Niall McEvoy, resigned in protest as well, giving a very clear reason why:
“I can no longer represent a country that has approved of the discrimination and segregation between vaccinated people and unvaccinated people.”
That quote was part of a larger letter he wrote trashing the policy and the government for allowing it, along with a warning to others.
It should be noted that, even as a minor criticizing the decisions of adults, the Greta Thornburg reporting engine let his complaint slip through the cracks. For some reason.
France
France has rolled out some unbelievably harsh mandates and measures to its people and they are not happy. Wrote about this earlier. Recent announcements include:
Mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations from now for all staff (healthcare and non-healthcare) working in hospitals, clinics, retirement homes, establishments for persons with disabilities, and all workers or volunteers who work in contact with elderly or vulnerable people, including at their homes
Checks and sanctions to ensure this mandatory vaccination rule is followed to begin from September 15. Health Minister Olivier Véran said that those who are not vaccinated will not be able to work, and will not be paid.
“We will no doubt need to consider “compulsory vaccination for all in France”,” warned President Macron, but he said that for now the government is choosing to put “confidence” in people to get vaccinated voluntarily “as soon as possible”
Health pass required for all aged 12 and above to enter events of over 50 people from July 21. This will be expanded to cafés, restaurants, shopping centres, hospitals, retirement homes, planes, trains and coaches for long-distance journeys from the beginning of August (to be confirmed by parliamentary vote). Long-distance travel concerned will include TGV and Intercités trains, inter-regional coach trips and all domestic and international flights. Local trains, buses or trams will not be concerned.
Tens of thousands protested, referring to the vaccine mandates as Apartheid, saying that they are as voluntary as a lynching.
(A reversal on his “health pass” was announced after President Emmanuel Macron of France received overwhelming public pressure.)
For now, anyway.
These are just some of the protests, but what about the economic aftermath?
In August 2020, American author, James Altucher wrote a blog: “NYC is Dead Forever … Here’s Why.“. Mark Cuban, Jerry Seinfeld, and Mayor Bill DiBlasio spent a great deal of effort ridiculing and bashing him.
Mark Cuban said New York City is fine, in fact he plans on investing. Big surprise; it’s a down market. And real estate investors buy when the inventory is on sale, not when it is at top-dollar. That’s not a sign that things are recovering. That’s a sign of someone picking through the ashes.
Altucher further qualified his observations, and the numbers don’t appear to lie. 7% of city employees were fired, 400,000 people left the city with no sign whether they’d return (this is a question asked on the NY tax returns for determining residency: Are you planning on returning?), and now an article pops up with the headline: “This is Reality” — NYC is Reopening, But Businesses Aren’t Coming Back. In the case of New York (state and city), it appears to be drunk on power.
With people a year in arrears on their rent, very high vacancies, and subsequently dropping rents collected. But how are the landlords (good or bad, their mortgages did NOT get suspended) going to ever get paid, or catch back up? Because as of June 2021, less than 20.7% of NYC workers are back in offices warming chairs.
This is what the world has to look forward to. Any job someone gets is considered “economic growth,” when really the world is struggling to get back to where it was in February 2020. I was told (when I worked for the Census) “Congratulations, you just created 11 jobs.” Turns out that each week I was “hired,” and on Friday I was “let go.” That means over eleven weeks I “Created” 11 jobs-with no reference toward how long those jobs lasted. Government policies such have created major disparities in wealth and power, partially because it becomes increasingly difficult to get a measure of what is actually going on.
Some of the freedoms people had in February 2020 are being rationed back-very conditionally-as “privileges.”
Others will argue that in many countries where there are protests, the majority of people agree with the measures their governments are taking. But part of that argument is fueled by the populace’s general desire to get certain rights that were taken in the name of “public safety” back.
Rights should never be on the political chopping block in the first place.
Unless a government has a very good reason to put them there, of course.
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