On the 8th day of the progressive "lockdown" of the United States of America, the consequences of taking such draconian measures is growing ...

The gathering storm is growing in intensity by the day!

^{Source: Creator TheDigitalArtist on Pixabay}

Over the weekend, in the race to get some sort of legislation passed, before the opening of the stock market Monday morning, the price tag grew from ~ $1 trillion in USD to a projection now exceeding $6 trillion in USD - the reserve currency of the planet. And this is not to be spent over the next ?...? years, but over the next ?...? months!

Oh wait a minute! Our "fearless leaders" in Washington D. C. are not done yet!! 😯 The pressure of another massive collapse on the stock market this morning wasn't enough!

Wasn't enough what @roleerob?

Enough pressure to overcome the disgusting legacy of "how the sausage is made" in Congress? Where many totally unrelated "laws" are put into the uhhh ... "legislation" ... Like what @roleerob?

• Collective bargaining rights for unions ...


• Reducing carbon footprint in "war" against "global" warming, e.g. with details including issues related to solar panels ...

I could list a whole bunch of garbage here, but I am not spending any more time writing about it. I have only mentioned to give others a little glimpse into how bad it is ...

^{Source: Creator 024-657-834 on Pixabay}

How are businesses and the associated financial markets handling all of these progressively louder demands to "lockdown?" As you might expect ...

"Fastest 30% drop

ever

recorded,
including the Great Depression."

Stated on Financial News Channel
23 March 2020

"Fastest" ever? Yes, in this same report, the audience was shown the famous floor of the New York Stock Exchange [NYSE]. It was almost eerily deserted. Who is handling the trading then leading to these drops? Computers ...

________________________

The decision of the Almighty State to insert itself into America's markets is leading to unprecedented (?) consequences. The result of our "fearless leaders" pretending even now they can figure out all of the details and stay ahead of the unfolding crisis.

The prospects of financial disaster is looming large and growing by the day! Economic destruction on a scale never seen in this country will almost inevitably follow, unless there is a dramatic "course adjustment" in the very near future.

As this is being written, that still looks unlikely ...

War and "Collateral Damage"

"War is hell" is a famous quote with which you are likely familiar, dear reader. It is most commonly attributed to the Union General William Tecumseh Sherman of the North, who employed ever more brutal methods is his attempt to bring the tragic American Civil War to a conclusion which would result in the unconditional surrender of the South.

He and the Union were successful, but at a staggeringly high cost to the country. From which it took decades and, in some cases, generations to recover.

^{Source: Creator "Inactive Account" ID 8385 on Pixabay}

Not to belabor this point now, but the "war" against Covid-19 is taking shape in a manner which may sadly and even tragically result in this comparison being applicable.

The mounting losses of the economic measures being deployed to contain this "plague" are finally starting to lead to overly simplified references to famous quotes like this one:

"The cure is worse
than the disease."

English Philosopher - Francis Bacon

What a terrible choice to have to make. The uncertainty of the sickness and death of many people due to a "plague" versus the certainty of unimaginable economic destruction, if the Almighty State remains on its present course.

In war, people continue on with their lives. In the best way they can individually manage, under hellacious circumstances. In the midst of these tragic times, there are heroes. And there are those who fall under the simple label of "collateral damage" ...

Is all of what I am writing here this morning overstated? We will all find out soon enough ...

Personal Impact

As shared with family and friends, I have echoed what I wrote in the beginning of my post to you, dear reader, only last Sunday, March 21st:

"With alarming and unprecedented speed, COVID-19, the "Coronavirus disease," has gone from being a news item centered in Wuhan, Hubei province, China on the other side of the world, to it being officially declared a pandemic impacting our lives here at home."

Stated very simply, "it is here" ...

• The impact on my own family is here and is growing:


1. Even though we are in the "high risk" category ourselves, my beloved lifemate continues to faithfully serve daily in her role as a healthcare provider for the elderly, i.e. even older than we are. As part of this, she is doing shopping for them, increasing the likelihood of bringing it home. We leave that in God's hands, just praying that either we both go or both stay. We very much do not want to be left alone, with our life mate gone ...
2. Our son is facing a decision about how much longer he can retain 3 employees with mandated "lockdown."
3. Our daughter traveled through the major international airport of Seattle, Washington and wondering whether she "brought home" anything ...
4. Another of our sons is wondering about meeting the requirements for retaining their lease, after April 1st.


• A member of our church family is fighting for his life as this is written. Test results are still 2-3 days away, to confirm what his doctors are saying must be Covid-19 since, "they've never seen anything like it" ...


• We are learning to conduct our normal human relationships with the use of the remarkable digital devices we have available to us at this point in man's history.

In the face of all that is going on, I invested in a subscription to Zoom. We had our first family "meeting" on there yesterday, with family members from Washington to Virginia. In the midst of this growing crisis, amazing the technology that allowed one member to join in on his cell phone, while driving through a remote corner of Montana ...

^{Source: Creator enriquelopezgarre on Pixabay}

I am very thankful, in the midst of this gathering storm, for the closeness of my family and my friends. I hope you, dear reader, have close associations with others in your life. In whom you have trust and upon whom you can count to "be there," in bonding together, to help you get through what we are already experiencing.

And what is coming ...

________________________

As a follower of Christ, I do not have any fear of the future. I am settled on knowing that God has ordained what is happening. And what is coming. The outcome is in His hands.

For those who have different systems of belief and, in one way or another, are relying on the "wisdom" of man to guide them through times like this ... Well, I will simply say you have a lot more faith than I do.

Closing

Will this gathering storm play out like the Perfect Storm? For those of you unfamiliar with this classic disaster movie, it did not end well. Against the "perfect" combination of factors at sea, the most skilled of men were no match against the fury of "Mother Nature."

The overly used word "unprecedented" in these tumultuous times is now being replaced with ... wait for it ... Sacrifice! Of course. Soon enough, to be followed by another "S" word. Suffering.

To be continued ... I’d love to hear any feedback you may be inspired to provide.

Until "next time," all the best to you for a better tomorrow, as we all work together to build up our Steem Communities and add increasing value to our Steem blockchain!

Respectfully,
Steemian @roleerob

Posted using SteemPeak and “immutably enshrined in the blockchain” on Monday, 22 March 2020!

Interested in reading more of my related posts?

Lead Image	Title, Link, & Summary
	COVID-19: Out of the News, Into our Lives at Home ... Summary: With alarming speed, COVID-19, the "Coronavirus disease," went from the news in China to a pandemic here at home. What are the implications of the unprecedented response to it?
	COVID-19: Pandemic Defense and "Helicopter Money" Summary: How many times can a writer use the word unprecedented to describe what they are experiencing? Trillions of dollars promised, up to and including "helicopter money!"

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