One year ago today: March 18, 2019, bonding with JeePee.
Five years ago today: March 18, 2015, I prefer sawing to welding.
Nine years ago today: March 18, 2011, I had the money.
Random years ago today: March 18, 2001, a quoll.
Not the best of days, considering my car insurance got a “general increase” from $515 to $925. I’ll have to reduce my coverage. And, I cannot get money out of my own bank account without updating my account information, something I am loathe to do. I do not consider banks to be trustworthy enough to do right. By 8:00AM I was on the road to Miami, an hour late because my wristwatch is the one clock I didn’t set ahead. They waited for me, then again if they didn’t they would have had to open tomorrow just for my arrival. The town was shut down over the virus scare, so I had second thoughts of sticking around for a week.
I’d say he’s royally screwed. This is the only clear picture and upon examination, you can see he has a lunch container and what looks like basic work gear. All neatly packed, so he likely does have a wife. I don’t know that side of the story, but his address was Cookesville, over an hour and a half away. The car was newer, indicating it was his primary vehicle and what he’s carrying hints that he was commuting this far to work. The time of day means likely a graveyard shift.
He was reasonably well-dressed and polite, but hard times are looming for the guy. According to the police report, he had a similar accident ten miles up this same road just a week earlier. He could be shafted for the next ten years, anyway. I should send him a hundred dollars. He’s going to need it.
I got those medical tests out of the way only to discover something has changed about the medical office I’ve been seeing for 14 years. Lightly questioning around reveals the practice has indeed been taken over by one of those ill-reputed medical management outfits. That’s the evil places seen in the movies that are more concerned about profits than patient care. Don’t blame them entirely because it is really the American medical insurance system that spawns such revolting business practice. The health care industry.
Just you watch, my traditional medical clinic is now going to lose all its best personnel. I have a new cardio doctor next week, but all other appointments are canceled for the duration of the flu panic. I called JZ and said I’m heading back to the cabin. He’s reports the malls have been closed and he’s been shuttered in for a week already. I predict I will pass this round of medicals with flying colors, but will I get the okay to go ahead with other items? It’s on thing to be medically fit, another to be healthy enough to take on bigger things.
Church bell factory.
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For your entertainment, here is me playing turtle footsie. That’s the high point of the day. I drove to my bank, parked, and walked up to the door, along with many others just in the time I was there. They’d posted a tiny sign saying their temporary hours meant closing an hour early. I wasted a trip across town and have no recourse against them for that.
This is America, where the greatest mass of people live payday to payday. Right now, all the schools, libraries, theaters, clubs, and meeting places are closed. This will impact the poor immediately and the rich not at all. What Trent points out is credit card spending, something I had not considered. Those that use them often rely on them for emergency funding, whereas I trust only hard cash. The trouble with credit card spending is two-fold. One is that the crisis has to be temporary or at least have people believe it is, and that people who think that way are likely to continue spending at pre-crisis levels. For them, it will take longer for them to be hit with reality when the bill arrives next month but their paycheck doesn’t.
Trent’s hypothesis is there will be a banking crisis over this. Good point. They are already in some kind of trouble, maybe like the Greeks a while ago. If I can get access to my account, I’m clearing all the money out of it today, even if I have to show them documents that are none of their business. I hope tomorrow morning isn’t too late. It’s not like the people in Greece got much notice.
And there is the talk of everybody getting a check for a thousand. That’s another trillion in debt right there, since the government has no money. They just print it up and let others worry about the consequences. They package it as a “stimulus” while simultaneously shutting down probably the hugest segment of the cash-flow businesses left in this country. I’m also hauling in the reigns because my own safety net also has a time limit. But as I’ve said, by the time I’m hurting, others will be bleeding.
ADDENDUM
I landed back here in a mess of regulations. My experience is that with a little effort, one can both comply with the law, but give the law very little to go on. It only makes sense when the police force is armed, has no oversight, and keeps records on people who are not criminals. I feel the same about banks, which have become an arm of the government. Statistically 76% of Americans (the statistic varies) live payday-to-payday. That gives the banks a lot of leverage. I know the bank wants my current ID, while I feel the set I gave them so many years ago is the only copy they have any claim to.
Give me time to sort this out, but pardon my attitude when I declare the system has taken dead aim on individuals who limit their personal information. Drop back in a few days and I’ll tell you how I am going to test the bank updating system. Remember zip code, and you’ll know what I mean.
