New Fed study finds efforts to slow pandemic don't depress the economy

[KayF]

Source: Marketwatch.com

The economy isn’t helped by rushing back to work in the face of a pandemic, according to a new study by Federal Reserve researchers.

At a time when the lieutenant governor of Texas has said senior citizens would be willing to sacrifice their lives for a better economy and when President Trump has fretted that the cure may be worse than the disease, a new research paper looked at the impact of the 1918 Spanish flu on the U.S. economy.

Far from hurting the economy, what are called nonpharmaceutical interventions — for example, shutting schools, establishing quarantines and restricting business hours — mitigate economic harm as well as reduce mortality, the researchers determined.

Green dots are where more measures were taken, Red dots where less were taken:

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Read more: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/new-fed-study-finds-efforts-to-slow-pandemic-dont-depress-the-economy-2020-03-27?mod=home-page

[ashredux]

1. Sadly, Trump hasn't a clue about scatter diagrams

[IronLionZion]

2. Desperate times require sacrifices

It's time for the president, TX LT Governor, Glenn Beck, and similar folks to resign their jobs and permanently remove themselves from public view so the rest of us may live.

[duforsure]

3. This study just exposes those too ignorant to grasp the critical situation

And instead of using facts to determine what to do, they promote bs and propaganda to make policy with, so trump and others like the idiot lt gov of Texas show how incredibility incompetent they are, and how reckless they are with other peoples lives. Reporters need to ask trump how he could ask anyone to return to work without adequately testing them and their workplaces, with over site and guidelines they have to go by first before they can be asked to return. How can he ask anyone to return when he hasn't provided testing , or can be trusted after failing causing the crisis to worsen.

[rickyhall]

4. Repugs don't get statistics. Too much like science.

[RockRaven]

5. Trump's reaction to evidence or expert analysis is always "Boo! Nerds!" and doing whatever

his "gut" tells him.

The only thing this study is good for is explaining to the public how Trump is not doing what he ought. There's no hope he will base his actions on it.

[brush]

6. Sorry, that doesn't make sense. Of course millions not working slows the economy.

[KayF]

7. but it helps prevent the spread of the disease

and so reduces the economic impact.

[brush]

9. Exactly

[Beartracks]

8. There are no good options, but people congregating back at work in the middle of a pandemic...

... is among the worst of them.

Trump and his Republican lackeys are all about short-term "show." If Republicans get people to go back to work before the election, then Trump takes credit for what is the appearance of saving the economy, etc. Then, when the virus resurges as many, many more people get sick from the premature return to work, he'll just ride it out with his usual flair for bullshit. And if it so happens that Trump LOSES the election, then the Republicans simply plan to place all the blame for the inevitable resurgence on his Democratic replacement.

It's a calculated political risk, but one that Republicans are willing to let millions of Americans die for.

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