Van Morrison against lockdowns

If citizens were receiving timely data on Covid-19 cases/ hospitalizations / deaths or other serious consequences; discriminated by age/ gender/ race/ location/ occupation/ other important factors, they could help out with their own informed decisions… 

And if they saw that, e.g. in USA of all Covid-19 deaths 97% were 45 years and older, but that the huge economic/ social/ mental health costs derived from top-down responses will be paid 97% by those under 45 years, then they would understand better what’s going on:

Namely Covid-19 being exploited to the tilt, by e.g. media selling bad news, polarization politicians profiteering, narcissist experts enjoying the ride and, of course, naturally, businesses supplying anti-pandemic armors.

And so, a whole new generation of fans, plus many of us his older fans, will join the chorus exclaiming “Hear, hear Van the Man”

PS. Schools in Sweden

All we are saying is give “herd immunity” a chance

A letter published by the Washington Post:

Regarding Tom Frieden’s Oct. 19 op-ed, “Pursuing ‘herd immunity’ is the reckless, dead-wrong solution”:

Roughly 90 percent of all novel coronavirus deaths will occur in those 60 years of age and older. Equally roughly 90 percent of the virus’s social and economic consequences will be paid by those younger than 60. That presents us with an intergenerational conflict of monstrous proportions.

In this respect, and though of course I do not propose a reckless “pursuit” of “herd immunity,” especially by we elders, I hold that if there’s a small chance there could be such a thing out there, and if effective and abundant vaccines are not guaranteed to appear in a very short term, we have no right to stand in the way of it finding us. Doing so would be, and I feel it already is, a shameful violation of that holy intergenerational social contract Edmund Burke spoke about.

PS. If John Lennon had still been alive, he would have been 80, and I’m sure he would agree with the title of this post

PS. July 27, 2020, I had tweeted: “Sweden kept all schools until 9th grade open. Parents of children in 9th grade are almost always less than 50 years of age. In Sweden, as of July 24, out of 5,687 Coronavirus deaths 71, 1.2%, were younger than 50 years.

Conclusion: Keep schools open, keep older teachers at home and have grandparents refrain from hugging their grandchildren. Disseminating data on COVID-19 without discriminating by age, is in essence misinformation.”

PS. March 22, 2021 I tweeted: Georges Clemenceau’s “War is too serious a matter to entrust to military men” could be updated to: “A Covid-19 response ‘is too serious a matter to entrust’ to epidemiologists”

PS. Let us not forget that while searching for herd immunity, some might also be fighting the herd-docility some few want to impose on all of us.

PS. The Supreme Court, the Legislative, the Executive, top military & other prominent Americans, during the State of the Union, wore no masks. In the supermarket, days after, over 90% there, me included, wore masks. Seems Herd Docility is stronger than Herd Immunity :-(

            Winston Churchill on herd immunity? 

On schools in Covid-19 times

Financial and other escape valve in times of Covid-19

Researchers found that the death rate among more than 5,000 Covid-19 patients in the system’s three hospitals, dropped from 25.6 percent in March to 7.6 percent in August.

PS. ChatGPT: Is informing about the mortality rate of a virus without discriminating it by age misinformation?

CNN, really?

As of October 10, 2020, with John Hopkins University as source of considering total populations, from the data reported by CNN reported that if we consider respective total populations, the USA suffers 5.9 times more Coronavirus cases than the rest of the world; and 5.7 times more deaths.

As of November 14, 2020, now with WHO, CDC, ECDC, NHC, DXY as sources those same figures indicate USA suffers 4.8 times more Coronavirus cases than the rest of the world; and 4.3 times more deaths.

"facts first"? And on December 6, adjusted for population CNN indicates data that Covid-19 causes 6.7 times more cases and 5.7 times more deaths in U.S than in the rest of the world. Really?

Are the previous and current figures really believable? 

Does no one at CNN question these?

CNN has been seriously infected by the ongoing polarization pandemic.

Winston Churchill on herd immunity? 

On schools in Covid-19 times

Financial and other escape valve in times of Covid-19

On schools in COVID-19 times

Sweden kept all schools until 9th grade open. 

Parents of children in 9th grade are almost always less than 50 years of age. 

In Sweden, as of January 26, 2022, out of all 15,744 Coronavirus deaths, 239, 1.5%, were younger than 50 years; 98.5% older than 50. (under age of 20, 16 dead)

Based on that data the logical conclusion should be to keep schools open, keep older teachers at home and refrain grandparents from hugging their grandchildren.

 

In Sweden, 2020, up to 9th grade, including preschool, there were around 1.2 million students. On January 2022, two years with Covid, that results in 2 under 50 years of age Covid-19 deaths per 100.000 students. Compared to the many costs of keeping the youngest out of school, is that not significantly insignificant?

Disseminating data on new Covid-19 cases without data on hospitalizations / deaths or other serious consequences, discriminated by age, gender, race, location or other significant factors amounts to serious misinformation. That impedes citizens to cooperate with their own informed decisions.

Trust! In 2016 Swedish authorities issued my mother a driver license that would expire when she was 103 years of age. Asking about the wisdom of it, I was told Swedes were supposed to know when they were fit to drive or not. Does that not go for Covid-19 behavior/response too?

P.S. Some look to keep the elderly safe, but open up schools and the economy for the rest, so as to perhaps pursuit herd immunity. Other seem to want to impose even stricter lock downs. Could they instead be pursuing herd docility?

Tweets in times of Covid-19

I can do social distancing much better than you

“Any distancing you do I can do farther 

I can do social distancing much better than you”

["Any lockdown you can do I can do better;

I can lockdown anyone better than you"]

["Anyone you hate I can hate better; 

I can hate better a hateful than you"]

(Send me $20)

[Anyone you indict I indict better]

[I indict anyone better than you]

[“Any extreme you publish; I can post more extreme and cheaper.

I can post any extreme more extreme and cheaper than you can publish it.”]

“No, you can't” 

“Yes, I can” 

“No, you can't” 

“Yes, I can” 

“No, you can't” 

“Yes I can, yes I can, yes I can!!!”

Sadly, in America, violet is gone.

Everything's more red or blue than ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UB1YAsPD6U

The capacity to borrow at reasonable rates is a strategic sovereign asset

In his April 13 op-ed, "How economists led us astray," Robert J. Samuelson wrote, "What we conveniently overlooked was the need to preserve our borrowing power for an unknown crisis that requires a huge infusion of federal cash."

Yes, the capacity to borrow at a reasonable interest rate (or the seigniorage when printing money) is a very valuable strategic sovereign asset, and it should not be squandered away by benefiting the members of the current generations or with some nonproductive investments. 

So, when public borrowings are authorized, that should require Congress being upfront that a part of that borrowing capacity is being consumed, which has a cost, and give an indication of who (children or grandchildren born what year) are expected to have to pay back that debt.

Mr. Samuelson also referred to "low dollar interest rates [that] will keep down the costs of servicing the debt." Sadly, those current "low dollar interest rates" are artificial rates, much subsidized in that since 1988, with Basel I regulations, banks are not required to hold any capital against Treasuries, and of course subsidized by the Federal Reserve purchasing huge quantities of Treasuries.

PS. A reverse mortgage on our children’s and grandchildren’s future

http://unsustainabledebtsustainability.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-capacity-to-borrow-at-reasonable.html

Some of my tweets in times of Covid-19

On the response to COVID-19: 2 tweets Jul 27, 2020

Sweden kept all schools until 9thgrade open. Parents of children in 9th grade are almost always less than 50 years of age. In Sweden, as of July 24, out of 5,687 Coronavirus deaths 71, 1.2%, were younger than 50 years.

Conclusion: Keep schools open, keep older teachers at home and have grandparents refrain from hugging their grandchildren. Disseminating data on COVID-19 without discriminating by age, is in essence misinformation.

https://twitter.com/PerKurowski/status/1287748336913719296?s=20

The economy:

Covid-19, which mostly causes some older to die a little earlier, thereby in a very cruel way alleviating some serious social security deficits, does not really hurt so much the economy It is the responses to this pandemic that does produce the highest costs, which will be shouldered the most by the youngest, for the longest.

My tweets on debt-to-equity conversions in times of a pandemic

“I’m old, must sell my business”

Those who because of their age do not want to go back to run their business, instead of selling it at depressed prices, could do better finding a capable younger person to run it, and with whom to split any future profits.

Banks, when Covid-19 hit us.

With the intention of making bank systems safer, the regulators based their risk weighted bank capital requirements on perceived expected credit risks, the risks which bankers should clear for; and not on the risk of misperceived credit risk, like 2008’s AAA rated or unexpected events, like a pandemic. Therefore, banks now stand there with their pants down... meaning no capital... at the worse time to raise capital.

A Covid-19 breather: 

Postponing all capital and interest payment on residential mortgages coming due next 12 months to the end of current mortgages, and allowing banks to hold that refinanced portion against zero capital… would help the economy and stop some bank balance sheet bleeding.

A bad time to increase bank capital requirements

The credit distorting bank capital requirements against residential mortgages should increase to the same level as against loans to SMEs, and entrepreneurs… but in the midst of the coronavirus crisis… for the time being, the latter could be lowered to the level of residential mortgages.

Creative destruction?

Coronavirus / Covid-19 times is not the best time to engage in creative destruction since too little construction can result in a closed down economy. As I see it, both debtors and creditors would benefit immensely from keeping hungry bankruptcy lawyers at distance.

When is there an overreaction?

In Italy, as of August 17, deaths from coronavirus COVID19 are only 0.25% for those under 40 years of age.

Yes, the older need to take care, but it is those under 40 years who will for the longest bear the brunt of the economic costs of overreacting.

Winston Churchill

Reading of UK’s plan of building up herd immunity against Covid-19, I felt Winston Churchill would have agreed with such stiff upper lip policy: “I’ve nothing to offer but fever, coughing, chills and shortness of breath"

Social Media
SARS 2003, Facebook 2004, Twitter 2006, WhatsApp 2009, Coronavirus 2020 
Does this help us to understand the different intensity of how the world has reacted?
Information / attention overload, must have some dangerous unexpected consequences too.

Entrusting

Paraphrasing Georges Clemenceau’s “War is too serious a matter to entrust to military men”
A pandemic is too serious a matter to entrust to scientists/epidemiologists

Why are citizens not more enlisted in the fight?

If given timely and easily accessible data on new cases/ hospitalizations/ deaths/ other serious consequences; discriminated by age/ gender/ race/ occupation/ location/ other significant factors, so that they can take their own informed decisions, the citizens are the most effective pandemic combatants in the world.

Global comparisons

Data reported continuously on CNN indicates that, considering total population, USA suffers 6.3 times more Coronavirus cases than the rest of the world; and 5.7 times more deaths.

Are the numbers used really comparable? Is it science or is it politics?

Underlying conditions:

The most dangerous underlying condition of Covid-19, is that it broke out in the midst of a raging Polarization Pandemic, in which way too many polarization profiteers have a vested interest in blocking the development of a harmony vaccine.

A pandemic earthquake?
The Great Barrington Declaration and WHO’s acceptance of that lockdowns, places them sort of more on the side of Trump than Biden. Could that shake rattle and roll up the debate so close to elections?

History repeats itself.

With the intention of making bank systems safer, the regulators based their risk weighted bank capital requirements on perceived expected credit risks, the risks which bankers should clear for; and not on the risk of misperceived credit risk, or unexpected events, like coronavirus.

Now, to allow nations fend off coronavirus with the least societal costs, governments impose on society restrictions derived from perceived risks, risks citizens should be able to clear on their own, and not from risks of misperceived COVID19 risk, or unexpected unknown facts.

On Trust

In “socialist” Sweden, when battling coronavirus, authorities seem to trust more their citizens than in America, the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

In April 2016 Swedish authorities issued my mother a driver license that would have expired when she was almost 103 years of age. Asking about the wisdom of such thing, I was told that in Sweden the Swedes were supposed to know when they were fit to drive or not.

That applies to coronavirus behavior too

Conflict of interest 

The 70 years or older, in terms of health, are more a Covid-19 vulnerable group. Since therefore we might unwittingly suggest actions way too costly for those more vulnerable to its socio-economic consequences, perhaps though we should much take care of ourselves we should totally abstain from recommending Covid-19 responses.

Quarantine for those under 40 years of age?

If the percentage of those under 40 years of age that die of all causes, is higher than the percentage rate of that same age group that die from coronavirus/COVID19, how can it make any sense to subject them to a quarantine and its economic consequences?

Don't mortgage our youngers' future

If total deaths from COVID19 to total population is 0.2%, in US that would be 700.000 deaths. 

If of those deaths the younger than 50 years are 5%, that would represent 35.000 deaths of younger Americans 

Take care of the older, but do not mortgage the future of the young

In Washington Post.

Roughly 90% of all coronavirus deaths will occur in those 60 years of age and older. Equally roughly 90% of the virus’s social and economic consequences will be paid by those younger than 60. It’s an intergenerational conflict of monstrous proportions.

Relevant Universe Bias:

For now, I have four grandchildren, all whom I love dearly.
But, if I had 100 grandchildren, if knowing that safeguarding 2 of them from the worst Covid-19 consequences could bleak the future of the other 98, would I feel the same about what we should do?

God make us daring!

And for God’s sake, if there are any moment banks should try to do ‘God’s work’, meaning taking the risks the society needs to move forward, it is now.

The risk weighted bank capital requirements based on expected credit risks, are insane!

The robots will be further empowered:

And coronavirus will most probably increase the robotization speed of our economies, so now there is more need than ever of decent and worthy unemployments, something which must include the launching of an unconditional Universal Basic Income.

SCHOOLS - Sweden

Here are current data of Covid-19 deaths in Sweden that explains the wisdom of keeping schools up to 9th grade open.

Higher education:

And our higher education systems must adapt to harsher times, perhaps by making it much more a joint venture between students and professors.

Nobel prizes in virtual online teaching:

At this moment, much more important than a Nobel Prize in Economics, is are Nobel Prizes for the Best Virtual Online Teacher/Professor in the World, in the categories of children under 10, high schools, universities, and of course business schools

What if a coronavirus II / Covid-19 II?

The capacity to borrow at a reasonable interest rate (or the seigniorage when printing money) is a very valuable strategic sovereign asset, and it should not be squandered away.

Banks, the morning after Covid-19

We need to get rid of the perceived expected credit risk weighted bank capital requirements and impose a leverage ratio of 8%-15%; and sack all dangerous equity minimizing leverage maximizing creative engineers and put our banks back into the hands of savvy loan officers. 

Do all dead from Covid-19 represent the same problem?

When responding to Covid-19 should all those residents and staffers of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities who in US represent about 40% of all Covid-19 deaths, in Sweden closer to 50%, be bundled up with all other? I don’t think so.

PS. This is a post that will be in continued revision

PS. May 16, 2020 I turned 70 and posted this

PS. December 2020: The adequate response to a Covid-190 when hopes for vaccines were two or three years away must clearly differ a lot from the one when it looks like vaccines are only two or three months away. The opportunity cost of not taken precautions has now dramatically increased.

PS. January 2021:Once the most endangered had been vaccinated, would it be so wrong to have an official market, e.g. in the US, where e.g. 30 million vaccines are sold at, e.g. US$ 2.000? That would help pay for 1.200 million vaccines, at least.

PS. February 2021: How many of our elder would still be alive if only expert epidemiologists had said that the elderly care and the senior retirements homes, needed to have independent air conditioning, heating, ventilation units, or have counted with first class air filtering systems?

PS. February 2021: I’m all for obtaining Covid-19 herd immunity, but the terminology makes me somewhat uneasy. It makes me think on whether with the alternative of strict lockdowns, some are looking to impose on humanity, on our Western civilization, some herd docility.

PS. March 2021: The battle of our times: Herd Immunity vs. Herd Docility

PS. April 2021: A return to a pre-pandemic world would have little to do with Covid-19/vaccines; much more to do with the responses to it: e.g., clearing all debt-overhangs, changes in work-methods, and many forms of herd-docility profiteering… therefore such a return, in my time, is a mirage.

PS. April 2021: When is a pandemic no longer a pandemic?

PS. November 2021: Should we vaccinated not be very thankful for that a group of without preconditions citizens, are willing (heroes) to keep on being unvaccinated (the placebo), and thereby serve the scientist as a control group for Covid vaccines, for the benefit of future generations?

PS. November 2021: Have your national health authorities identified without preconditions citizens willing to keep on being unvaccinated (placebo), and thereby serve science as a control group for Covid vaccines? If not, why? Is such research not a question of national security?

My tweets on debt to equity conversions in times of a pandemic

Debt to equity conversions

With so much corporate debt in danger of being pushed down by COVID19 into junk rated territory, both debtors and creditors might need massive debt to equity conversions, in order to buy the time needed to reactivate assets, before these also become junk.

What companies merit help?

For highly indebted companies, whether they are important and viable enough to merit help from taxpayers, from money printers or from banks, by grants and not loans, the proof in the pudding is in first seeing hefty debt to equity conversions.

Dividends? Buybacks?

How much of the investment grade rated bonds that have been downgraded to junk should have to be converted into equity so as to have the remainders of those bonds recover an investment grade rating?

Credit rating agencies, please answer: 

How much of the investment grade rated bonds that have been downgraded to junk, should be converted into equity so as to have the remainders of those bonds recover an investment grade rating, and all before company assets also become junk?

Airlines

How much of airline’s debts should be converted into equity in other to safeguard assets for the benefits of creditors and shareholders alike? 

I mean before some hungry profiteering bankruptcy lawyers move in and turn everything into junk/scrap.

Taxpayers help?

In highly indebted companies, whether they are important and viable enough to merit help from taxpayers, the proof in the pudding is in first seeing hefty debt to equity conversions.

Notgeld - emergency money, a British Museum exhibition... in times of coronavirus

British Museum “Currency in crisis: German emergency money 1914-1924”

Notgeld, or ‘emergency money', from the early Weimar Republic, is a powerful illustration of the turbulent years during and after the First World War in Germany.

This exhibition reveals how this temporary currency responded to a national crisis with distinctive designs commenting on German society and politics. These range from the Turnip Notgeld lamenting the disastrous food shortage of 1917, to richly illustrated designs featuring regional landmarks and folk narratives, intended to buoy a population hungry for reassurance.

In its short lifespan, Notgeld's purpose and design changed dramatically. It was introduced as a substitute currency during a coin shortage in First World War, with patriotic and sometimes subversive messages. Popular with German people, it became highly collectible and then, during the hyperinflation of 1923, regained its role as an alternative currency. In the chaotic early years of the Weimar Republic (1919–1933), designs often depicted idealised views of German history and culture as well as exciting travel advertisements, appealing to a people longing to shake off the bitter war years.

Intrinsically bound to German identity and the upheaval that followed the First World War, Notgeld is a fascinating microcosm of public feeling in post-war Germany.

Does “wasting” money on “an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard” negatively affect the poor?

March 8, 2020, I went to a mass in my mother’s hometown, Karlskrona Sweden.

That date the Lord’s words was from Mark 14:3-9

3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 

5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.

6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 

7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 

8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.

9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

The preaching that followed was beautiful and true, but I felt it left out something very important of that what Jesus was alluding to.

I refer to: would have that “alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard” even existed, had someone not been willing and capable of paying more than a year’s wages for it? 

And, after more than a year’s wages had been paid for it, what stopped that money from not going to the poor? Those who helped produce that perfume, would most probably be less poor than if they had not have had that chance.

It was not the first time my mind was wandering into that direction

My tweets on what the coronavirus should inspire in the USA

Coronavirus inspires:

Immediate elimination of all US health sector discrimination in price, access or quality, between insured and uninsured

As is all get the short end of the stick of non-transparent deals between insurance companies and health sectors

https://teawithft.blogspot.com/2009/06/but-there-is-minimum-minimorum-reform.html

The elimination of risk weighted bank capital requirements that so dangerously distort allocation of credit in favor of sovereign and “the safer”, thereby disfavoring “the risky”, the always so much needed, and so much credit needing, SMEs / entrepreneurs

http://subprimeregulations.blogspot.com/2019/07/risk-weights-are-to-access-to-credit.html

It marks a beautiful opportunity to introduce an unconditional universal basic income UBI, a citizens’ dividend, that could be funded with high carbon taxes and a tax on the advertising revenues derived from exploiting the citizens’ personal data.

http://myubi.blogspot.com/2017/01/my-universal-basic-income.html

Churchill and Covid-19?

February 27, 2020, (again) I visited London’s Churchill War Rooms

And March 14, 2020, I tweeted: 

"Endure" Again I visited Churchill War Rooms in London Reading UK’s plans of building up herd immunity against coronavirus, I wonder whether Winston would not have agreed with such stiff upper lip policy “I've nothing to offer but coughing, fever, chills and shortness of breath”

PS. Most specially when the vaccines then seemed to be years away

A battle of our times: Herd Immunity vs. Herd Docility

PS. “Don't be a defeatist dear! It’s so middle class”

PS. My Tweets in Times of a Pandemic