Life continues to twist.

I’m still uncomfortable with the whole stay-at-home thing, but I know it’s going to get better.    Tomorrow, we’ll probably get the car back.    That means I can go to the park and move about a bit.   In a way, it’s not a lot, but it’s something.

The best part is that I’ll get to walk to get it.   That’s some three miles.
I’m just hoping that it doesn’t rain.

Florida has been absolutely parched and needs the rain, no doubt, but just not tomorrow.

The longer-term effects are starting to pop up – earlier than what I’d expect it too.

First, there were panic buying and shipping line issues.  That’s just natural.   When people don’t know what to do, they buy.    It’s part of Maslow.    Most have an instinctual need to create security.   To do so, they buy and buy.      Buying also helps people feel that they have control of their environment.

It makes them feel good.   They’re securing themselves, family, and friends.  “Got mine/ours.”

Course that makes everyone else freak out when there isn’t anything for them to buy.

Anyway, scarce items.   Poor shipping.

But, we had the source.  The factories are pumping out product, rather it is beef or toilet paper.   They were creating.   Help is on the way.

Well, help is slowing.
The factories are starting to slow down.   Meat factories and producers are starting to close in fear of the virus.

There may be about a month of delay, but it’ll start showing.    There will be fewer pieces.   Less quality.  Prices will go up… not that anyone will really notice.   It’s no secret that meat is disappearing, but there’s generally a few packages of ground turkey.

Big chunks of meat, like roasts and hams, are generally untouched.  No one knows how to cook them so they’re left alone.

But, soon, they’ll disappear too if something doesn’t happen.

What will happen when meat, a staple of American’s diet, disappears?

It’s either going to be a second rush of panic or a giant meh.
Adrenaline only goes so far before people are just burnt out.

This will pincer other products, like eggs.    More money is made by growing chickens than selling eggs.   The price of eggs will go up.    Anything that takes eggs and chicken… like noodles… soup…  pre-packaged stir-frys…  will go up and become more scarce as they’re more user-friendly than an egg.

Arby’s roast beef.  Whoppers.   KFC.
Already struggling, they will have to raise prices just to cover the few employees left and the purchase materials.

It would be a good time for everyone to sell and consolidate – probably under Disney…  Disney likes to buy everything —    We think a steak dinner at Texas Roadhouse is expensive now.    How much will the ‘steak’ from Steak and Shake cost?

To save the businesses, Americans need to spend – but we really don’t have a lot to spend.   We were getting better.   I think the spending I saw during Christmas was evidence of that.   People buying Pandora over socks.

But we weren’t there yet.  Anyone who spends responsibly knows that debts just don’t disappear overnight.   It can take years and years before the debt feels comfortable enough to expand upon again.

Those who don’t spend responsibly already had their credit cards and credit ratings trashed.    They need to pay off their debts too before they can spend with ‘impunity’ again.

As usual, we’re broke.  If we can’t afford the chicken now, we won’t be able to afford it at the end of the month when it doubles in price and becomes more scarce than toilet paper.

To ‘save’ the economy and way of life in general — parts of the government want to provide a certain amount of money per month.

The $1200 check could have been just the start.

Then what?
Americans should be able to get out of debt easier if there was a $2000 or more freely being deposited in the checking account every month.    If not out of debt, they could at least pay rent and buy that chicken.   At least one chicken.

Between the free money and unemployment, why bother work at all?   The base Maslow needs are covered or mostly covered.   Why should be bothered to do anything else?  To be creative?  To produce?

Sure, there will have to be someone to run the slaughter houses.  Those will be few in number and poorly paid.   That’s what will happen to those who are too prideful to accept unemployment.    They’ll become the new 1%.   The 1% that’s at the bottom of 99%.

Eventually, I see this evolving.
It is too much of a bother to give everyone money each month.   Those who are irresponsible with spending or have a run of bad luck can’t be trusted to buy basics and pay the rent.

It’d just be easier for the government to take over real estate.
Everyone would have groceries delivered based on who and how many people live in a residence.

Left overs will become a forgotten term from an old generation.

Excess is excessive.
It hurts the planet.   We can’t produce enough for everyone.
Pollution… whatever…  It’ll nibble at our freedoms.

We’ll wake up one day and things like malls will be a completely alien concept.    The buildings will be like modern dinosaur bones.  Well, those that aren’t repurposed into apartments for small families.

It’d be wasteful for a family two or three to have an actual house.   The land will be used to build parks or mansions for the 1%.

Slippery slope.

Hopefully, this is just stuff of a dystopian novel.

Who knows?