Okay..... NOW we can panic

by Jon Sullivan - 2020-03-12 - Opinion

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I hope you all have enough toilet paper. Because there ain't no more in the store.

And yeah, check the office supply stores. But you better do it fast because they are selling out too. We've been reduced as a nation to sharing hot tips on where you can buy toilet paper. No shit.

Luckily I just bought a bunch before this all started. So I think I'll have enough. But obviously I'll be conserving. No reason to think this won't last for months. And the president seems determined to get us all killed. Leave dying people on a cruise ship in the harbor so our "numbers" don't go up???? Yeah..... I don't think we can count on him at all.

At this point I'm just numb. I've been counting on this Belgium trip for close to a year. Some of the stuff I've already paid for might be refundable. And surprise surprise, travel insurance doesn't cover global pandemic. Still, I don't even care about that as much as just not being able to go. And right now I have no idea whether it will happen or not. Things are changing so fast. A week ago we were all laughing about the hysteria, and now we have travel from Europe banned.

Chancellor Merkel in Germany is predicting a 60-70% infection rate. Even if the mortality rate is only 1%, that's still close to a million people dead in Germany alone. Maybe her numbers are wrong. But no matter what the numbers are, a hell of a lot of people are going to die. Is going on holiday to charming Belgian villages to drink sour beer and eat fried potatoes during a global pandemic a good idea? And what about having zero faith I'd even be able to get back into the US?

So right now, what is hysteria and what is prudent caution? With things changing by the hour, is there even really an answer to those questions? Two weeks ago hoarding toilet paper would have been insane. Today it's not so crazy.

It's not hysteria when you can't buy toilet paper any more.

I'm wondering what else I should be stocking up on. Coffee? Canned goods? Water? Is a run on the banks even possible anymore? Should I take out some cash? I'll bet all the doomsday preppers we made fun of are laughing their heads off now.

It's not hysteria when you can't buy toilet paper any more.

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