The 2020 Covid-19 Recession and Detroit

[Jimaz]

The government may have to provide stimulus to prevent the system from collapsing, but it should be done in a Great Depression-style.

Pay people to rebuild our country's infrastructure while establishing programs such as M4A or UBI to support people who lose their jobs when their companies fail.

Furthermore, if the government does provide support to businesses, the conditions should include a majority ownership stake by the FED until the loans are paid in full with interest along with the stipulation that no employees lose their job, those employees are paid a certain minimum wage, stock buybacks are prohibited and they can't seek out assistance for up to 10 years after the loans are paid.

Wow. There's a lot of meat on that bone. I can't say I disagree.

One thing this coronavirus crisis has made clear is that our economy is nowhere near as resilient as it was promised to be.

I'm noticing the emergence of economic failures that cascade in unexpected ways. E.g., the public reaction to the coronavirus crisis causes irrational toilet paper hoarding, which causes alternatives like "flushable" wipes to be flushed, which causes an expensive 400% increase in unmanageable sewage system debris [[according to Candice Miller in Macomb County).

A local CVS has had empty toilet paper shelves for many weeks now. If the private sector is too fragile to keep the supply chain flowing, perhaps it's time for the public sector to step up "Great Depression-style" measures if only to warehouse TP stockpiles sufficient to bridge demand fluctuations.

From what I've read, the private sector can't afford to stockpile low-margin TP because they're required to make a profit. Maybe instead the public sector can justify that expense to save on fatberg removal costs?

[Zacha341]

The greed and hoarding [[on both sides - stores and buyers) brought us to this place. Many weeks ago stores where allowing people to purchase five 12 packs at a time! Good times for all!

Aldi's has TP, but as a German-based company they are off the standard inventory/ supply grid. I've shopped Farmington Hills store - they seem to be well stocked of most things... for now.

...A local CVS has had empty toilet paper shelves for many weeks now. If the private sector is too fragile to keep the supply chain flowing, perhaps it's time for the public sector to step up "Great Depression-style" measures if only to warehouse TP stockpiles sufficient to bridge demand fluctuations.