Althouse: Rush hour.

March 16, 2020

Rush hour.

Rush hour - 8am- at 16th & I St. NW. Washington,DC. pic.twitter.com/4fKans1Ept
— Doug Mills (@dougmillsnyt) March 16, 2020

78 comments:

RNB said...: Is there any fedgov administrative work that cannot be done from a computer at home?

Now, how about if 'home' is in Idaho?; 3/16/20, 11:43 AM
Bay Area Guy said...: I had lunch in San Francisco last Friday -- a ghost town.; 3/16/20, 11:43 AM
ngtrains said...: Government employees will accomplish less damage by being home instead of at work; 3/16/20, 11:54 AM
YoungHegelian said...: That's on I street looking east toward 16th St.

I've parked in those garages multiple times.

The building on the right with the American flags is the headquarters of the AFL-CIO, where one of my best buddies works in IT.; 3/16/20, 11:54 AM
ngtrains said...: Government employees will accomplish less damage by being home instead of at work.; 3/16/20, 11:55 AM
Luke Lea said...: At what point does the cure become worse than the disease?; 3/16/20, 11:56 AM
Bob Smith said...: Every Monday and Friday you can fire a cannon through the parking lots the pubbies use in my town. This is nothing new.; 3/16/20, 11:57 AM
Bay Area Guy said...: Not to bother anyone with numbers, but...

Washington, D.C (Population 700,000)

No. of Corona cases - 17
No. of Corona deaths - 0

Source .

In other words, there have been many more Crack overdoses in DC this year, than Corona virus deaths.; 3/16/20, 12:06 PM
wildswan said...: DC - my hometown. What an incredible picture. Way back in the early Fifties if you went through early in the morning on Sunday, it was a bit like that. Then it became busy and busier and gridlocked and touristed. Though it looks the same, this isn't people resting, this is people fleeing, hiding. Not calm, but eerie.

PS. The DC gov will go bankrupt if there are enough parking spaces and it can't ticket and tow. That's a large essential part of their income.; 3/16/20, 12:06 PM
Fernandinande said...: Government employees will accomplish less damage by being home instead of at work

I'm sticking to my basic philosophies that the MSM is as dishonest as it can get away with, and that the government makes things worse perhaps more often than it makes things better.

Lileks was in top form -

"... people who seem stunned to find that the systems in which they placed their trust for their entire lives were not, as it turned out, beavering away on their core mission.

'Hey, if we have a pandemic, and we have to switch to an online model, what will our pay structure be, and what will the codes for billing be?'

'Good question. Let’s form a working group on this. Email all the stakeholders, each of whom will come with a set of objections designed to make them look important and concerned and knowledgeable, and when the group’s done we’ll submit the results to the task force, which will pass them over to billing, which will roll its eyes because it’s dealing with other things you just can’t imagine, but they’ll form their own working group and come up with a set of guidelines that either contradict our own or present a totally new set of barriers, or probably both. We should get this done by the end of the year.' "; 3/16/20, 12:07 PM
rcocean said...: The Lobbyists stay home. Parasites don't need to work every day in the office. They can hand out the graft by phone.; 3/16/20, 12:07 PM
rcocean said...: Office dwelling Federal employees can work at home for a while without anything suffering. Today most of Corporate America and state,local, Federal Government jobs are computerized and you can take your computer home.; 3/16/20, 12:08 PM
rcocean said...: Most college courses could be taught online without anyone losing. But parents want the kids out of the house.; 3/16/20, 12:09 PM
Achilles said...: 3 people died of COVID-19 in the US yesterday.

3.

There will be fewer flu deaths because of this at least and more people will wash their hands.

212 people died worldwide. Italy isn't reporting yet so that should be ~300 people dying worldwide.

An order of magnitude more people died of the flu.; 3/16/20, 12:12 PM
Achilles said...: Stupid bleating sheep.; 3/16/20, 12:14 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: In the 40s - 60s, my Grandparents operated an upscale clothing store in Dupont Circle (many years before Home Rule.) At some point, the building owner wanted to cash out, and offered to sell the building to my grandparents. After much handwringing negotiations, they decided against. Didn't think it would appreciate that fast, didn't want to over-extend themselves.

Store closed in, early 70s, they retired to Ft. Lauderdale.

And, there went my goddam multi-million dollar inheritance!; 3/16/20, 12:15 PM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: There's talk of having Congress legislate remotely. What a pile of shit. If you don't have the minimal courage needed to show up for work, you have no business occupying the office.; 3/16/20, 12:18 PM
MikeD said...: I'd be happy if it looked like that 24/365.; 3/16/20, 12:21 PM
Achilles said...: This twitter thread of Anne Applebaum's is lit.

Our media is now running interference for China after causing this panic.

Anne Applebaum is an evil person.

The media are evil people.

There are dozens of posts by complete pieces of shit on that thread.; 3/16/20, 12:21 PM
narciso said...: it's ironic, because her books on the gulag and the iron curtain are very good, yet she seems willing to impose that system here,; 3/16/20, 12:26 PM
ga6 said...: Year ,to date, as of yesterday, 15 March the number of homicides in Chicago was 92. Population of Chicago less than 3 million. What is the Covid count again?; 3/16/20, 12:28 PM
Fernandinande said...: Dancing in the streets after Nosferatu brings the plague to Wismar.

(Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre); 3/16/20, 12:30 PM
rcocean said...: Cnn and the others are constantly showing a scary map full of Red showing the Wuhan Virus cases.

Its completely misleading. The SCOTUS has stopped oral arguments. How ridiculous. Just get rid of the audience. We're only talking about 30-40 people at most. This isn't going to flatten the curve of 320 million.

We're getting a lot of absurd closures of bars and restaurants because the Governors and Mayor want to show THEY are doing SOMETHING. Who's picking up the tab for all the unemployed barkeeps and waitresses?; 3/16/20, 12:31 PM
Achilles said...: Jennifer Rubin:

“There is a particular cruelty/irony that it is their core viewers, the Republican older viewers, who are the most at risk,” Rubin said. “And when you think about it, which party immediately canceled all of their rallies? Which party immediately started having their political figures really portray and use their lies as an example? It was the Democrats.”

“So, I hate to put it this way, but there will be less Democrat deaths because there will be less mass gatherings,” she continued. “There will be less opportunities for people to congregate and share this horrible disease. So it is really a very short-sighted strategy.”

You can just feel the hate and condescension oozing out of these people as they show you just how terrible they are and what they really want.; 3/16/20, 12:32 PM
rcocean said...: With regard to stupid creeps like Applebaum, Kristol, Will, Erickson, French, Willamson, etc. the question is, do you engage with their stupidity or ignore them? Its probably better to ignore their waste of time opinions - but its tempting to read it.; 3/16/20, 12:33 PM
gilbar said...: i wasn't taking this whole 'epidemic' thing seriously; but i AM i now!
"Chicago: 85 people have been killed this year. That is 28 more than 2019."
Of course, i'm talking about a murder epidemic; 3/16/20, 12:33 PM
rcocean said...: Jennifer Rubin has ZERO credibility. i have her on my "Don't read list" along with Max Boot, and Ross Dounut of the times.; 3/16/20, 12:34 PM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: This and the market reaction to it is what I wanted to avoid, because it spreads misery immediately in exchange for promised reductions in sickness and misery later. Simplified, of course. Failing that let me show a few ways our medical system is more robust and able to adapt to the current pandemic.

1. Private system relies on high paying customers to cover expenses on less profitable areas of operations. Thus there’s tons of elective surgeries always scheduled that can be delayed indefinitely when beds and hands are needed elsewhere.
2. Disaster preparedness and training takes place all the time many places for obvious reasons and organizations and municipalities are training people continuously to set up huge mobile triage stations.
3. We aren’t Italy or the UK saddled with already-overwhelmed government run healthcare, and we have far fewer chain smokers and we closed borders early enough that the curve started a lot flatter than over there.

We may be inventing a new paradigm for virus control. We might be able to save half the 80,000 deaths from normal flu every year just by adopting some of the easy hygiene habits we are now adopting.; 3/16/20, 12:44 PM
Char Char Binks, Esq. said...: I guess everybody died from ChiCom flu.; 3/16/20, 12:46 PM
n.n said...: "Chicago: 85 people have been killed this year. That is 28 more than 2019."

Homicides, rejudged and relabeled for liberal culture consumption.; 3/16/20, 12:46 PM
Achilles said...: rcocean said...
With regard to stupid creeps like Applebaum, Kristol, Will, Erickson, French, Willamson, etc. the question is, do you engage with their stupidity or ignore them? Its probably better to ignore their waste of time opinions - but its tempting to read it.

They are past the point of ignoring.

They are evil and doing real damage.

Joe Biden promised no border enforcement and no deportations for the first 100 days of his administration. He also promised free health care for illegals.

You can't ignore people who want to destroy your country and have the means to do so.; 3/16/20, 12:46 PM
exhelodrvr1 said...: There is a very negative economic side to this "social distancing" - and it seems we are well into the area of diminishing returns and virtue signaling.; 3/16/20, 12:49 PM
n.n said...: College courses... But parents want the kids out of the house.

The kids, ostensibly, want to be out of the house. It's part of the university ethos of expanding your horizons at progressive prices.; 3/16/20, 12:50 PM
Static Ping said...: It is nice they are taking it seriously. I heard that the bars and clubs were packed just a few days ago. Maybe they still are but at least no one is going to work that does not need to go to work.; 3/16/20, 12:56 PM
Browndog said...: As death and hospitalization rates fall, mandatory quarantines and virtual marshall law keeps expanding, both in scope and duration.

Watch how fast "testing" becomes unimportant and is replaced with a different unknowable.; 3/16/20, 1:00 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: I am surprised to be the first commenter to remind that most govt workers are non-essential.; 3/16/20, 1:10 PM
Matt said...: Yeah, it was a sweet commute in today. 15 mins rather than the usual 45. Everybody in my office is in today, which I'm surprised to see.

Fingers crossed they aren't part of the .000012% of the country infected.; 3/16/20, 1:14 PM
Static Ping said...: rcocean: The SCOTUS has stopped oral arguments. How ridiculous.

Given the age and health of several members of the court, this actually makes sense. These are the sort of people who should be isolating themselves as they are high risk. As much as I would like to give Trump some more Supreme Court nominations, this is not the way to do it.; 3/16/20, 1:19 PM
narciso said...: you forgot humours, and other manifestations of our modern medical system,; 3/16/20, 1:20 PM
Static Ping said...: For the record I am also working from home today and probably for the week, maybe longer. I caught a cold, or at least what I hope is a cold, about 3 weeks ago and my company encouraged me to stay home until it is gone. Fortunately, I can do a lot of things from home, but I can't do everything.; 3/16/20, 1:22 PM
rhhardin said...: Don't all the closing orders count as takings? Legal order but the govt has to pay for it.; 3/16/20, 1:56 PM
Marc in Eugene said...: I'm sticking to my basic philosophies that the MSM is as dishonest as it can get away with, and that the government makes things worse perhaps more often than it makes things better.

I don't know if this attitude is "helping" or not.; 3/16/20, 2:04 PM
narciso said...: across the oceans; 3/16/20, 2:05 PM
Lurker21 said...: Wow. Anne Applebaum really hates Trump. It's visceral. And she's gone darkly negative on the crisis and the country. I only know her from her writing on Eastern European history, which I thought very good.

I guess it shouldn't be a surprise. Applebaum works for the Washington Post and the Atlantic. She lives in three countries. She and her husband have had trouble with Polish rightists. So she's not keen on nationalist talk. Apparently she's also close to David Frum and his wife. Retweets Frum, Max Boot, Rick Wilson, and various Obamistas. She's part of the media blob. They really do hate Trump.

But rather than launch into "They hate us and want to kill us," one might reflect that there are people on both sides of the political divide who have vehement hatred for those on the other side. You can also see the downside of Twitter and social media: no perspective. Every new report or story or rumor comes up and is more material the opinions one already has. How things will look months or years from now doesn't enter into the picture.; 3/16/20, 2:06 PM
Marc in Eugene said...: While I'm generally willing to agree with the idea that "helping" is better than the alternatives, I have to admit that I'm getting pretty tired of the WETA [DC public radio] people's brief homilies between each piece of classical music each of them more or less on the verse 'We Need Cheering Up Amidst All the Gloominess'. Am a creature of habit but it's probably time to find another radio station to listen to.; 3/16/20, 2:11 PM
Curious George said...: Potawatomi Hotel and Casino is closing.; 3/16/20, 2:19 PM
gilbar said...: NYC Fuhrer Warren Wilhelm Jr BUSTED, using a closed YMCA gym, for his own private use

“The YMCA has been a huge part of his and his family’s life, like it has been for a lot of New Yorkers. It’s clear that’s about to change and before that, the mayor wanted to visit a place that keeps him grounded one last time,” a spokesperson told NBC’s New York affiliate. "After today, gyms will close and he will no longer be visiting the YMCA for the forseeable future."

Now that he was Busted, sneaking off to his (now) private gym; he says it will be the "last time"; and that he will no longer be visiting the YMCA, until they can be sure that be won't be able to notice; 3/16/20, 2:42 PM
gilbar said...: that people won't be able to notice; 3/16/20, 2:43 PM
Richard Dolan said...: You could post a similar picture from Manhattan today. Brooklyn has a bit more street life, but not much more. The impact of all this on the million family-run delis, bars, restaurants, groceries, etc., that are everywhere in NYC will be horrendous. Ordering take-out is the only way to try to keep some of them going. Chinatown especially is getting hit hard. Awful.; 3/16/20, 2:50 PM
HT said...: ga6 said...

Year ,to date, as of yesterday, 15 March the number of homicides in Chicago was 92. Population of Chicago less than 3 million. What is the Covid count again?
3/16/20, 12:28 PM

_____________

Unfortunately, COVID-19 has yet to begin.; 3/16/20, 3:22 PM
Nichevo said...: What odds these massively excessive safety measures cut down on all deaths, flu, car accident, whatever? What then? This becomes the new normal?; 3/16/20, 3:32 PM
Michael K said...: Traffic in Tucson looks pretty normal. Went to two markets; one in an upper middle class area. People wearing gloves and using hand wipes. Not too bad on inventory.

The other, with a lower middle class clientele, shelves bare and the checker said we need to get there at 6 AM before the hoarders have cleaned it out. We tend to shop at the second because prices are lower and some items, like milk, sell faster and the expiration dates are more current.; 3/16/20, 3:45 PM
Ken B said...: “ In other words, there have been many more Crack overdoses in DC this year, than Corona virus deaths.”

What's the R0 for crack overdoses?; 3/16/20, 3:59 PM
tim in vermont said...: https://news.yahoo.com/italians-over-80-left-die-151225888.html; 3/16/20, 4:01 PM
Ken B said...: “ 3 people died of COVID-19 in the US yesterday.

3.

There will be fewer flu deaths because of this at least and more people will wash their hands.

212 people died worldwide. Italy isn't reporting yet so that should be ~300 people dying worldwide.”

Guess you missed it. 368 died in Italy. Just italy, just one day.

Don’t know how you missed it, we discussed here at Althouse’s blog, where you are a regular.; 3/16/20, 4:02 PM
Ken B said...: I agree with Achilles about Applebaum though. Shilling for the Chinese communists, and in the worst possible way.; 3/16/20, 4:03 PM
tim in vermont said...: You can calculate the odds that if you were Italian, you would be left to die

https://www.mdcalc.com/charlson-comorbidity-index-cci; 3/16/20, 4:04 PM
effinayright said...: Whoa! I used to work at a patent law firm on that block. We sublet General Lucius Clay's office, as he was hardly ever there. It was very nicely furnished and looked out onto Lafayette Park and the White House on the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue.

(Clay led the Berlin airlift. When Kennedy declared himself to be a German jelly donut, Clay was at his side); 3/16/20, 5:25 PM
effinayright said...: I live in suburban Boston. Apparently my local supermarket was mobbed the past few days, so I waited until today to shop.

The place wasn't crowded at all. Yes, the shelves usually filled with toilet paper, paper towels and like were empty, thanks to the mindless frenzy this past weekend. Ditto for bottled water, an utterly superfluous item given the excellent quality of our municipal water supply.

The only thing I wanted but couldn't get was chicken. Aside from a few forlorn packages of chicken feet, there was none.

Mmmm, chicken feet.; 3/16/20, 5:36 PM
Jim at said...: At what point does the cure become worse than the disease?

We're past it.; 3/16/20, 5:42 PM
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...: Well morons, this is definitely and officially the economy that Trump brought you.

In his infinite wisdom and greatness-ifying of America, he decided that we were too good for test kits. So instead of knowing who's at risk and isolating selectively, every American basically has to isolate from everyone else. What a fitting metaphor for how selfish a man he is and how selfish a country his idiotic followers think we need to be to survive.

In the meantime, the one thing that matters more to them than anything else - money - becomes worthless. At least if you participate in the economy or invest at all.

So what's the Republican track record by now on decimating the DJIA? Three for three? Including the two consecutive most recent Republican presidents?

ANd yet, you still vote for them. Every time.

Thanks for destroying America, your only apparent talent in American politics and government.

I think it's time for this country let some Democrats in so we can actually start building, rebuilding and renewing. AGAIN. Finally. I think America is screaming "uncle" on the question of, "How much worse can Republicans make everything?"

Pretty fucking shitty. There is no bottom to how low Republicans repeatedly take this country. AND its economy. The only part that matters to them, anyway.; 3/16/20, 5:51 PM
Jim at said...: Go lick a doorknob, Ritmo.; 3/16/20, 5:58 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: Ken B said...
I agree with Achilles about Applebaum though. Shilling for the Chinese communists, and in the worst possible way.

3/16/20, 4:03 PM

I admired her book "Gulag" a great deal.

I'm sad to hear she has lost her soul.; 3/16/20, 5:59 PM
tim in vermont said...: I didn’t read his whole comment, but Ritmo sure loves a debunked talking point. Screaming headlines on CNN, debunked in the small print elsewhere. When even the Washington Post is debunking your anti Trump agitprop, you have to think you went over the top, but not our pee pee tapes.; 3/16/20, 6:12 PM
Achilles said...: President Toilet Paper Shoe's Cooked-Up Drug Deal said...

Pretty fucking shitty. There is no bottom to how low Republicans repeatedly take this country. AND its economy. The only part that matters to them, anyway.

If you didn't post here, people wouldn't believe how terrible you all are.

Thank you for what you do.; 3/16/20, 6:13 PM
rcocean said...: "She lives in three countries. She and her husband have had trouble with Polish rightists"

The fact that she lives in the USA, and some other country, while telling the Poles what to do (which I assume is accept Globalization and internationalism) probably doesn't go down well in a small country that's spent 200 years fighting for its existence. Frst the 1796(?) partition, then occupation by three Empires, then WW 1, then WW2, then communist domination for 45 years.; 3/16/20, 6:14 PM
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...: If you didn't post here, people wouldn't believe how terrible you all are.

Nowhere near terrible enough to do this country what Trump did.

Nowhere near terrible enough to actually DEFEND what he did as you are.

You are a disgusting person.

Say hi to some of those dead people in your state. I won't be going there anytime soon. And neither will most Americans.

No need for me to say anything colorful to you here. Simply recounting your priorities in this and what they led to is vituperative enough.; 3/16/20, 6:17 PM
effinayright said...: Ritmo inhaled deeply from his bong and said:

So what's the Republican track record by now on decimating the DJIA? Three for three? Including the two consecutive most recent Republican presidents?
******************

You need to ask yourself: if GOP policies "decimate" the DJIA, why the DJIA rose so much under GOP politicians and policies to begin with?

You're a dull tool, man, a dull tool.

If the knife-in-the-drawer example still holds, you are the freakin CLAM KNIFE.; 3/16/20, 6:24 PM
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...: You need to ask yourself: if GOP policies "decimate" the DJIA, why the DJIA rose so much under GOP politicians and policies to begin with?

This if funny. It's like asking why if heroin is so bad, why do people knock the nice high that comes before it stops your breathing and heart.

Looks like those Magic Tax Cutting Economy Beans couldn't stop His Greatness from getting enough Americans tested to keep the economy from free fall.

The voters will remember. Oh, they'll remember this part. Not the part that came before it. And neither will those investors for whom you did it while instead claiming that you were really helping out "the forgotten man."; 3/16/20, 6:33 PM
effinayright said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/16/20, 6:45 PM
effinayright said...: Blogger President Toilet Paper Shoe's Cooked-Up Drug Deal said...

"This if funny. It's like asking why if heroin is so bad, why do people knock the nice high that comes before it stops your breathing and heart."
***********

IDIOCY.

Snorting heroin is bad from the start, despite the high. Continuing to do guarantees a worse result.

Or are you saying that a market boom is inherently a bad thing from the start?

Dull tool, man, Dull tool.; 3/16/20, 6:48 PM
Don said...: In four weeks the growth rate of infections will go from unbelievable to linear. And the bottom of the market will be in.; 3/16/20, 6:49 PM
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...: Snorting heroin is bad from the start, despite the high.

Not the psychological effect, which is the only role you foresee the market playing.

Structurally Trump is remaking an economy of the past instead of an economy of the future.

You know nothing of economics and care only for market psychology. Which is why you want a sales marketing charlatan leading it.; 3/16/20, 7:02 PM
effinayright said...: President Toilet Paper Shoe's Cooked-Up Drug Deal said...
Snorting heroin is bad from the start, despite the high.

Not the psychological effect, which is the only role you foresee the market playing.
**************

Oh sure-----AS IF there's no real, actual financial benefit to millions who see their wealth rising.

The score thus far:

ME: INFINITY
YOU: dick

dull tool, man. dull tool.; 3/16/20, 8:39 PM
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...: Oh sure-----AS IF there's no real, actual financial benefit to millions who see their wealth rising.

All erased in just a few short weeks.... POOF.

You don't get credit for building wealth, for adding a job, for generating income... if you take it a away, Dumb-Dumb.

Or is that just how Replundericans are? Taking away jobs, wealth and income and then beating their chests about how they brought it about.... earlier???

ROFLMAO!!! Your stupidity competes for your immorality! Replunderican dumb-dumb-ness preserved!

Awesome.; 3/16/20, 9:45 PM
Michael K said...: I see Ritmo has crawled out from the rock under which he resides.

What a miserable human being, being generous to call him human. The internet provides a forum for the scum of the earth,; 3/16/20, 9:47 PM
DavidUW said...: Non essential means fire-able. Just fire them already.; 3/16/20, 10:44 PM
Michael said...: Ritmo on the economy. Sad. Not hard to imagine that there are legions equally stupid.; 3/17/20, 1:03 PM