@shoptastic wrote:

So much fraud took place under TARP that it was a double whammy to distressed homeowners. First get hammered by the broader sub-prime mortgage meltdown economically. Second, have your remaining assets and life-savings squeezed out of you to the last drop (to use Neil Barofsky's words) under the pretense you could qualify for a mortgage modification program to keep your house - only to lose it anyways in the end (due to how incentives were aligned).

Really, this was a triple whammy. Those same fraudulently foreclosed upon homeowners now have the privilege of renting for the rest of their lives, as banks and private equity bought up all those distressed housing assets as millions of people were kicked out of their homes and rented them back out to those SAME people at higher prices.

This as been a huge "trade" for the last decade. Every week my parents get a call from some random person asking to buy their home. We've never heard of them. Often, they are not buying to sell, but instead buying to rent. Private equity has made a killing from renting to desperate people.

It's funny when you look at the hierarchy of the 2020 bailout, who got the most and first?:

hedge funds and private equity (who were levered up to the max and about to go bust)

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/2020 06:41PM by shoptastic.

@walesmaven wrote:

If those restaurants were franchises and the franchisees got the loans, that would be a different thing.

Loophole. The OWNER of the Ruth's Chris and Potbelly chains lobbied to keep their locations, FRANCHISES OR NOT, took advantage of it, plain and simple:

"The parent of the Ruth’s Chris steakhouse chain collected $20 million by applying through each of two subsidiaries. Taco Cabana qualified for a $10 million loan, and Potbelly Sandwich Shop landed a $10 million loan, the largest advance permitted per applicant under the PPP."
Source: [www.restaurantbusinessonline.com]

lol

sans Lighthizer, this is a list of incompetents and fraudsters with no high level of medical or economics expertise

I am feeling inept. I would not know how to post a picture when there is no Browse or Upload button.

I don't know either, and don't really care, but if you try to quote someone's post who did it, it will probably show you the command symbols to use.

@sestrahelena wrote:

I am feeling inept. I would not know how to post a picture when there is no Browse or Upload button.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

If this virus is like other corona viruses (like the common cold), then what? Immunity doesn't last long. Some people seem to catch a cold every year. This one just happens to kill some people.

JAS, from what I have read about the common cold, it is actually made up of many different viruses, including many different strains of previous corona viruses. Doctors don't even bother with testing to see exactly which virus you have, they just call it the common cold. Some of these "common cold" viruses you have been exposed to previously = no symptoms due to immunity, while others give you the dreaded runny nose, etc. I have read also that length of immunity protection does vary by virus which I don't completely understand.

One of the corona viruses floating around today may very well be the dreaded Spanish Flu from 1918. Perhaps years from now the "common cold" that you or your children catch may be a less virulent strain of covid-19?!
Some of the research I have done indicates that viruses tend to mutate into less damaging and deadly diseases over time. Since the goal of a virus seems to be simply using the host (us) to propagate the virus and spread, it makes good sense to keep your host alive long enough to accomplish that task. Pretty sure the virus couldn't care less what happens to their host (lives or dies) once propagation and spread are completed.

With covid-19 and the world shutdown, I now know WAY more about viruses, antibodies, and immunity then I ever thought possible or even wanted to ever know...lol!

Another effect of the virus some of us are feeling is concern over the gift cards we purchased with perks in December for use on mystery shops jobs. I have not even come close to using them up and fear that many of those locations will close forever. If they are still open and not mystery shopped at least I will get something in exchange for my purchase price. But if they are just gone so is our money. Some of the places I have gift cards for are not open for any business right now.

Not even for online?

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I don't know either, and don't really care, but if you try to quote someone's post who did it, it will probably show you the command symbols to use.

@sestrahelena wrote:

I am feeling inept. I would not know how to post a picture when there is no Browse or Upload button.

Don't feel that way; it's HTML language I picked up over the decades of being a Millennial with his Xanga, Asian Avenue and MySpace pages as a kid.

By the way, the HTML code for images is: [ i m g ] *insert DIRECT picture link . jpg [ / i m g]

Without the spaces, of course. Hope that helps! I refrained in the past from overusing imagines, because this seemed like a forum that doesn't use images much, so I mostly stay away from it even if there's no guidelines that say otherwise.

Thanks! I would not use it though. If we all started that, it would be imgur, not Mystery Shop Forum. Amiright?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/2020 08:34PM by sestrahelena.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Not even for online?

My biggest one is Souplantation where I stand to lose almost $150. No they are not at all open and the company was in trouble and had closed many locations. They told me that location was not on the closure list but I doubt any location will open again. Fingers crossed.. I love eating there once open salad places are safe again even on my own dime but that is a long way off. They serve open buffet salad bar. There is little opportunity to do that as delivery. They could have switched to prepared salads to go but they have not. (aka Sweet Tomatoes in other parts of the country. ) My local Chart House has closed for good. The next closest one is a very long drive away and requires me to valet park and pay for that.
I am sure other shoppers have purchased holiday gift cards for shops they do and that were for places they would not want to pay the high prices for out of pocket.

@sestrahelena wrote:

Thanks! I would not use it though. If we all started that, it would be imgur, not Mystery Shop Forum. Amiright?

Thank you. A few years ago some people got into posting pictures and it was disruptive. Especially when someone decided to put a photo in their signature line. Then of course got butt hurt when people complained and left.

@sestrahelena wrote:

Thanks! I would not use it though. If we all started that, it would be imgur, not Mystery Shop Forum. Amiright?

Not even close. Pictures added to your post, when done tastefully and in the right context, adds value and meaning to a post.

Well... I have never been known to be tasteful! Haha

Kansas, Illinois, Pennsylvania

@Tarantado wrote:

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I don't know either, and don't really care, but if you try to quote someone's post who did it, it will probably show you the command symbols to use.

@sestrahelena wrote:

I am feeling inept. I would not know how to post a picture when there is no Browse or Upload button.

Don't feel that way; it's HTML language I picked up over the decades of being a Millennial with his Xanga, Asian Avenue and MySpace pages as a kid.

By the way, the HTML code for images is: [ i m g ] *insert DIRECT picture link . jpg [ / i m g]

I learned HTML when I started on eBay almost 15-20 years ago.

Now I just pay a service to set up my listings in HTML code so they look sharp. It’s much faster.

@sandyf wrote:

Another effect of the virus some of us are feeling is concern over the gift cards we purchased with perks in December for use on mystery shops jobs. I have not even come close to using them up and fear that many of those locations will close forever. If they are still open and not mystery shopped at least I will get something in exchange for my purchase price. But if they are just gone so is our money. Some of the places I have gift cards for are not open for any business right now.

Same. I have about $150 in gift cards for a place I used to frequently mystery shop, and who knows if it will remain open. I didn't think that was a risk we would be taking when buying the gift cards.

@SoCalMama wrote:

I learned HTML when I started on eBay almost 15-20 years ago.

Now I just pay a service to set up my listings in HTML code so they look sharp. It’s much faster.

At a quick glance, I thought you were going to say that you too had a Xanga and a MySpace 15-20 years ago

@Tarantado, SCM and I are the same age and I had a MySpace page....

I have a $50 Jason's Deli gift card. They have a salad bar buffet. No telling when I'd feel safe to go.

Have money at a community bank and a mega bank. Not sure if they'll go out of business.

Took some cash out (just a few hundred) about one month ago. Is anyone concerned their banks may go under? Yes, these are FDIC insured, but it may take a while to get your money back, nonetheless.

@shoptastic wrote:

Is anyone concerned their banks may go under?

Where I live, banks are fully operational, outside of opening and closing accounts, which is done by appointment. Seems to me this would just drive people to use home banking and automated systems more, leaving banks out less overhead for employees....while a significant portion of the country is getting more money than they normally do, and putting it in the bank!

Why would banks be in danger? They don't really make money off of the lobby traffic...

For now, stimulus checks are helping. Not sure about months from now if the recession gets deep enough what will happen.

Bank loan losses and runs on them could be an issue. A lot of smaller community banks went out of business in the 2008 financial crisis.

eta: an FDIC insured bank would protect you , of course. ....It's just the hassle of maybe not having access to your money for who knows how long.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/2020 11:59PM by shoptastic.

Have you received stimulus checks? We don't qualify, but my mom and step-dad qualify, and they have not received anything yet (they would get a physical check, not direct deposit.

I got mine direct deposited on the 15th. My parents, who will get a paper check, have not received one.

I heard once (can't remember where) that you don't catch the same cold again - there is that many variants of virus out there. Since I can't remember where I heard it, I can't attest to the validity of it. Of course if this virus mutates at all, we all in for a heap of trouble.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

If this virus is like other corona viruses (like the common cold), then what? Immunity doesn't last long. Some people seem to catch a cold every year. This one just happens to kill some people.

@kimmiemae wrote:

Of course if this virus mutates at all, we all in for a heap of trouble.

All viruses mutate, and that's how virologists can tell that most New York infections came from Europe and not Asia. Please see this article:

"SARS-CoV-2 is changing at the rate scientists would expect for a coronavirus"
[www.popsci.com]

Much of the mutation is actually harmful to the virus....and better for us.

@shoptastic wrote:

IMAGE REMOVED

lol

sans Lighthizer, this is a list of incompetents and fraudsters with no high level of medical or economics expertise

Can't seem to respect the forum's rule of no politics eh?

@msimon-2000 wrote:

@shoptastic wrote:

IMAGE REMOVED
lol
sans Lighthizer, this is a list of incompetents and fraudsters with no high level of medical or economics expertise

Can't seem to respect the forum's rule of no politics eh?

I honestly didn't think my post was political at all, msimon-2000. The thread topic is COVID-19 and how its affecting us. It's veered into economics at times.

It was in that spirit that I was pointing out how stupid the "officials" picked are on the Re-Open American Team. I didn't think that was "political." Sort of like if I were to point out corruption in how the stimulus is being managed, it's intent isn't to be political even if political figures might be mentioned (say, Steven Mnuchin).

That makes it political.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

That makes it political.

Okay.

Maybe I'm just not seeing it the same.

For what it's worth, I did not sit there intending to break the forum rules/etiquette on this. I'll make the effort to be more aware of things being possibly "political" in the future.