Originally Posted by NW Ponderer
Yesterday was a hard news day for me, watching my beloved country crumbling before my eyes. I understood the Supreme Court decision about Bridgegate, even as I disliked the implications for the prosecution of corruption, which was punctuated by the craven and lawless move to dismiss Flynn's pleaded conviction. Corruption just no longer seemed to matter. I was heartened that those miscreants who orchestrated the murder of Ahmaud Arbery were finally arrested, but the video of his murder was wrenching. Yet, without it there would be no justice. The COVID death toll continued on apace as the feckless leadership in Washington dithered, maskless, and States begin the process of accelerating its spread. The House Intelligence records regarding the Trump-Purin election scheme finally were released, but there will be no repercussions during this year, highlighting the universality of Republican corruption. Economic figures are universally bad, even nurses are getting laid off.

Yep, it's all terrible. I have a French friend and she keeps sending to me from Paris all sorts of memes making fun of our president. We are a joking matter now; we were once a powerful and proud nation, the leaders of the free world. Now we are a Banana Republic with a wannabe dictator, a spike in corruption (like all Banana Republics), and the persistent denial of sciences (it's the movie Idiocracy all over).

Truth is gone in this era of fake news, when the president tells 15,000 lies and his new press secretary (they made sure to make her cute as opposed to the last fat cow, for better ratings) promises to never tell lies, and proceeds in her first press conference to... tell multiple lies.

My hopes of the end of the pandemic by July or August are gone. We are in for the long run until a vaccine is found, and this is not at all warranted, despite all the over-optimistic news. It is not uncommon that promising vaccines fail to deliver sufficient protection especially when the virus mutates, and the rushed development doesn't bode well for safety.

Treatments so far have either been ineffective or confer modest advantage.

Even after the pandemic is over (hopefully with an effective vaccine otherwise the virus will just encroach, become endemic, and a permanent threat) the economic recovery will take years.

Several businesses will go into bankruptcy. Several laid off people won't be re-hired. Salaries will see no raises but rather pay cuts for the lucky ones who will still have a job. Entire sectors won't ever be the same if the virus becomes endemic (cruises, airlines, restaurants, rental of office spaces, gyms, movie theaters, etc).

Meanwhile with likely very dirty tricks like extensive voter suppression, or even worse fraud (if we move to voting by mail, I don't like the fact that Trump has just appointed a new head for the USPS) like in Banana Republics (we are one, now), Trump may very well win re-election and finish the job of destroying American democracy.

The raise of nationalism, right-wing governments (US, Brazil, Italy, UK, Hungary, etc.), racism, and xenophobia doesn't bode well for the brotherhood of nations, and it's the brewing grounds for world wars.

Global warming, worsening weather events, pollution, plagues...

I think I've never seen in my lifetime such a confluence of bad news and bad indicators, pointing to extremely troubled times ahead.

My son and his fiancee (they were planning to get married in early June but had to postpone) are saying that they do not want to put children in this world because the children are likely to suffer lots of hardship when they become adults, in a deteriorating world. My hopes for grandchildren are being dashed, as my daughter and her husband have already firmly decided the same.

The things I like the best for leisure - live classical music concerts and opera, gourmet restaurants, breweries, having lots of friends over for dinner, sports (NFL, world soccer, college football and college basketball) are all gone. I'm sick and tired of watching Netflix TV series as there is nothing else to do.

I feel very gloomy today. It's all very depressing, and there is no solution in sight. I think things will only get worse.

Please take COVID-19 seriously; don't panic but don't deny it; practice social distancing (stay 6ft from people); wash your hands a lot, don't touch your face, don't gather with too many people, so that you help us contain it.