Summary: Before I get started with today’s commentary, I want to mention that last week a listener wrote in with some strong feelings about comments I had made on the previous week’s show regarding the seriousness of the Covid-19 virus. She is a doctor and felt that we didn’t take the virus seriously enough, actually imparting information that might be dangerous to listeners.<br> As I re-listened to the segment, I agreed with her that we might have been too cavalier in our comments at the time and not taken it as seriously as we should have. By way of explanation —not as an excuse—all of our interviews are actually pre-recorded and occasionally, events evolve faster than we can get to air. This sometimes makes our facts and comments out-of-date and, in this particular point in time, events rolled out at warp speed<br> In this case, I don’t think we made that distinction, and I want to make sure that you all treat this deadly virus seriously, understanding that the facts strongly indicate a serious risk to life, and we should be following the specific guidelines from respected medical authorities.<br> I always encourage you to contact us and ask us any question, which also includes your well-expressed thoughts on anything you think we could do better.<br> And now getting on to today’s comments.<br> Here are some interesting facts:<br> Do you know where the word quarantine comes from? According to the CDC, and I quote:<br> “The practice of quarantine, as we know it, began during the 14th century in an effort to protect coastal cities from plague epidemics. Ships arriving in Venice from infected ports were required to sit at anchor for 40 days before landing. This practice called quarantine was derived from the Italian words quaranta giorni which means 40 days”.<br> Also, Leonardo da Vinci survived a series of bubonic plagues that struck Milan between 1484 and 1485 killing almost 50,000 people—a full third of the city’s population,<br> In true Da Vinci form, he got to work designing a city of the future to counteract the conditions which caused the plague to spread so lethally.<br> A few years later, he redesigned the streets of Milan by widening them, the purpose being to spread people out so they weren’t so crowded and to redirect water to clean up the filthy conditions found in Milan and other medieval cities at that time.<br> He drew up a system of canals for business efficiency and sanitation; he even created a city built on multiple levels, each level used for a different purpose.<br> Of course, with so many things Da Vinci designed, it was too radical and far ahead of its time. After all, this was 500 years ago, so nothing was ever built; but as with so many of his ideas, modern thinking puts a fresh light on his genius.<br> Now I’m going to switch gears here because I’d like to spend some time talking about the $2.2 trillion bill which was passed by the Senate but awaiting a House vote, as I record this. (I’m sure it will be passed by the time you hear this commentary.)<br> This bill will give most Americans money to put in their pocket.<br> Here Are The Facts As Written In The Washington Post:<br> <br> * The bill will provide $1,200 payments to adults with annual incomes up to $75,000, plus another $500 per child. Three kids—that means another $1,500.<br> <br> Who Exactly Qualifies For A Payment?<br> <br> * Individuals earning up to $75,000 a year will be eligible for the full $1,200 check. As you make more money, that $1,200 is reduced until it goes to zero at $99,000. This is all based on adjusted gross income.<br> * If you’re married, just double that. Married couples will get $2,400 if their adjusted gross income is under $150,000 a year. As with individuals, the check amount is reduced until you get to $198,000 when it hits zero.<br> * If you are head of household, which is typically a single parent with children, you’ll get $1,200 if your income is $112,500 and below.
