COVID-19

[taxi1]

"has a location at the residence that will allow for 8 hours of uninterrupted work from other household members, pets, and any other non-work related disturbances".

Thread drift a bit, but I wonder if anyone out there has suggestions for what you do now to maximize the home office deduction come tax time next year.

 

[Treetop Flyer]

Not sure the status in my area. I know a lot of daycares had chosen to close, based on Zoom calls with female employees that show kids running around in the background. But because so many essential workers are single parent households, the daycares themselves are essential services too.

I guarantee every school district in the country is staring at this case study and thinking WTF are we going to do...

SARS-CoV-2 Transmission and Infection Among Attendees of an...

Limited data are available about transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), among youths. During June 17–20, an overnight camp in Georgia (camp A)...

www.cdc.gov

Some 260 campers and staff tested positive out of 344 test results available. Among those ages 6-10, 51 percent got the virus; from 11-17 years old, 44 percent, and 18-21 years old, 33 percent. The campers did a lot of singing and shouting; did not wear face masks; windows were not opened for ventilation, although other precautions were taken. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that the virus “spread efficiently in a youth-centric overnight setting, resulting in high attack rates among persons in all age groups,” many showing no symptoms.

I continued my informal survey while hitting the local Rutters (quickmart) after a MTBike ride. About half of the people were sans masks. I asked the young lady at the counter to estimate the number that wear masks. She said about 60-70% and said that a lot of people just don't care. Saw similar numbers at the grocery store.

Whether or not we have a train wreck of virus spreading, students doing on-line, or pulling this off safely is pretty much in the hands of the community. I continue to see a lack of seriousness in prepping for the Fall.

I’m getting a chuckle out of the idea of some dude biking to a convenience store and interviewing the cashier about mask compliance, so thanks for that.

The point is that if daycares are safe enough to be essential then so are schools. Period.

 

[taxi1]

I’m getting a chuckle out of the idea of some dude biking to a convenience store and interviewing the cashier about mask compliance, so thanks for that

Uhhh, the bike was on the back of my car, but I was muddy and sweaty.

Worth a read...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/08/01/schools-reopening-coronavirus-arizona-superintendent/?arc404=true

 

[Treetop Flyer]

Uhhh, the bike was on the back of my car, but I was muddy and sweaty.

Oh ok. Keep up the good work, inspector. I’m interested in hearing what the compliance levels are in other stores in your area so we can have something to blame when schools don’t open against the advice of pretty much every expert.

 

[taxi1]

Oh ok. Keep up the good work, inspector. I’m interested in hearing what the compliance levels are in other stores in your area so we can have something to blame when schools don’t open against the advice of pretty much every expert.

How is mask compliance in your part of the woods?

 

[Treetop Flyer]

How is mask compliance in your part of the woods?

Pretty much 100% in the city, as it’s required. Close to zero in my recent stop at a small town Whataburger. It was very disconcerting. Just kidding, I went in because the drive thru line was long, ordered a number five with jalapeños and carried on with my life.

Any word on what’s driving the resurgence in Japan where masks are ubiquitous?

 

[taxi1]

Any word on what’s driving the resurgence in Japan where masks are ubiquitous?

I bet your google-fu is as good as mine.

By the way, are those experts all recommending school openings also recommending distancing and masks?

 

[Treetop Flyer]

I bet your google-fu is as good as mine.

By the way, are those experts all recommending school openings also recommending distancing and masks?

Apparently my google-fu is as good as yours

 

[taxi1]

Apparently my google-fu is as good as yours

No, I found it. Just letting you answer your own question.

 

[Jim123]

I went in because the drive thru line was long, ordered a number five with jalapeños and carried on with my life.

Leo Getz strongly approves of your decision making.

 

[scoolbubba]

It was very disconcerting. Just kidding, I went in because the drive thru line was long, ordered a number five with jalapeños and carried on with my life.

Whataburger jalapenos are more dangerous than COVID-19. Change my mind!

 

[ABMD]

Thread drift a bit, but I wonder if anyone out there has suggestions for what you do now to maximize the home office deduction come tax time next year.

If you're a W-2 employee, nothing. If you're not (self-employed/contractor), you can. There was a change to this tax law as part of the TCJA (Tax Cut and Jobs Act) starting in 2018. There is a simplified option which allows you to claim $5/sqft up to 300 sqft, so a max of $1,500.

 

[Mos]

If you're a W-2 employee, nothing. If you're not (self-employed/contractor), you can. There was a change to this tax law as part of the TCJA (Tax Cut and Jobs Act) starting in 2018. There is a simplified option which allows you to claim $5/sqft up to 300 sqft, so a max of $1,500.

 

[HokiePilot]

The point is that if daycares are safe enough to be essential then so are schools. Period.

Daycares and schools are similar but not the same. We need to provide more nuance, not less. Broad declarative statements like this don't help.

 

[HokiePilot]

I gave it some more thought. It’s even dumber than I originally thought.

- If extra ballots arrive at the last minute or slightly late, no one dies. In fact, the state’s secretary of state (typically in charge of elections) most likely has the authority to unilaterally accept the late ballots if they were mailed on time. Same way they can choose to let people still waiting in line at poll closing time still vote. Sec of States have the power to apply judgment and take circumstances into account. By the way, none of them want to be accused of denying suffrage wantonly.

- The above only matters if it’s a close race. If your ballot is late in the mail and you live in CA, it won’t be counted unless a down-ballot race is too close.

- Common misconception, POTUS and VPOTUS are not elected by votes. They are elected by electors of the electoral college. Losers typically concede on election night, so it is often a formality. But if a late ballot would actually matter in the sheer volume of votes, it can still be counted late, as electors do not assemble until December.

- The chart throws the USPS under the bus. Sure, they are an easy target of stereotypes. But if we are going to give others in public service the same ownership and benefit-of-doubt that we as a Navy want when we operate, then let’s let the Postal Service do their jobs. To the person who drew that “flatten the curve” chart and implied the USPS can’t keep up, you don’t think the Postal Service hasn’t already planned for that? Yeah, guess what, they have smart people too. They have leaders who can think ahead and adjust planning/ resources. The chart-drawer is assuming they’ll fail before it even happens. This ain’t their first election.

So yeah, I have a problem with the “flatten the absentee ballot curve” chart. No one’s gonna die. It’s a shit analogy. And, to the chart-drawer, throwing USPS or Sec States under the bus (before they deserve to be) and implying they can’t plan ahead is blue falcon material.

More people are expected to vote absentee in this election than in previous ones. That is going to put a strain on the resources built to accommodate them. It is a good thing to ask people to request their ballot early. The fact that you spent this much time complaining about the language in some poster it just weird.