Tired Of Protestor Bashing!

[audiophile]

You know what, a person that protests because they WANT to work is a person to be celebrated, not vilified. Hard working folks are backbone of this country.

We filled a harbor full of tea over less than this.

Remember that George Washington and signers of the Declaration of Independence were all hard-working protestors. They were all willing to die for it too.

Something to think about...

[Rate This]

You know what, a person that protests because they WANT to work is a person to be celebrated, not vilified. Hard working folks are backbone of this country.

We filled a harbor full of tea over less than this.

Remember that George Washington and signers of the Declaration of Independence were all hard-working protestors. They were all willing to die for it too.

Something to think about...

Rolling into the capital with guns out to make a statement is counterproductive... most people aren’t on their side so they get vilified.

[Deleted User 24]

Just another gathering of Vanilla ISIS.

[Deleted User 14896]

I'll not say the protesters are wrong.
But like Rate This says, why show up in "costume"?. What's with the head to toe camo or military garb, slinging rifles, etc?
No matter how noble the cause, it muddles the message and makes everyone look like whackos.
You may not like it audiophile, but those who dressed like that richly deserve to be bashed.

[Matt]

I'll not say the protesters are wrong.
But like Rate This says, why show up in "costume"?. What's with the head to toe camo or military garb, slinging rifles, etc?
No matter how noble the cause, it muddles the message and makes everyone look like whackos.
You may not like it audiophile, but those who dressed like that richly deserve to be bashed.

Like LL101 says, men dressing up in costumes is always gay. On Halloween, there can be limited exceptions, any other time it's gay.

[Matt]

Just another gathering of Vanilla ISIS.

This is fucking hilarious!

Given Lansing's proximity to MSU, maybe these were people that are upset their favorite festival was canceled:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/musi ... 19-988696/

[Deleted User 9015]

Gotta admit, I lurk this board from time to time, and have been lurking more since the whole lockdown began because the opinions on this stuff have been god damn funny.

This thread has me tickled and it's already on page one.

I don't see how adults get to the ripe old ages that you guys are at and don't figure out why this is important. Like, I even know some of you actually run businesses in radio, but the importance of stemming off a highly contageous disease that is documented to kill is a lower priority than discomfort for a few weeks.

It's also really highlighted something that I have noticed for a really long time. Urban and rural people are just about as likely as one another to be ignorant because of the shit education you see in both areas, but the way that their ignorance plays out will be incredibly different.

I look forward to continuing to follow these arguments on here and sharing screencaps of them with friends. It really is amusing to follow people whining about not getting to go to work for a few weeks when a deadly and incredibly contagious respiratory disease is sweeping through the country.

If you own a business and hold these opinions, then I do feel for your employees.

[audiophile]

I'll not say the protesters are wrong.
But like Rate This says, why show up in "costume"?. What's with the head to toe camo or military garb, slinging rifles, etc?
No matter how noble the cause, it muddles the message and makes everyone look like whackos.
You may not like it audiophile, but those who dressed like that richly deserve to be bashed.

I wasn't there and I'm sure you weren't there either, so can media impart distortion that is not representative of the group as whole. There is always be a few bad dressers or those in poor taste in every crowd (some can even be plants).

The media wants to find these gotchas to increase viewership or social media hits.

I take the Michigan State Police statement the protests were peaceful at face value.

My point is once again, that people protesting as a whole because they WANT to work is a good thing, not a bad thing.

[MWmetalhead]

If one were to draw a Venn diagram illustrating Trump's policy and societal recommendations on COVID-19 and Whitmer's policy and societal recommendations on COVID-19, there'd be more overlap than non-overlap.

Both individuals are engaging in rhetoric for political purposes only to whip up their respective bases.

The employees who have been furloughed are receiving generous support from the state & federal government should they choose to accept it. I will say the unreliability of the Michigan UIA's web site *is* a very legitimate issue worthy of criticism and frustration.

In addition, the feds are offering small businesses (fewer than 500 employees) and some larger businesses low interest rate loans (1% per annum) to cover eight weeks of payroll. Proceeds can also be used for rent, mortgage interest and utilities. If you maintain proper records to establish at least 75% of the loan proceeds were used for the intended purpose, the loan will be forgiven. I will admit, there is probably cause for worry about how efficient - or not - the forgiveness application review process will work. After all, this *is* the federal government we're talking about!

More info:
https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/lo ... n-header-5

My guess is a substantial percentage of the people protesting have an attitude of "fuck everyone else, I'll do whatever the hell I want" and could give two shits about reducing the spread of the virus.

Others, though, have a legitimate beef and are probably enduring very stressful situations.

Do the protests make a difference? In this case - maybe they do. Whitmer has relaxed restrictions on certain activities twice now following protests. Might be coincidence; might not be.

And by the way, even if government restrictions were relaxed almost entirely, many consumers would still choose to greatly limit discretionary purchases and travel. It's not as if commercial activity would be back to anything resembling normal. Far from it.

[audiophile]

The employees who have been furloughed are receiving generous support from the state & federal government.

If you can get through. Almost everyone that I know a month ago has been getting a non-monetary hold. Employers have 10-day response period, plus a few days for mail. Then after that gets reviewed and then they want faxed copies of ID. Many people I know have been waiting since the shutdown to get the money.

The miWAM's inability to handle the claims process is unacceptable and is significant contributing factor in frustration toward the state government.

Also have you tried filing for it? I'm helping a relative without a computer and it got point where you enter driver license number then it went poof because Michigan ID not recognized (it's valid driver license) and said you need to call a CSR with an 800 number. We did that and they say do it online and then hang up on you. Been trying for three days.

The feds are offering small businesses (fewer than 500 employees) and some larger businesses low interest rate loans (1% per annum) to cover eight weeks of payroll. Proceeds can also be used for rent, mortgage interest and utilities. If you maintain proper records to establish at least 75% of the loan proceeds were used for the intended purpose, the loan will be forgiven.

It think there is some confusing info here. You are mixing PPP and EIDL a bit.

1. The "PPP" Payroll Protection Plan gives you 2.5 months of payroll if you maintain 2019 employment levels, including rehire those you laid off then it will be forgivable (it must be used for Payroll long term). If you have closed for since March 13 to May 30?, you lost 2.5x your NET income, so x2.5 payroll could be a drop in the bucket of your total expenses, and you might be toast. .

Plus those that applied almost on day one and got approved, not that many have got their money. It was announced the fund was out money a few days later, but the applications kept rolling in. If you didn't file the first few days you probably won't be getting any as those in the 2-week que probably will be processed next. If you were a small mom-pop and went to major bank trying to figure it then heard it was out of money, then waited to filed once the additional money was put in then you are probably too late again. Major banks were completely overwhelmed. The smaller banks may have been more helpful. Bottom line there is NO guarantees everyone that needs it will get it.

2. The "EIDL" Economic Injury Distress Loan can be applied for at low interest and you can use it to pay for rent and utilities BUT ONLY THE FIRST $10,000 is FORGIVEABLE as "Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Advance". There is very few processors for the EIDL loans. unlike the PPP where every bank had to participate. EDIL loans are much more complex and time consuming to for file than the PPP. On EIDL there is also strings attached like you have to buy new American-made products.

[TC Talks]

Someone seems angry

[Matt]

Someone seems angry

Seriously, you need help.

[audiophile]

[MWmetalhead]

Some good discussion, Audiophile.

Totally agree with you regarding MiWAM / Michigan UIA. Indeed, the issues with the web site, disconnected phone calls, etc. are a MAJOR issue and are completely unacceptable.

As for PPP loan permitted uses, I'm glad you mentioned the EIDL, but I am not mixing the two.

Info available on the SBA web site, Treasury web site and multiple other places indicates PPP proceeds can be used for rent, utilities and mortgage interest, too, not just payroll and payroll taxes.

That being said, you are absolutely right that not everyone who has been approved has gotten their money, and that not every business who wishes to apply will be able to successfully do so. Each bank has its own system for accepting, processing, and funding applications. Some banks have been more efficient than others in those areas. You are also right that once the most recently approved appropriation is doled out - it's gone. It's first come, first served. Indeed, after the first tranche of appropriated money ran out, some banks were still accepting applications in anticipation of the second wave.

Getting back to the topic of "protestor bashing," I liked what Mike Shirkey (Senate Majority Leader) had to say:

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/ ... 071928001/

Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, said in a statement that many people protested safely and responsibly, but he condemned others who "used intimidation and the threat of physical harm to stir up fear and feed rancor."

"Their actions hurt their cause and steal from the rights of others by creating an environment where responsible citizens do not feel safe enough to express themselves," Shirkey said. They do not represent the Senate Republicans, he said, adding "At best, those so-called protesters are a bunch of jackasses."

[audiophile]

Just to circle back on a couple issues, yes you can pay the rent/utilities this month with PPP funds, but you must hire everyone back and spend the money on payroll eventually. The PPP loan is strictly based on 2.5x your monthly payroll (they don't loan you money under PPP for rent/utilities directly).

Under EIDL you could get a loan for rent/utilities.

What I think is frustrating is if you got dud bank, they could have hosed you by being slow, and be no fault of your own.

I think the senator at least differentiated between majority of reasonable protestors and the some that went too far.