A Different Perspective on the Corona Virus

There is a lot of fear surrounding the corona virus right now, so I want to give you another perspective that may be helpful. As I see it, the most important thing to do when assessing these types of threats is to look at the quality of information we are getting, and the motivations behind the sources of information (and misinformation).

We each have our own filters on how we perceive the world, and there are many hidden agendas that color what is said. Here's how I look at it...

THE MEDIA. The fact is, the media is HIGHLY motivated to stoke people's fear. They want people on the verge of panicking, while acting like they are trying to keep people calm. The more fear that people have, the more they are glued to the news. This makes the news media more money and gives them more influence. You will remember that the media wanted to turn SARS, H1N1, the Bird Flu, ZIKA and the "Ebola" scare into much bigger events than they were, but none of those events had "legs". You could almost feel their disappointment that these diseases didn't become much bigger than they were. But now, the media has found something that they can finally get people worked up about. Their mouths are now watering over the corona virus. In my humble opinion, we should not trust the media, especially as it pertains to this issue.

WALL STREET. The stock market loves predictability, so for the most part, Wall Street is motivated to keep people calm. Of course, there are opportunistic investors who love chaos and can make a killing when markets crash (George Soros is an expert at this, and there are many others). These vultures will do anything to sow panic.

BANKS. The single scariest thing for banks is panic. They need to keep everyone calm, because if a lot of people try to take all their money out at one time, the banks will crash. There are mechanisms that the banks have now that will prevent this (they can legally seize your money now), but while these mechanisms will help them in the short term, they will cause considerable distrust in banks for the long term - so they want to maintain calm and do everything in their power to keep people calm.

POLITICS. Politics shouldn't play a role in this, but it certainly will, especially in an election year. Republicans want to maintain calm and keep the economy strong, while Democrats will place blame on Trump. Beyond this though, there are undoubtedly factions within the Democratic Party who hate Trump so much that they would be willing to magnify an economic problem this year in order to weaken Trump's electibility.

THE GOVERNMENT. The government is not a single entity, and thus has conflicting motivations.

• The Administration wants to keep the economy strong and keep people calm and safe.

• Typically, the scariest thing in the world for Bureaucrats is a panicked public. This however, will depend upon whether they are pro or anti-Trump. So there will be conflicting motivations.

• The military, CIA and the deep state sees every threat as an opportunity to further restrict the freedom of Americans. There will certainly be new laws that come out of this that will reduce our freedoms "for our own good".

• THE CDC, hopefully, will remain out of politics and just want to keep everyone safe.

BUSINESSES. Some businesses will want to stoke fears to increase their business, but mostly, businesses are mostly concerned about the supply chain problems and will want to keep people calm.

Here's a Word from Dr. Andrew Weil...

My Thoughts...

As someone who has spent a lot of time trying to tell people to be prepared, I personally am not scared of the actual corona virus in the slightest. I don't plan on making any lifestyle changes, nor am I scared to travel on planes. I will put a little more focus on staying healthy, including eating right and getting enough sleep, but that's it.

My opinion may change in the future, but for now I think it's completely overblown. I am concerned slightly for someone I love, because she is older and has some respiratory problems anyway, so I'd be concerned if she caught it. I will keep an eye on her and encourage her to stay healthy.

As always, I think it's prudent to be prepared. We never know what is going to happen, so be as prepared as you can be. Stock up now if you haven't already because shelves may be empty in your area soon.

What I AM concerned about, however, is the disruption that can happen. I'm concerned about the economy and I'm concerned about how this will be used politically.

I'm really worried about the economy. The corona virus has created a significant disruption to the manufacturing supply chain, which will cause shortages of products, and will reduce earnings, which will definitely have a ripple effect throughout the world. This could turn into a serious economic problem, so plan accordingly based on your situation.

Mostly, I'm concerned about the banking system. If this actually turns into a real panic, there could be a run on the banks, which would have massive economic consequences.

IN SUMMARY, in this article I am simply telling you what I currently think. I may change my mind as time goes on. I'm not providing any advice for you, other than a reminder to think about the different agendas that people have. Mostly, don't trust the media. Their agenda is not necessarily aligned with you or the country's best interest.