Name:   architect - Subject:   Futures trading ''halt'' now in effect Date:   3/12/2020 8:28:47 AM (updated 3/12/2020 8:41:53 AM)

Dow will open down 1100 points.

Trump's very weak performance last night shows he is still not facing reality.  He is locking the gate after letting the horse out of the barn and promising to make us well by cutting our payroll taxes!  He is, with saving his own azz as the most urgent need, still looking at this as a political and economic problem rather than a public health problem.  If he was a real leader he would have declared a national emergency (after all if the wall is required because of a national emergency surely saving innocent lives is also a valid reason), and taken some of the difficult but needed measures nationally that governors, college administrators, businesses and even the NBA are taking!  Who would ever think we would see the day when we looked up to Italy for wise political leadership and courage?

MM, you don't need to panic but you do need to face reality which obviously neither you nor Trump have. Again last night he played down the likelyhood of any particular individual becoming infected and advised that for most who do it will be mild and go away quickly...thank you Dr Trump!  Some very sober and apolitical medical experts are saying that since this is a new infection never seen before (meaning no one has built up a natural immunity) and with no vaccine available it is not out of the realm of possibility that two thirds of the earths population could, not will, but could be infected.  MM when do you admit it is real and serious...when 10 to 40 million Americans are trying to find a spot in one of our 800,000 hospital beds?