Originally Posted by DeanFL (Post 1741103)

I think the 'Western' culture of handshaking should be discouraged (or banned)...history>


Handshakes: Then and now
With origins dating back to ancient Greece, handshaking is believed to have originated to prove participants were not holding weapons (the shaking may have been a way to loosen daggers hidden inside clothing.) A funeral stone in Berlin’s Pergamom museum from 5th century B.C. shows two soldiers clasping hands.

Even then, handshakes were likely a formalization of a pact between two parties. Homer references handshakes in both “The Odyssey” and “The Iliad,” usually as a display of trust.

I vote for:

Namaste
It's a Sanskrit phrase that means "I bow to you." You place hands together at the heart, close your eyes and bow. It is good manners to say namaste to the elders. It was the equivalent of hello, but with an element of respect.

Or, if holding a briefcase or such, eye contact and a slight bow or 'head bow'.

NO CONTACT, but a warm personal greeting.

Originally Posted by DianeM (Post 1741628)

Every person receiving SS paid into it. I also paid into my pensions. These are not entitlements. Medicare is not free. I pay for it every month as well as a deductible when I go to a doctor. The kids are in debt for useless college degrees that we have forced upon then. Better to be a plumber than major in Art History and make coffee at Starbucks.

Originally Posted by blueash (Post 1740880)

Whatever else may happen, this should be a teaching moment of the risk of having your health insurance tied to your place of employment. When suddenly 30% of the work force loses their job, they will also lose their own and possibly their family's coverage. While the top few % can afford to pay for their own coverage, the many cannot.

Job loss does qualify a person to apply for coverage via the ACA [Obamacare] but this requires out of pocket payment and a large number of low wage earners do not qualify as when the law was written it was believed that those low earners would qualify for state Medicaid benefits.

To avoid being erased for political comments, I will avoid making any suggestion. But I do think that the pandemic illustrates a major downside of losing insurance at the same time as losing employment.

By the way, under the ACA you can buy coverage to begin the first day of the month AFTER your insurance ends. If your job loss is on April 3rd, fairly reasonable date in this environment; no ACA coverage, if I read the rules correctly, until May 1. Try hard not to get sick in April. A request to open the option to enroll earlier was turned down by the Federal Gov. And of course the Supreme Court has on its docket an appeal designed to completely end the ACA, to be heard after the November election. With no ACA, these unemployed low and moderately paid Americans would have no affordable market.

I foresee a push to change in how we provide health care coverage to our citizens.

Originally Posted by Paper1 (Post 1741646)

Most people ignore the fact we didn't pay in for ourselves we were paying in to support our parents and grandparents, it is a pay as you go system that did indeed collect more than they were paying out so now we have this imaginary trust fund. The fact is more has been promised than our grandchildren can pay for. This is not a political statement but a fact whatever your political persuasion is. That said I do very much agree with you about cost and value of many college degrees.

Originally Posted by kpd3062 (Post 1741657)

I hope things return to normal. I don’t want to live in a world where I’m afraid to socialize, shake hands, hug, etc. I grew up with a father who wasn’t comfortable with hugging (probably learned from his parents). I married into a family of “Huggers”. I learned to love it and feel sorry for those who aren’t comfortable with it. I respect their wishes but they are missing out in my opinion. My dad became more comfortable with showing affection in his later years which I’m grateful for. So when this is over I will be back to hugging.

Originally Posted by TexaninVA (Post 1741610)

A significant number of people in our age bracket will no longer be taking cruises.

Originally Posted by Chatbrat (Post 1740749)

I believe the country will change profoundly, the way the country changed after the "great Depression", people will learn how to save, and get priorities

anyone care to add to the list

1) people will move out of the big cities
2)people will learn how to save

Originally Posted by DianeM (Post 1741628)

Every person receiving SS paid into it. I also paid into my pensions. These are not entitlements. Medicare is not free. I pay for it every month as well as a deductible when I go to a doctor. The kids are in debt for useless college degrees that we have forced upon then. Better to be a plumber than major in Art History and make coffee at Starbucks.

Originally Posted by Rebel Pirate (Post 1742226)

I adopt a slightly different turn of phrase regarding social security and medicare. By government definition, they are entitlements. I think you are arguing they are earned entitlements because you have already paid for them.

But, it's important for the federal budget to distinguish between entitlements (mandatory spending) and non-entitlements, which is discretionary spending in the budget.

Originally Posted by DianeM (Post 1742268)

Well...I look upon it as “you took my money for many years for those before us with the promise to do the same for us as we grew older. Time to pay the piper and that makes it mandatory for me”.

Originally Posted by DianeM (Post 1742268)

Well...I look upon it as “you took my money for many years for those before us with the promise to do the same for us as we grew older. Time to pay the piper and that makes it mandatory for me”.