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Zorro

(15,691 posts)
Fri Aug 7, 2020, 07:09 PM Aug 2020

The U.S. economy is on the verge of a 'lost year'

Workers and business owners are craving some certainty about the path forward. But the White House and Congress are failing to act.

Brian Hartman has spent a lot of time this summer pacing his restaurant, Bixler’s Lodge in Reading, Pa., with a tape measure. Whatever way he places it, he comes to the same conclusion: He can’t safely fit any more tables inside his small eatery.

Bixler’s Lodge is doing less than a third of its pre-pandemic business. The bar that Hartman spent years perfecting is now empty. The dining room has six tables, down from 15. He’s tried to become a takeout spot, but customers know it’s not the same. Hartman lives in constant fear that even this limping existence will be shuttered again.

“Right now you can’t plan more than a week ahead,” Hartman, who has run Bixler’s Lodge for three decades, said. “You don’t know if they will close you back up or if you will stay open or what.”

The U.S. economy is facing one of its most uncertain moments ever as the deadly coronavirus remains a constant threat. According to Pew Research, people are growing more pessimistic about how America’s leaders have handled the virus and the nation’s ability to contain it, which only digs a deeper hole for the economy. As soon as the virus flares in a part of the country, cellphone data show people immediately stay home instead of instead of venturing out to restaurants, stores and entertainment.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/08/07/us-economy-is-verge-lost-year/
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The U.S. economy is on the verge of a 'lost year' (Original Post) Zorro Aug 2020 OP
K&R! SheltieLover Aug 2020 #1
True. Halloween is 2nd most $$ holiday. Might not happen Demovictory9 Aug 2020 #2
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