Should New Orleans Restart the Tourism Economy?

By Jeff Thomas

Restarting the tourism economy boils down to how many people you are willing to sacrifice. Statistically speaking, reopening the tourism economy guarantees that some people who return to work will die.  The benefit is that some more will have the income to pay bills. When you hear people talking about a balanced approach, recognize the scale has cash on one side and dead bodies on the other.

New Normal?

Remarkably, we now are talking about people leaving the safety of their homes and working in public with the public during the deadliest pandemic in human history to create profit. In New Orleans’ tourism economy, opening t-shirt shops and restaurants seems an especially callous calculation. And given the dearth of PPE (notice you know what that means), the health of low wage tourism workers is especially in danger. That US meat plants are now hotspots, is evidence that New Orleans’ tourism workers can expect to contract this disease shortly after any reopening. Are people really willing to risk their lives for $7.25 an hour?

Business

Some business leaders insist not only that we can but that we should do this.  After all, many restaurants are already open for takeout. And people need cash to pay housing costs, utility bills, car notes and credit card bills. And doing nothing will lead to a deep depression that will destroy generational wealth and could require years for recovery.  Small businesses may close and never return. Jobs forever lost. Other businesses may permanently reduce their workforces creating even more permanent unemployment.  With no job or cash, what will life be worth?  How will people survive?  They will eventually die.  Given all of this we should reopen now.

Choices

People finally have some leverage and can shine the light on the exploitative, oppressive caste system in the New Orleans tourism economy.  Let’s do a little simple math.  A week’s pay for the local tourism economy worker is around $250. A week’s unemployment payout for the same worker is around $725.  Now, I know some tourism workers suffer from some Stockholm Syndrome sentiments and will do just about anything to please their bosses, but others now see the return to work ask as a deal breaker. Especially when the workers will be unprotected on the front lines. Ironic fact is that the current unemployment pay is about equal to the living wage sought for years by many activists.

Employees Lives Matter

All Lives Matter was the retort when African Americans proclaimed Black Lives Matter in response to unjustified police murders of innocent people. Now we see that employees lives matter to businesses because they need them to generate profit, but without regard to their safety. It’s true -All Lives do Matter – just not equally.

Should New Orleans restart the tourism economy? Absolutely. When it’s safe. But that’s complicated.

5 thoughts on “The Question About Reopening”
  1. …”oppressive cast system in the New Orleans tourism economy.” It’s CASTE. Not actors in a play.

  2. Way to knock it out of the park again Jeff! Imagine how many plants this country can build to produce
    PPE equipment for WAY less than 2.2 trillion dollars. Sorry, excuse me for thinking like a Socialist, but
    since the New Deal this country has always been penny foolish. Viruses and bacteria are as old as the
    earth itself and to think that something of this magnitude won’t happen again is not smart at all!

  3. Air Waves and opinions are ‘Open free Speech’1 Open Speech was what Timbucktu,was all about, yet exceptionally academic! However and “Respectfully”…, “Young Ears are precious and deserve…”?

    LBRC- Caught the tail end of a discussion on so- called “Black Hate Speech” aka Anti Racism-

    1. So – called Black Hate Speech against an oppressive regime, ism, which
    “Caucasians” accuse Blacks of often, is really “Hate Speech” against
    “Expressed and Kinetic Oppression” which is anti oppression and “Pro
    Self” aka “Natural Selection of Self, not Unnatural of others outside of
    it” aka “Survival because you’re Intellectually as Fit vs Those who say you’re
    not”! It’s no different then and now when so- called Jewish say- “The
    Hollocaust was Savage” and ‘Never Again”! What literate human being
    “Consciously and Willingly” acquiesces to an “Egregious and Viciously
    Peculiar” authority. In Europe against the Nazi, it was called “The
    Resistance”! American Negroes, dye, fry and lay to the side with cancer causing
    “Phthalates”, then claim to be “Conscious”? Cursed Hair Weaves
    dedicated to “Shiva” from India are “Big Business” and nearly
    ubiquitous, even Negro Males and remember ‘Gerry Curles, yet some still doubt
    “Programming” and “The Heard Affect” and yada…? 2020 Negro Women
    meticulously acquiesce in appearance, males too, then lots wonder why impressionable
    Negro males, females (Sabrina?) athletes desire the so- called “Real ‘Thang aka
    “Marry White” (Few have read and are unlearned in The Book of Enoch! Therefore,
    we’ll end comments about ‘Dat here!!!). Hmmm…

    *btw- When Dobermans were popular pets, it was commonly said- “They often turned on
    owners”! A son desired a Doberman for a pet! After much research, his father learned
    Dobermans were one of the most “Intelligent” Species of dogs! The Point?
    Intelligence and “High Consciousness” resist and abhor “Abuse”!!!

    2. Why is it it seems so- called “Intelligent Negroes” totally acquiesce to
    Racism and Abuse, even against their so- called own (For a “Technical Answer”,
    read Carl Degler and his psychological study of Human Slavery and Holocaust Victims aka
    “How The Oppressed Take on and Want to have “Perceived Power” aka
    “Negroes Who Desire to Move into The Big House as opposed to Burning it
    Down”!!!)?

    a. Goebbels was “Minister of Propaganda”, Hitler’s “Big Deal”! Why?
    Long Story Short- “The Dialectic” aka “Most Men are not ‘Original
    Thinkers” aka “Behavior is Learned”! Lots of so- called Coons and Uncle
    Toms are and have succumb to in ostentatiously outrageous behaviors against their own,
    Psychologically and in other ways to “Programming”! You might think yourself
    exempt, find the closest mirror! Did your 7th Great Grandparents look, talk and more
    importantly think like you do in your current “ism”? “Research”-
    Stanford University’s “Recorded Thought Research”!

    b. In 2020, there’s “MK Ultra”! Any clues? Which has flown over “The
    Cuckoo’s nest? We listen and observe to a so- called “Enlightened” crop! Uh
    oh!!!

    3. btw- We were told about and got a summary, about a discussion about
    “Neutral” space. Did somebody say ‘Datl? Well…, The Cosmos is anything but,
    years of Graduate Study, Experiments in Physics, lots of Conventions and very astute
    colleagues say different! Not to be too technical, but…

    a. “Harmonic Motion” between planets is indicative of “Gravity in
    Space”! the String Theory? The Sling Shot affect with respect to satellites,
    planets, stars is indicative of impacts of Gravity in Space! Gravity can be measured
    (Gravity has an Algorthim!!!- UNO and LSU recent “publicized” for peer review,
    their discoveries about “Gravity Waves”! Not to get too technical, but
    Singularity, CERN, Dimensions and yada…, easily intellectually dispel what has been
    called so- called “Neutral”, not even “Neutrons” accomplish this, if
    ‘Dat were true, there would be no Quarks, Gluons, Neutrinos aka “The Standard
    Model”!!! What does all have to do with “States of Mind” and so- called
    “Hate Speech”? Sorry for being a little technical, however?

    b. The gravitational search algorithm (GSA) The GSA is a novel evolutionary algorithm.
    According to the GSA every particle or mass in a system determines the position and state
    of other particles according to the law of gravity (Rashedi et al.

    c. To answer another “Critical Question” about something important, you’d need
    the “Studied and Acute Ability to Discern, Perceive, synthesize, conclude. Think
    “Input vs Output”! Real “Independent Thinking” is akin to taking
    oneself out of self, in order to avoid “Prejudical Input” in order to enable
    oneself to think so- called “Independently”! Who does this? Ans. Only the very
    and really exceptionally really “Gifted” few!!! Lots think they can, some
    believe they can, only few do!!!

    Peace Out…

  4. LBRC- Paul Krugman, Nobel Laureate Economics, is an easy suspect for what is
    commonly understood to be Genius, has a new book. In it, he talks about “Zombie
    Ideas” and “The Serious People, plus what perpetuates them. What is a Zombie
    Idea generally? Definition- A “Zombie Idea” is anything already proven
    “False”, yet it continues to move forward, despite having no basis in
    “Fact”! “Trickle Down Economics” is an example. Who still believes
    this in 2020, well…? Zombie Ideas are “Brain, Logic and Reason eaters”!
    Zombies, the “Dead”, in movies Kill! Just like The KKK, White Supremacy,
    Incompetence in “High and Low Office” and yada…, all perpetuate The Zombie!

    1. “Zombie Ideas”, i.e.? Disclaimer: We extrapolated! Not all of the following
    are in the book, some are. Hope you get it…?

    a. “You can decrease taxes on the rich and increase government revenue”? How
    does decreasing government revenue increases it, to somebody who can add and subtract?
    Data says “Trumpers” are the least educated voters De Facto! Therefore, should
    they reasonably be expected to rationalize personal interest vs numbers? Just ‘askin…

    b. U.S. Constitutional Law and “Due Process” is not about “Openness to New
    Proof and Evidence”? How does a “Chief Justice”, SCOTUS, sit and not
    challenge what is obviously “Trial Best Practices” and “Standard
    Care”, especially with respect to the role of “Witnesses and Evidence”?
    When “Witnesses and Evidence” are excluded, what is so “Democratic”
    about ‘Dat Democracy? Autocrats ‘luv it, NEOCONS too! Zombies who vote are the “Real
    Voter Fraud”! High ‘Fulluten Lobby Jobs waiting for ‘yah!!!

    c. Here’s an Esoteric one it seems- Democrats and Republicans never play “Good Cop,
    Bad Cop” with respect to issues?

    c. Voters are immune to the impact of Commercials and vote their interest- Black, White,
    Purple and on…, Honestly? Negroes follow along as blindly as ‘Trumpers then get less?

    2. How are “Zombie Ideas” perpetuated? Krugman has a section about “The
    Serious People”. These have learned to look and sound very serious. Their ideas must
    be good ones? *We have a Theory! It’s called “The Heard/ Herd Affect! Deep 6 Data,
    “Logic”-

    a. The loudest voice in the room has to be right, right?

    b. Common Debate and conversations are generally “Non Fact Based”, more cordial
    than not! Eliminating the cordial generally means conflict with degrees of physicality
    and invading spaces, the literate generally desire to expand spaces!

    3. “The Heard/ Herd” Affect vs Cause and “Effect”? What sounds
    convincing, is embellished, dramatic and “Far” from “True”, not Data
    Driven, Sells to ‘Simps! #45, right! Ask common intellects to give evidences about what
    they believe, subscribe too, promote in the name of “Truth”? Provisos? Nothing
    can be a copy of a copy of a copy, “Rote” is not (P)roof unless you can Prove
    you Heard it from God- Constitutional Founders call it “Freedom of Religion”,
    ‘Duh? All Documents Must be “Certified and True”, “Original” in
    Nature, No “Zombie Ideas”! Uh oh!!! W.C. fields said- “A Sucker is Born
    every 7 seconds”! Frankly, reading and listening to popular so- called “Serious
    People”/ TV/ Radio? 7 seconds is a bit much! In Elementary, we covered for mistakes
    by saying- “Its what I thought”. Our instructor then quipped- “See what
    happens when you start thinking”? (Disclaimer: Thinking is “Good”!
    “Better” is thinking about what you think aka “Meta- Cognition! Science is
    about what you come to “Know” and Think via commonly accepted academic
    exercises, if it is to be believed by others! Deep 6 the “Heard/ Herd”!
    Hello…??? Peace Out and Special Thanks to Krugman…

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