*From & To Sathish* - Thread 4 - Page 104

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gArIvTJdrEc&list=PLDTfkr-lSpUifpeeCs5n2UiH5A-l3t0SW&index=2

Bill Gates organized an enormous session to recruit a new Chairman for Microsoft Europe.

5000 candidates assembled in a large room. One candidate is our Ramasamy.

Bill Gates: "Thank you for coming. Those who do not know JAVA may leave."

2000 people leave the room.

Ramasamy says to himself, 'I do not know who JAVA is, but I have nothing to lose if I stay. I'll give it a try !'

Bill Gates: "Candidates who never had the experience of managing more than 100 people may leave."

2000 more leave the room.

Ramasamy says to himself 'I never managed anybody by myself, but I have nothing to lose if I stay. Risk edukkaruthu Rusk sapidaramathiri !'. So, he stays!

Bill Gates: "Candidates who do not have management diplomas may leave."

500 people leave the room.

Ramasamy says to himself, 'I left school at 15, but what have I got to

lose ? Evvalavo pannitom Etha pannna mattoma?'. So, he stays in the room.

Lastly, Bill Gates asked the candidates who do not speak Serbo-Croat to leave. 498 people leave the room.

Ramasamy says to himself, 'I do not speak one word of Serbo-Croat but what do I have to lose ?' So he stays and finds himself with one other candidate.

Everyone else has gone. Bill Gates joined them and said, "Apparently you are the only two candidates who speak Serbo-Croat, so I'd now like to hear you have a conversation together in that language."

Calmly, Ramasamy turns to the other candidate and says 'Endha Ooru?'.

The other candidate answers in a meek tone… 'Madurai'...

Vaanathai Pola 109

“Only trust someone who can see these three things in you: the sorrow behind your smile, the love behind your anger, and the reason behind your silence.”

Speed dial is a function available on many telephone systems allowing the user to place a call by pressing a reduced number of keys. This function is particularly useful for phone users who dial certain numbers on a regular basis.

Now, the question is who goes on your speed dial list. If one has two phones, one used purely for work purpose and the other for family members only, then the question is moot for the most important people go on your speed dial list.

Kavita picked up her phone and a gentle smile filled her face and slowly spread its wings and flew into her soul.

Her speed dial list started with the numbers of Raman, Jeeva and ended with Commissioner Viswanathan.

She looked at the names of Raman and Jeeva and her mind instantly filled up with respect, love and gratitude for she knew that she and her family had been blessed to have them as friends although they were more than that.

Kavita had no hesitation in calling Jeeva for both respected each other greatly and they had become really close after Vijay's death. Kavita had realized very early on that although Jeeva had become aware of her feelings for Raman, she had not displayed any signs of animosity and had once treated her with disrespect.

This only increased the amount of respect that Kavita had for Jeeva and the other family members, all of them who had been immensely kind, gracious, and gentle with her.

But, more than anybody, it was Raman whom she respected the most for he had been the one who had stood by her and her family when they had gone through one of the most difficult times of their lives.

He had been the rock around whom all of them had rallied and who had in the end single-handedly rescued all of them from many dangers and the glue that had held them all together with his love and benevolence.

Her respect for him had grown into a sort of worship for he as a man had stood steadfast with honour and dignity even when she had offered her love and her body to him in Delhi when they had gone to collect and bring back Vijay's body.

Kavita had Raman's number and yet she called Jeeva for she felt it was the right way to go about things and also because she did not want to give even the slightest cause that would upset her.

Jeeva answered on the fourth ring and said ' Hi, Kavita. All of us were thinking and talking about you and you called.'

' Vendaam, Jeeva. 100 Varusham vendaam.Don't wish me or bless me with a 100-year life span for the experience of my 32 years is more than enough.'

If her sad reply was filled with reflection of the past and present, Jeeva's reply was full of hope, love and promise.

' Kavita, how can you say something like that when someone special has just entered your life and who boldly stood up against those stupid criminals and then fought with them, yesterday afternoon.'

' That was yesterday afternoon, Jeeva but all that seems to have changed last night.'

Jeeva in a cheerful voice, ' you mean that press conference that Jagatratchagan gave last night in Madurai. Forget him, sweetie, for he is of no consequence and we will deal with him when the time comes.'

' The time has come, Jeeva.'

Jeeva's voice lost her cheer and enthusiasm and in a voice now full of concern, she asked,' What do you mean by that, Kavita? Has something happened to Mr.Radha Krishnan?'

' Yes. He was kidnapped last night by four unknown assailants after having been hit on the head with a metal object.'

' But, Kavita, how is that possible when he was inside the hospital and with security?'

Kavita sighed loudly, ' Apparently, he gave the security a slip after deciding that he would be a lot safer on his own and in hiding and while he was trying to sneak away from the hospital, they caught up with him in the parking lot.'

Jeeva's next words reaffirmed the faith that Kavita had in her and also gave meaning to her calling her for help.

' Kavita, don't worry, sweetie. I am going to talk to Raman for he will know what to do and how to go about things. Just, hang in there while I try reaching out to Ram and it might take a little while for he is not in the country right now.'

Kavita thanked her but Jeeva brushed it away, ' hey, enna thanksellam. You are a part of our family and our very own. Stay positive and have faith.'

Jeeva paused to think and then said in a vague voice, ' Honestly, I am having a tough time imagining Radha Krishnan being kidnapped and that too by four people. For, having seen him move with my own eyes, I think it would take more than four people to touch him, leave along kidnap him and maybe a dozen or more might stand a chance of taking him down and that too is a huge maybe.'

“To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved.” – George MacDonald

Vaanathai Pola 110

The time was nearly 8.15 pm, and Commissioner Viswanathan who would have been usually home by this time was still at work, sitting behind his desk, sipping a cup of tea and waiting for Deputy Commissioner Ilavarasan to arrive from Apollo hospitals, Nungambakkam.

His intercom beeped and his personal assistant Sub-Inspector Madhavan informed him that DC Ilavarasan had arrived and was en route to his room to meet him.

' Thank you, Madhavan, and could you please arrange a cup of tea for the DC' he said and wondered what his friend had to report about the missing man.

The door opened and Deputy Commissioner Ilavarasan entered and sitting down in the chair looked at Commissioner Viswanathan who asked him, ' I heard you used the help of the " Garud " team at the hospital and that you had sealed off a wider portion of the parking lot in the hospital.'

Ilavarasan waved his hand' Don't worry about the parking lot for that part is over and has been handed back to the hospital. As for the use of Garud, that was just to cover all the bases and also to confirm my hunch about this man.'

A single knock was heard on the door and SI Madhavan entered and placing the cup of tea on the table, and left the room with both the senior officers staring at each other.

Ilavarasan picked up the tea and taking a sip of it, said, ' nice' and asked Viswanathan, ' what do we know about this guy?'

' Ila, we know nothing about this man. That is why you are handling this case for I am confident that you will get to the bottom of this strange case.'

Ilavarasan's eyebrows lifted and with a smile, he said, ' Vishy, strange is indeed a good word to describe this man.'

Taking a deep breath, he looked at Viswanathan,' did you get a chance to meet this guy and talk to him?'

Commissioner Viswanathan turned his face away from Ilavarasan and said, ' Yes. I met him last evening.'

' Did you just happen to see him from far or did you actually meet him up close, and exchange words with him?'

Viswanathan turned his face and looked at his friend, ' I spoke with him and standing closer than the distance that is between you and me right now and we spoke for more than a few minutes.'

Deputy Commissioner Ilavarasan placed the teacup back on the table and asked, ' What did you make of him in that few minutes that you spent with him?'

Commissioner Viswanathan kept staring at Ilavarasan and then smiled to himself and said, ' He scared the living daylights out of me, Ila.'

Ilavarasan tapped on the table and said, ' brother, that makes two of us for not only does he scare me, he also has me freaked out.'

Viswanathan looked at his friend apprehensively, and said, ' Not you. Nothing ever scares you or freaks you out for you are a strange man yourself.'

Deputy Commissioner Ilavarasan folded his hands and said, ' Not anymore for after I have finished with my report and after you have finished watching the Video from the Garud Drone, you will change your mind.'

He added, ' Vishy, there was no need for me to have used the drone, but I did so for your sake.'

' Ila, what do you mean because of me?'

' Vishy, We have known each other for more than 28 years now and you yourself have many a time said that we are so close that we can most of the times read each other's thought's and predict each other's moves. The moment, I walked in today morning and saw you, I knew something was wrong, that something was worrying you terribly and then you handed me this case. '

Commissioner Viswanathan nodded, ' Okay, da. Now, please tell me what you have learnt about this man?'

Deputy Commissioner Ilavarasan stood up and stretched his arms and shoulders, ' I learnt that this man can do things that only a monkey can do.'

' meaning?'

' I, mean, that this man did not slip out through the door but made his escape through the window from a room that is on the fourth floor, and then somehow managed to jump nearly ten feet across to the next window to reach the pipe that was next to it. Then we come to the strange crime scene with just a small pool of blood in it.'

Resting his palms on the large table in front of him, Ilavarasan said, ' There was no blood splatter from the head injury and the only blood that we found was on that spot where he collapsed and was then picked up and thrown in the boot of the car that belonged to the kidnappers.'

Commissioner Viswanathan too stood up and said, ' was there no blood trail from that spot where he was attacked leading to the vehicle in which he was taken away ?'

' No. Not one drop of blood.'

Viswanathan stared at Ilavarasan, ' was the whole thing staged, an act to throw us off his trail and make us think that he has really been kidnapped?'

' Maybe. But, who is this guy and what is he doing here in our city and what was he doing there in Crowne Plaza hotel?'

Commissioner Viswanathan sat on the edge of his table with his hands on his hips, ' He is here on some kind of agenda, of that I am sure of. That is what we have to find out now?'

Hurriedly, he added more information, ' talk to the doctor who stitched him up for he mentioned a few things about the man's background. I did not pay too much attention at that particular time for all my thoughts were about what to do if Jagatratchagan retaliated for his son being attacked and that is still very much a possibility.'

Placing an arm on Deputy Commissioner Ilavarasan's shoulder, ' Ila, talk to the doctor and then talk to Girija Padmanabhan for she mentioned that he was some distant relative from Kumbakonam which might not be true for Assistant Commissioner, Sudhakar from Cybercrime reported from Kumbakonam and informed me that no one has heard about this man Radhakrishnan in that town. Find out everything you possibly can about this man and please do it as quickly as possible.'

The knock on the door was loud and hurried and Commissioner Viswanathan yelled, ' come in, Madhavan.'

Sub-Inspector Madhavan rushed in and informed him that a burnt body of a man had been found hanging from a tree near the Velachery swamp area and that a message had been pinned on a nearby tree.

Commissioner Viswanathan exchanged a nervous glance with Ilavarasan and asked SI Madhavan, ' what, was the message?'

' Death, to all those who dare to oppose us.'

Vaanathai Pola 111

Chennai city's Police Commissioner, Viswanathan gripped the table with so much force that the table creaked in misery, unable to take the strain and forcing DC Ilavarasan to grab his friend and ask him the reason for him reacting so badly.

Viswanathan told him about the burnt body that had been found hanging near Velachery and then told him about the message that had been pinned to a nearby tree.

' Ila, if it turns out that the body is of Radha Krishnan, then the theory that he might have faked his kidnapping is wrong and that your assessment is also wrong.'

Deputy Commissioner Ilavarasan smiled and stepping back looked at his friend, ' Don't you think that you are jumping to too many conclusions here? we have yet to identify the body and then there are the dental, DNA, blood type and so many other procedures to cover and here you are already jumping up and down like a girl on her first date.'

Commissioner Viswanathan looked up at Ilavarasan with anger that slowly dissolved into a huge smile and he asked, 'W.F, Ila. Why would you say something so mean and compare me to a girl on her first date?'

' Because that is how you are acting right now. All tense, nervous and scared. Come on man. We are the good guys and we have seen and been through far worse situations than this and this is nothing compared to them. So, just relax, and tell me about this talk you had with Radha Krishnan and how he came across to you as a person.'

Commissioner Viswanathan nodded and closed his eyes, and recollected the few minutes he had spent with Radhu the previous evening and said, ' A very calm person. But that calmness is both eerie and scary. Then, there are his eyes.'

Looking at his friend, ' Ila, his eyes see everything. They see right through you, right into your soul.'

Deputy Commissioner Ilavarasan, ' Okay. Now, what did he say? what were his exact words that he said?'

' I am a nobody and you have nothing to fear from me, for soon I will be gone' Viswanathan repeated the words spoken by Radha Krishnan and then he looked worriedly at Ilavarasan, ' From, the way he said it my instinct tells me that he is here in our city on some personal business.'

' personal business' Ilavarasan repeated what Viswanathan had just told him in a loud voice and in a sarcastic tone said, ' Now, that sounds dangerous for the words personal business sounds very loaded and can be interpreted in many ways.'

The whole room fell silent and Ilavarasan watched his friend going over the whole case in his mind, trying desperately to find more clues that would divulge more information about the man named, Radha Krishnan.

Seeing his friend in this mode, somehow always made Ilavarasan imagine two hands inside his friend's brain going over a Rubik's cube, trying to solve it and from years of experience, he knew that in the end, his friend would solve it.

Viswanathan looked up at his friend and said, ' Ila, there is something wrong about this guy. He speaks Tamil very well like you and I do but there is something missing in his accent and diction. And then, there is his lack of knowledge about politics and also about this burning feud between the Thevars and the Dalit Communities. It felt like he had been sleeping under a rock and had just woken up to a new world.'

Flicking his fingers loudly, he said, ' Ila, then there are the doctor's words.'

Commissioner Viswanathan's face was grim when he spoke, ' The doctor, Mr Ratnakumar who had served in the army for nearly 14 years said that this man Radha Krishnan was some kind of Ramboand that he had seen men like him and treated them many times for stab wounds, bullet wounds and other near-fatal injuries.'

Deputy Commissioner Ilavarasan whistled loudly, ' A real-life Rambo running around in our city and that means his personal business is in fact some kind of personal vendetta.'

DC Ilavarasasn punched his friend lightly on his arm and said, ' Cheer up man and go home and we will meet up tomorrow morning.'

' What are you going to do now, Ila? Commissioner Viswanathan asked and Deputy Commissioner Ilavarasan replied, ' The game is afoot, my friend and it is time now to track the hunter and also his prey from a safe distance.'

He moved towards the door and stopping slowly turned and said, ' Commissioner, maybe it will all turn out for the best and maybe it is wise to let him do what he has come here to do if he is still alive and that is someone else hanging from that tree in Velachery.

Good morning. I wish you a beautiful day. All the best.

A new day. A new life. A new beginning. A new dream of a new earth.

It starts with a seed, planted in soil, planted in wombs and planted in souls.

But, life always starts with seeds, hope, love and thoughts.

Maybe, tomorrow will be a brighter day, a better day and full of changes.

A time for a new song, new music, a new language that is global and that really stands for unity in diversity and stands for one religion called " Love" and which really means God.

For, when all hope is lost we only have the heavens to look up to and pray for relief.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmCn31pq8i0

Vaanathai Pola 112

If, he had been waking up in his own bed, back home with Jeeva huddled against his chest and in his arms, the first thing he would have done was gently plant a kiss on her forehead and hear her grumble and beg him not to get up and lie in bed a little while longer.

This had been the norm from the time they got married although Raman hated to lay still in the bed once he had woken up. But, then Jeeva was the one person who he put before everything else that was important for him and that also meant being flexible with his morning routine.

But, the frustration that stemmed from the extra ten to fifteen minutes of lying awake in bed were handsomely rewarded by her wandering hands once she came awake and that meant starting the day literally with a bang.

The sex used to be mad, intense, frantic and desperate and it was as if the night's sleep had separated them from each other and they had found each other only in the morning.

Even sleep had been like a parting, a goodbye, a painful separation that they had been unable to bear and yet here he was in any other country and far away from her.

If he had been in Delhi, Raman would wait until 7.00 am before he called Jeeva. But, last night's work out and the little practice session he had with Dr.Otto had been a bit tiring and so Raman slept on and on. A rare occurrence for him and which surprised even him for the time was 8.10 am when he opened his eyes and stared at the small clock that stood on the table near his bed.

Reaching for his phone, he called his soul and mumbled, ' hi baby. Would you believe it, I just woke up.'

Jeeva laughed, ' good for you sweetheart for you really need all the sleep you can get without having to worry about the country and the world.'

' Is my beautiful wife accusing me of having priorities other than her?'

' Stupid man. of course, your wife is not saying that.'

Both made small talk, exchanged endearments, bullied each other for a few minutes and then Jeeva said ' Kavita called an hour ago' and Raman knew that something was wrong, from the way the words were said.

His first thoughts were about Kavita's dad, Minister Durai Pandi whose health Raman feared might have taken a turn for the worse and they were the first words that came out from him.

' Is, her dad okay?'

' Yes, baby. He is okay and doing great. Kavita called regarding a matter concerning her friend, Radha Krishnan.'

' Okay.'

' Baby, I told you last night about how this man fought for our sakes and got stabbed in the process and was rushed to Apollo hospitals for treatment.'

' Correct. I am aware of all that.'

' Ram, that man has gone missing from the hospital and may have been kidnapped. That is what your Commissioner friend told Kavita when he met up with her at her house an hour ago.'

Raman wondered loudly, ' God, and here I am thinking that I am in the middle east and right in the middle of some of the most dreaded terrorists and all the while Chennai is where all the action is happening.'

Jeeva in a soft tone requested him, ' Baby, will you talk to her for she is very worried and your call will definitely calm her down and make her feel better.'

' Sure, I will call her right away and I will also have a talk with Commissioner Viswanathan and find out what is going on.'

After speaking for a few more minutes, they exchanged phone kisses and byes and with the call over, Raman called Kavita who answered on the very first ring.

In a world of C, by C and for C -1

C here stands for Coronavirus, a word that by now is familiar to even your pet cat or dog which might run and hide at the mere mention of that dreaded word.

It took a mere burp from Mother Earth in the Indian Ocean in the year 2004 to teach the whole world what the word Tsunami meant.

If you go to the beach, it is called, walking.

If the beach comes to your house, it is called, a Tsunami.

Most are not aware of the fact that a virus is not considered a living thing. Unlike other living organisms that can self-divide, splitting a single cell into two, viruses must ‘assemble’ themselves by taking control of the host cell, which manufactures and assembles the viral components.

A virus isn’t considered living because it doesn’t need to consume energy to survive, nor is it able to regulate its own temperature. Unlike living organisms that meet their energy needs by metabolic processes that supply energy-rich units of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency of life, viruses can survive on nothing. In theory, a virus can drift around indefinitely until it contacts the right kind of cell for it to bind to and infect, thus creating more copies itself.

So, a virus can exist on nothing and exist for millions, even billions of years.

In order to replicate, viruses must first hijack a host cell ( For example, the so-called swamis, fake gurus, priests, who hijack God and then try to pass off themselves as God).

For, that matter, our human species is a kind of virus that has taken over its host, mother nature and has destroyed everything else.

In the year 2010, a relatively obscure film and tv production company called AMC (African and Middle Eastern TV channel) became a household name all over the world and the reason for that was " The Walking Dead" Tv series, which is now in its 11th season.

The tv series is about a pathogen that has killed off most of the human population and worse has turned thousands of humans into fles- eating Zombies that hunt healthy survivors, day and night.

75 years ago during world war two, the whole world gasped in shock and horror as Hitler led Nazi Germany unleashed hell on earth in Europe and a few other parts of the world. Japan joined hands with Hitler and for nearly seven years man fought against man and nearly 75 million people died in that war and then the united states did the most unimaginable thing and unleashed nuclear hell on Japan and the world has not been the same from that day.

But, twenty years before world war two and just after world war one had ended, a virus pandemic now called the Spanish Flu swept through the world killing nearly a 100 million people, a number that is only a rough estimate.

In India alone, the 1918 Spanish flu is supposed to have killed nearly 12 million people, about 5% of the population. As a result of the severity of the outbreak, the year 1919 saw a reduction of births by around 30 per cent. The population growth of India during the decade from 1911-1921 was 1.2%, the lowest among all decades under the British Raj. In his memoirs the Hindi poet, Suryakant Tripathi, wrote "Ganga was swollen with dead bodies." In a report released by the sanitary commissioner in 1918, all rivers across India were clogged up with bodies, because of a shortage of firewood for cremation.

Viruses have been here long before us and will be here, long after we humans have vanished from Earth. There is no getting around it and now with this extended lockdown comes an important question,' Which will kill you first, corona or starvation or mental disorders from being cooped up inside four walls?'

Vaanathai Pola 113

What do you call a person who knows your worst fears and at the same time knows your deepest and darkest desires? A friend. No, for that is very cliched and very general in nature and also belittling the existence of a very rare state of a human bond.

Do such people really exist on this planet? People, who tell each other everything about themselves.

As far as Kavita was concerned, Raman was such a person to her for he knew everything about her although she could not say the same thing herself. But, that did not matter in the slightest for the moment she heard his voice, she felt the heaviness that had been smothering her being removed and she breathed as if she was breathing for the very first time in her life.

' Raman' she whispered and he said the right words as he always said and they were, ' Kavita, I am here. Jeeva just told me about everything that has been happening and I want to tell you that it is going to be all right.'

Kavita broke down in tears and sobbed for the wave of all the emotions and thoughts of the past two days just broke banks and dams and overcame her composure and flooded out as tears.

Raman knew Kavita very well and understood her psyche better than she probably did herself and rather than console her, and calm her, he let her cry.

After a few moments, she cleared her throat and said in a soft and shy voice, ' Sorry, Raman. All the emotions, anger, frustrations that had been pent up and locked up just burst their banks and it was either cry out to you or scream at the top of my head which surely would have resulted with my dad suffering another heart attack.'

' That's the spirit, Kavita. Honestly, I too sometimes feel like screaming my anger and frustration out so that it will not linger on as toxic waste in my body and soul and continue to fester like an open wound.'

Kavita asked, ' So, what do you do and how do you cope on a daily basis with all the crap and deal with the people who dish out that very same crap?'

' Well, I wish I could cry it out like you or scream it out as you want to do. But, sadly, I am unable to do so and instead, I work out and process the problem and reason with it, understand it totally and then make peace with it.'

Kavita laughed, ' God, that sounds not only complicated, boss but also a way to for total brain damage .'

Both laughed and then Raman asked, ' What is going on, Kavita? why is this gentleman suddenly so important to you when it is just been a couple of days since you met him?

' Raman, have you forgotten your past and what you have said many a time to all of us when you have recollected that moment?'

Raman smiled and said, ' Touche, my dear friend and a great comeback.'

' Thank you, advocate sir. I felt that same bolt of thunder and lightning strike me when I first saw him and it was the same way you said about how you felt the first time your eyes caught sight of Jeeva on the bus many a year ago.'

' Okay, madam. Sorry, minister madam. I apologise for asking about your feelings and so please let me off without any further cross-examining, so that I can step back with my dignity intact.'

Kavita in a playful tone said, ' Pollachu ponga advocate sir.'

Then after a further few minutes of chatting and enquiring done, they finished their circling and came to rest on the matter on hand.

Kavita explained to Raman that since his connections with the Chennai Police department and with Commissioner Viswanathan were very strong and had gotten stronger now that he was working for " RAW", he was in the right place to find out about what was happening with the case concerning, Radha Krishnan.

' Raman, You are in the intelligence business now and your powers and position even supersede Chennai's police department and so you can easily get to the bottom of this mess and find out who kidnapped Radha Krishnan and somehow find a way to get him back. Please, tell the commissioner, that in case a ransom demand is made, that, money will not be a problem, and that I will personally take care of it myself.'

They spoke for a few more minutes and Kavita told Raman all that she knew about Radha Krishnan and Raman listened to everything patiently.

' Okay, Kavita. I will take care of this and I will talk to the commissioner right away and see what he has to say. Don't panic if I take time to get back to you right away for this number will be either swtiched off or in mute mode. Just message me and I will call back the moment, I see it. Okay.'

' Okay, Raman. Thank you so much. Bye.'

Raman hurriedly interrupted her and said, ' Not so quickly for I need you to promise to do something for me in return.'

' What, Raman?'

' I need you to promise me that you will stop worrying and will relax and go about your life and work in a calm and cool way while I handle this. Promise.'

Kavita promised him and said, ' You are truly a special soul, my friend.Bye.'

Why the average American was hit hard by Covid

The US has long followed a trend of punishing savers and rewarding borrowers. Hence, as Covid disrupted jobs and the economy, the citizens found themselves without a nest egg to fall back on

The Covid-19 crisis has revealed a harsh truth about the most powerful nation in the world. The country as a whole is rich, but the average citizen is in dire financial straits. TV interviews of hundreds of Americans show a common theme: Most do not have sufficient funds to cover their next rent, mortgage payment, or utility bill.

The big shocker is the way Americans are lining up for food. One video near Pittsburgh showed people sitting in their plush cars and trucks in a mile-long bumper-to-bumper line, occupying both lanes, inching their way forward to a charity organisation’s food distribution stations. The same scene plays itself out all over the country.

The US Congress and the Fed have pumped in a whopping $6 trillion — nearly a quarter of the country’s GDP — in the largest economic bailout in history. Sectors as varied as hospitals, higher education, the airlines and transportation systems, have received nearly $3 trillion in aid. Married taxpayers making up to $1,50,000 in annual income are expected to receive $2,400 per household in a one-time direct cash transfer. The nearly 26 million unemployed will each receive paycheck assistance of about $1,000 a week for 39 weeks. Even gig-economy workers — such as independent contractors and Uber drivers — will receive money.

But as these transfers slowly work their way through a complex system of government agencies and financial institutions, the average American citizen is struggling. Raised in a culture that fiercely celebrates individuality, people who have long since left their homes to live on their own are forced to return to stay with their parents.

The Fed has consistently issued warnings that the American savings rate is woefully inadequate. Survey after survey, the Fed has said that a majority of families have no more than $400 saved to pay for emergency expenses. To raise anything more, families dip into their credit cards and go further into debt.

Americans are simply addicted to borrowing. According to Debt.org, the US had a median household income of $61,372 in 2017, but the typical American household carries an average debt of $1,37,063. The whole system is set up to encourage borrowing and aggressively consume.

An individual younger than 18, staying at home with parents, has no debt. Upon entering college, he signs up for an education loan. Graduating from college, and with a new job, he borrows to buy a flashy new car. Furnishing the apartment and building a wardrobe is easy with store cards offering aggressive no-EMI-for-12-month deals. And when he trades his rental up to own a large single-family home, he signs up for a 30-year mortgage forever trapped into debt. Being married to a spouse who works helps, but divorce rates are upwards of 50 per cent, so when families split, it causes an enormous financial burden on both spouses.

The government struggles to educate citizens on the fact that debt can be good or bad. Investing in a meaningful education, a basic car, or an affordable primary home is essential, but spending beyond one’s means is unwise. But the average American is rarely concerned about the debt burden, and thinks only about the EMI, because the system is designed that way.

Automobile dealership ads show the monthly EMI offered rather than the purchase price of a vehicle. If a desired car’s EMI is too high, finance companies stand ready to extend the life of the loan to bring the EMI down. Two decades ago, 60-month auto loans were the longest term available. Today, 84-month loans are standard.

Personal finance experts implore Americans to set aside 5-10 per cent of their income to save for a rainy day and an additional 5-10 per cent for their retirement. But most don’t because the American system penalises savers with extremely low-interest rates and rewards borrowers with highly sophisticated loan products designed to consume more than necessary.

Then, there are also the bitter truths about the costs of living. In the big metropolitan cities of New York and San Francisco, there simply isn’t enough affordable housing. Owning a car is prohibitively expensive because of tolls, parking charges, and insurance. Millions of low-income people have to work multiple jobs simply to stay afloat. Saving a portion of their income is a luxury.

The massive injections of relief by Congress are intended to address the current pain. If Americans who were gainfully employed before the crisis can’t quickly get back to work, they can’t begin to resume making their debt payments, and the entire system can collapse, nudging the US into deflation in which supplies stay high but there’s not sufficient demand. That can get messy. Just ask Japan.

by Rajkamal Rao, Hindu Businessline, April 25, 2020

The writer is Managing Director, Rao Advisors LLC, Bedford, Texas