1/ Something from today's column about coronavirus stay-at-home order protesters I wanted to expand on a bit. There are good people out there who are feeling desperate because they need to get paid. Rent is due. Bills are due. The government's $1,200... https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/rex-huppke/ct-coronavirus-protesters-testing-social-distancing-trump-huppke-20200420-zy42j2pwabapvm3atk6236srtq-story.html

2/ ...isn't nearly enough. I get that, I empathize with that and I'm worried too. As I noted in the column, my industry is getting clobbered. Pay cuts, furloughs or layoffs are coming. It scares the crap out of me. But the thing that doesn't seem to be getting through to some...

3/ ...is that rushing to reopen the country will set us back. We'll be right back where we are now, or we'll let a huge number of people die. The other issue is: How do you reopen businesses when people aren't ready to come out? The polling is clear on this. A vast majority...

4/ ...of the country, liberal and conservative, says it's too soon. So even if all the people protesting could get back to work, what does that work look like? How do you work at empty restaurants or gas stations or shopping malls? How do you get back to companies that aren't...

5/ ...selling much of anything? It's putting the wagon in front of the horse. This country will reopen when people feel safe. People will feel safe when there's adequate testing in place and they know what they're dealing with. Wishing for anything else is tilting at windmills.

6/ People will still be pissed at me for writing that column. I get it. I'm not going to pretend I know or can relate to exactly what they're feeling. But people have to understand the dynamics of what's happening. You can't force America open. It's going to take time. END