Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Loans, even cheap ones, are a very shity way of "helping" small businesses Really disagree on this point. The primary value of a business is their assets, brands and expertise. All of those things will be just as valuable after the pandemic as they were before. Assets don't just disappear because they're not used. This is just as true for small businesses as it is for big business. Any business that was profitable…
The business may no longer be profitable because it is now servicing a large debt it didn't previously have. And unlike regular business debt, the money wasn't invested into something productive. This could go very wrong. Then again, if the business is going bankrupt anyway, who cares how much it ends up owing?
Senate passes bill to provide benefits to individuals and small businesses
71–80 of 128 posts
Re: Senate passes bill to provide benefits to individuals and small businesses
#72"Bold and significant" eh? Kind of like the "bold and significant" test kits that never materialized, or the "bold and significant" quarantine process we should've instituted as soon as the first patient was discovered.
> or the "bold and significant" quarantine process we should've instituted as soon as the first patient was discovered. The US was quarantining americans returning from covid countries with CDC quarantine orders (federally enforceable) since Jan 31?
i suggest you do more than just take any announcement from the WH at face value, especially when there are numerous sources saying otherwise.
Re: Senate passes bill to provide benefits to individuals and small businesses
#73Re: Senate passes bill to provide benefits to individuals and small businesses
#74Earlier quoted context omitted.
The amount matters. I'll take a trillion dollar loan at %0 in a heartbeat and quickly become a millionaire via conservative investments. A 20k loan at %0 doesn't do much for me though.
What would you invest in right now to make money?
Re: Senate passes bill to provide benefits to individuals and small businesses
#75Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The primary value of a business is their assets, brands and expertise. All of those things will be just as valuable after the pandemic as they were before. this doesn't seem true to me. at least the brand loses value over the pandemic, and there's likely complications from cashflow that eat into other assets.
Why does the brand lose value? My favorite restaurant is still a place where I want to eat when this is all over. My favorite brand of toothpaste is still the one I want to buy. How does the brand lose value?
In many cases small businesses derive most of their quality from the actual owner. They don't respond well to drop-in replacements of key staff members and owners.
Re: Senate passes bill to provide benefits to individuals and small businesses
#76[flagged]
Re: Senate passes bill to provide benefits to individuals and small businesses
#77Loans, even cheap ones, are a very shity way of "helping" small businesses and individuals. For example, a local restaurant where I live, will have to shut down for good in the next few days as they won't be able to afford their lease. If they get a loan for the lease, they'll be on the hook for that money with no guarantee of being able to pay it back and with way too much uncertainty in terms of when they'll be abl…
If the terms are zero or near-zero interest for say 5 years then the effects to the business's bottom line would be mute.
If the loan is like some loanshark credit card company charging 27% compound with a three month payback, then yeah, bankruptcy is your friend.
Remember, countries take out huge loans to pay for wars that are paid back over generations, the UK just finished paying back it's loan for WW2 just recently.
These are the kind of loans people/businesses need.
Re: Senate passes bill to provide benefits to individuals and small businesses
#78Loans, even cheap ones, are a very shity way of "helping" small businesses and individuals. For example, a local restaurant where I live, will have to shut down for good in the next few days as they won't be able to afford their lease. If they get a loan for the lease, they'll be on the hook for that money with no guarantee of being able to pay it back and with way too much uncertainty in terms of when they'll be abl…
Re: Senate passes bill to provide benefits to individuals and small businesses
#79I wonder if the hotel industry is also going to get only loans or instead unfettered cash with no need to repay, let's see how that one works with double standards.
Re: Senate passes bill to provide benefits to individuals and small businesses
#80[flagged]
We've had to warn you many times not to post nationalistic or ideological flamebait to HN, including just the other day. Really, would you please stop?