Unemployment Compensation

Argument persists over extending the Covid-19 unemployment bonus of $600/week to the normal unemployment benefits. I asked a barber how she did during the shutdown of her shop. She said OK as long as the $600 bonus was included. That made the difference for her to pay her rent in full and on time. The rest of the funds went for utilities, health insurance premiums and food. Bare minimum and squeaked by. Couldn’t have done it without the extra $600.

Now republicans in congress are saying that bonus payment is tantamount to paying people not to work. They claim it is an incentive to stay away from work because the benefits are greater than their former paychecks.

Hmmmm. Interesting argument. You mean these people were so poor they barely existed financially before Covid? You mean, their incomes were so paltry that they had little or no incentive to work? What?

A congressman makes in excess of $176,000 per year, plus all expenses paid, free health care, and the same benefits and income for life as a retirement benefit. I think these legislators have lost sight of how real Americans live their lives.

To cure them of this oversight, we really do need to reduce their income to something around $60,000 annually, a group insurance policy for which they pay premiums in cooperation with the government, and that their retirement is Social Security plus whatever they are able to fund with their salary. Oh, and their spouse’s salary. And oh yes, all after deducting taxes, child care, and health care premiums for all the kids and spouse.

Let’s see how they handle this reality. Well, they won’t, will they? Because they are almost all quite wealthy in their own right. And for the officials who are not officially wealthy, they have wealthy friends who want the elected ones to remain in office to do their bidding. So, money truly is not a problem for most of Congress. Add to the wealth they create for themselves over the many years most of them have been in office, and you begin to see why We The People have a problem with Washington DC.

The Covid stimulus program being voted on soon should include an extension of the $600 bonus payment weekly along with regular unemployment benefits. The pandemic is the issue keeping America from having an open economy. It has nothing to do with $600 weekly ‘incentive’ checks.

Sheesh!

July 28, 2020