Because you have to choose

[Dave's Not Here Man]

between crumbs or 1 slice of bread for lower income people. To the wealthy, go getters, and corporate masters, well they get the bakery, the raw materials, the energy, transportation, the corporate headquarters with the marble floors, or metaphorically the whole fucking loaf.

I thought the $600/wk unemployment supplement was a bad idea at worst or a poorly constructed one at best. Certainly there are folks who lost their jobs that made far more money than the unemployment+600/wk. Just as there are many who make much less than what they are getting with unemployment+600/wk. I have tuned out the assholes who suggest.... who downright come out and say.... those people don't deserve to get more than they were making because (insert elitist narrative here).

And then there's all those people out there working at those mostly low paying jobs. Even as some of their employers have raised the hourly wages, they have not moved to enhance things like health care for their workforce, or other compensation that rises to the level of what the unemployed are currently supplemented.

So what if the two business ends of the livestock up there on Capitol Hill came up with a plan that looked something like this-

Everyone who has a current work history, meaning they are either employed or unemployed, get $2400 a month until Dec 31? RETROACTIVE to the first disbursement. Everyone also gets a Medicare Card and the insurance companies will be told, via EO that they must participate or lose their other federal subsidies, and state licences. That's $4800 a month and no healthcare premiums. Every family I know can figure it out from there. No unemployment supplements and all of the hoops that come with it necessary. 

[bobathon]

Why do you hate America?

The 600$ thing was because it used existing processes and would be quick and uncomplicated to implement, buying time to Do The Right Thing. Oh, Hi Mitch!

[minx]

The interesting thing is that more than one study has been done where people who otherwise qualified for welfare benefits were given their benefits in cash for both welfare and SNAP & told to spend it as they pleased after taking a short course on making a budget.

In what must come as a major shock to all, the vast majority spent it wisely, and many of them even ended up with enough to start a small savings account. The only extra supervision they had was a monthly call from a case worker asking if all was well - if the answer was yes, then call done!

Sadly, like with many of these studies the funding ran out so it only ran for 6 months. There have been other studies done where case managers had their workload reduced so they could concentrate on the families under their care - the rate of children being removed from homes also dropped. Funny how giving folks the support they need with the freedom to make their own choices actually works!

In terms of John's plan, I do like it but I also think the income level should be limited. I didn't need that damn stimulus check either - ended up donating the money to several organizations and gave a chunk to the eldest since Target didn't do hazard pay.

So say that if you make above XX are still fully employed and have health insurance you're good. Otherwise you get the money - if you make more than XX and your pay gets cut, or you outright lose your job, then you qualify.