Normally, when I talk about Donald Trump, it is to criticize or make fun of him. I have something different to say today, and it is more rare than a 75° February day in Da Burgh, so you'll want to pay attention!
Today, Donald Trump signed executive orders that extended eviction moratoriums and payroll tax cuts, expanded veterans' benefits, and reinstated unemployment enhancement benefits, at the reduced rate of $400 a week. Thank you, Mr. Trump, this citizen is grateful.*
Yes, I know what some of you are going to say. "He did it to help himself because it's an election year." Well, maybe he did, but it helps citizens like me, and I am grateful. "Well, Claudia, the executive orders will never survive a legal challenge." Yeah, you're probably right. I'm still grateful enough that I will let pass without retort several comments he made that I would ordinarily take huge exception to. Because I'm hoping Trump has started something that might move these talks along without all this finger-pointing, leading Congress, who are the only ones that can legally open the purse strings, to bust a move and get this done.
So let's talk obstructions.
Date Democratic-controlled House Of Representatives passed the HEROES Act: May 15. Date Republican-controlled Senate passed the HEALS Act: July 27.
2 1/2 months. That's how long Republicans sat on their thumbs, knowing that enhancements for unemployed citizens were expiring on July 31. "Let's wait and see if things get better" is not the way to run a country. Is that how you run your households? But I forget that Congress' salaries start at $174,000 a year, guaranteed, unless we run 'em off, and the ones that sat on their thumbs, employed, while so many of their citizens were unemployed through no fault of their own, deserve to be run off. Voters, please let your memories be long.
Also, let it be said that the HEROES Act was a $3.4 trillion package; the HEALS Act, $1 trillion. Yesterday, Nancy Pelosi offered to go down to $2 trillion, including offering to reduce UI enhancement from the $600 a week the House wanted to $400 a week, and asking the Senate to move an equal amount and meet her in the middle. Senate Republicans gave her a flat no, saying half of their members do not believe the American people even need anything more! They didn't want to give the American people a "disencentive to work."
Well, dear Senators, allow this blogger to tell you a thing or two!
I am a 55 year-old woman. I have been working steadily since my early 20's. When I was 29, my mother became disabled. In order to keep her from losing her house, I worked as an Avon representative, a babysitter, a salesperson, and I had my own cleaning business. ALL AT THE SAME TIME. For 2 1/2 years I worked at least 12 hours a day. Frequently more. Without one day off. My mother did not lose her house. When that was over, and my mother won SSDI, and then began job re-training and got another job, I began working at The Plaza, where I worked from May 21, 1997 - March 11, 2020. Do the math, and you'll find that's just short of 23 years. I'm the only person that was still there from when The Plaza changed hands in 2005, and was one of the longest-tenured, if not the longest tenured employee since The Plaza has existed (December 26, 1951). I was furloughed due to slow business amid the pandemic along with most of the rest of the employees. It is likely that my job is gone for good, like a lot of folks who work in the restaurant and retail industries. Are 10 bazillion people supposed to compete for 1 bazillion call-center jobs?
Since my furlough, I have deep-cleaned, landscaped, purged unwanted stuff, and remodeled, preparing in case I have to move my family into a less expensive abode. I spend my spare time watching home improvement videos to try to learn skills I do not yet have. And that extra $600 a week ($540 after taxes)? What I didn't save against an uncertain future, I spent largely on home improvement tools and materials. Do these last two paragraphs sound as if I've been or could ever be disincentivized to work? And, dear Senators, I would bet my house that I'm busting my ass to fix up, which is my entire future, that the vast majority of Americans are just like me. To say anything else is to spit in the face of those who pay your $174,000 a year. It's a disgrace. Now get with the program, incentivize yourselves to work, and bust out a deal. It's an election year, and we're watching, and voting accordingly.
Oh, and one more thing, dear Congressmen: For anyone who only works 100 or so out of 222 days (Senate 114, House 100), and makes at least $174,000 plus perks to speculate about MY incentive to work is really freakin' rich!
More details about Congressional perks, read #2 about their "allowances" if you want to really get mad:
https://www.cheatsheet.com/money-career/perks-members-of-congress-get-for-free-at-the-taxpayers-expense.html/
* Having said that, a lengthy payroll tax cut (or permanent one, should Trump be reelected), will gut Medicare and Social Security:
https://www.aol.com/article/news/2020/08/09/trump-using-covid-19-as-a-cover-to-gut-social-security-and-medicare-critics-charge/24586780/
Note, 9/3/20: Well, I wrote this more Trump-favorable post because I believed Trump's actions portrayed herein might kick-start the recalcitrant body known as Congress, to make a deal. No such luck! Oh, well, sometimes Your Crusading Blogger is wrong:
https://www.aol.com/article/finance/2020/09/03/extra-unemployment-benefits-remain-stalled/24609708/
