From Robert Reich:
Senate Republicans' proposed stimulus bill is a disaster. Here are its key failings:
1) It stipulates a one-time payment of up to $1,200 for every adult and $500 per child. How are people who lost their jobs supposed to pay their mortgages, rents, and bills for the foreseeable future with just this single check?
2) People are only eligible for this measly one-time payment unless their income is $23,500 or above — meaning the 64 million households with incomes *below* $50,000 would get even less, as little as $600 in some cases. That’s right: the people who need this money the most will get a smaller share.
3) It does not expand paid leave beyond the ridiculously insufficient two weeks mandated in the first emergency relief bill passed earlier this week, and does not reform the gaping loophole that exempts businesses with more than 500 employees.
4) It sets aside more than $200 billion for industries hurt by the pandemic, like airlines. The one stipulation? Companies that receive government loans would have to limit the pay of their senior executives. That’s it — no ban on stock buybacks, no minimum wage requirement, no worker or consumer protections.
I supposed I shouldn’t be surprised this bill aims to help the rich more than the poor and give a massive blank check to corporations — after all, these are the same Republicans who didn’t blink twice when they gave the wealthy and corporations a cool $2,000,000,000,000 in tax cuts.
DON'T fall for the republican hype. They not only can do better. THEY MUST do better!
LINK
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.