Millionaire Rs saying that $600-a-week in Unemployment Benefits is too generous

[stopbush]

$600 a week = $31,200 a year. And it's taxable.

The Rs say it's too generous. Each Congressional R makes a minimum of $174,000 a year.

Steve Mnuchin has a reported net worth of $300-million.

Larry Kudlow has a net worth of $10-million and was making close to $1-million a year before taking a job in the maladministration.

But people who are out of work for the sole reason that tRump totally botched the COVID response, who lost their jobs due to the shutdown and who continue to lose their jobs at a clip of 1.5-million A WEEK are being given "too generous" of financial assistance with that $600 a week. Why, in some cases they're getting more money than they were getting working minimum wage.

BTW - $600/40 hours a week = $15 a hour. Isn't that what the target is for raising the minimum wage?

The House has already passed a bill extending the Fed $600-a-week benefit through the end of the year. Rs are balking, because giving people money to keep from being evicted, to put food on their tables and to take care of their families is "too generous." They prefer people be forced back to work in virus-ridden environments...because paying $16,000 a day for ICU care for a virus victim makes more sense than giving people $600 a week to stay healthy.

Rs look at workers receiving any government assistance as lazy freeloaders, when they should be looking at them as the conduit through which the Feds are pouring money into the economy to keep it from collapsing.

[fleur-de-lisa]

1. They're all clueless.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

2. It's their belief

In NEO- liberalism that distorts their understanding of how things are.

Article about the effects and beliefs of neo liberalism.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/books/2016/apr/15/neoliberalism-ideology-problem-george-monbiot

[Igel]

3. You leave out a lot of information.

And assume you're presenting all the information. It's harder to make the case with all the information, but that's no excuse.

That $600/week is in addition to unemployment benefits. It is not the unemployment benefits.

So if you make $8/hr for a total of $16000 a year in TX, you get about $160/week in benefits for as long as they last. That's only $8,300 a year (rounding a bit). Clearly less than your old crappy job. I don't know if payroll tax comes out of that or not, but at that low level of income the amount would be neither large nor unimportant. (Yeah, it would be small but still be important).

With the added bonus, you'd be making 38,300 a year. Get laid off from $16k/year, next week (assuming benefits all approved quickly) your income is more than 233% higher. Equivalent of more than $18/hr, a $10/hr raise. That's not "living", that's very nearly "median." Toss in the one-time $1200/person and it's likely that the bottom was median.

You go back to work and you face almost a 60% pay cut. Tell me that's not a disincentive.

Which is why some workers have said they're in better shape laid off than they ever were working, and some business owners said they'd be hurting their employees by calling them back and didn't want to be put in the position of informing the state that employees who refused to return had turned down work.

Your argument can be made, but it's weaker. And you have to repurpose the unemployment bonus after the fact.

[stopbush]

4. Wrong. My OP states that some people are making more on unemployment

than they are if they went back to their minimum-wage job. That is something Rs object to.

My point is that you have a bunch of millionaires getting in a tizzy because - god forfend - some poorly paid Americans may be getting a breather for a few months by getting more in benefits than they would at their crap job.

[MichMan]

5. Unfortunately it creates a problem when only some people are furloughed

Their employer, due to loss of business, has to lay off half of their employees making $12 per hour. The other half is still working.

The ones still working are getting up and going to work every day while they see their laid off coworkers, who are now making twice as much, sitting at home enjoying themselves.

[stopbush]

6. I don't know any unemployed person who is "enjoying themselves"

while their coworkers still have jobs. They know that UI benefits are a temporary band aid, and not a replacement for a steady job.

At present, the $600 Fed benefit is set to end July 31. If nothing is done by Congress, the unemployed will have only their state benefits, which are often less than 50% of their previous gross salary, and which are only extended 13 weeks at a time.

[MichMan]

7. Sure they are

Hosting family activities, enjoying state parks, completing home projects, or just relaxing at home. Most people find that to be more enjoyable than working at "crap" jobs. Especially if you are making more $$ than you ever did working.

Sure unemployment doesn't last forever, but I didnt hear too many of my furloughed co workers being thrilled to be called back.

[Hotler]

8. Selfish assholes... nt

[Roland99]

9. In 5 weeks I'll be down to a whopping $247/wk (after tax)

for my family of 5

Hoping to be back at work by then but not too optimistic

Mnuchin and Kudlow can go fuck the fuck off