GOP Senate nominee: $600 virus unemployment benefit is 'way too much'

[mr_lebowski]

9. It's on top of normal unemployment benefits, and it's also generally not taxed

until you pay taxes in April, plus ttbomk there's not other taxes like SS/Medicare.

If you normally make $10/hour, that's $400/week. After taxes, more like $300.

Your regular UI benefit is probably around $200 in that case. Thus, with the $600 bonus, it's now $800/week.

Eyeballing the math here ... by becoming unemployed and staying home, you've received a raise from $10 for working ... to $26.66/hr for not working. Granted you'll lose some of that in taxes owned next year, but I bet most people are thinking 'I'll worry about that come April'.

A great many people are indeed going to calculate that it doesn't makes sense for them to go back to work, given how much they would lose by doing so.

To be clear, I'm not saying *I CARE* that many people are going to make that decision. I don't. I'm fine with it. I don't think ANYONE should only be making $10/hour. I favor pumping money into the bottom of the economy like this, when there is a good reason for it (and this is a good reason for it).

But a significant number of people are going to stay home and collect their big raise. It's human nature.