The U.S. Congress recently passed a nearly 6,000-page bill that they claim will provide relief for the millions of Americans who are suffering from the economic aftermath of ongoing COVID-19 lockdowns.
The bill, which is headed to the White House, would provide $600 stimulus checks to all Americans who earned less than $75,000 according to 2019 tax data. It would also extend unemployment benefits with a $300-per-week federal subsidy for those who have managed to sign up for state-provided unemployment insurance.
Sending $600 to every American who earned less than $75,000 in 2019 is a one-size-fits-all, reckless political gimmick that will do little to help those most in need while doing a whole lot to increase our already massive national debt.
Using myself as an example, I already received a $1,2000 stimulus check in the spring and will be eligible for the new $600 payment, even though I have not lost my job during the pandemic. I know dozens of friends and family members who have also received stimulus checks despite the fact that they have not been economically harmed by the pandemic whatsoever.
Why would the government send me and others who don’t really need the money a $600 check when there are millions of others still suffering from the effects of government lockdowns? One would think that Congress could do a much better job of tailoring relief to those most in need and those who have been directly impacted by the economic downturn. But, of course, that is not how big government operates.
In reality, Congress’ latest round of stimulus checks, which would add hundreds of billions more to the national debt, is a lazy attempt to placate Americans and sow the seeds of socialism. Why would Congress spend hundreds of billions of dollars when the national debt is already soaring? (It’s more than $27.5 trillion!)
Instead of focusing on reopening the economy (and the nation’s public schools), those in Congress, especially Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), would rather take the easy way out and just send a $600 check to most Americans, regardless of their financial and job situation in relation to the pandemic.
And it looks like Congress is just getting warmed up, too. Many Democrats are already pushing for another round of stimulus checks in early 2021, when the Biden administration will occupy the Oval Office. Considering that many on the far left have been calling for a universal basic income for years, one wonders if this is a stealth (can we even call it “stealth” anymore?) way of conditioning Americans to come to expect Uncle Sam to send checks on a perpetual basis.
As Rahm Emanuel infamously advised, the left should never let a crisis go to waste.
Chris Talgo ([email protected]) is the editorial director and a research fellow at The Heartland Institute, as well as a researcher and contributing editor at StoppingSocialism.com.
