Issues
First, let’s go back to before the SARS-COV-2 virus was spreading around the world. Let’s go back one year. How many people were completely content with how life was progressing one year ago? How many did not notice the issues surrounding them? Maybe it was easier to ignore the problems that were circulating the globe, not for me, but maybe for some.
The truth is, we have had problems in this country long before the virus appeared. Luckily, for those that control the wealth, the virus stepped in and gave us a large-scale distraction to remove our minds from the injustice and the inequality that pervade our society. Prior to the virus I was working on an article titled “$15 is not enough.” I imagine there are many that do not believe this is true and since I have yet to publish all my findings and calculations, know that I have done the research. The moral of the article is that even at $15/hr, the minimum wage will be complicit in perpetuating the inequality found throughout our society.
Only through a Worldwide crisis were we even willing to think about providing close to a living wage for our citizens. Offering them $600/week extra to maintain a semblance of normalcy during this time of insecurity and there are some companies providing incentive pay for workers that keep working through the pandemic.
Most of us realized that this was the first time that collectively, we acknowledged that the standard pay in this country is sub-standard. I have read over all the articles and complaints by those that state they have “worked hard” for the position and pay they receive and others should do the same. No Handouts in their opinion. Handouts, that is what they call it. When they should be fighting for their fellow human, their brother/sister, that is being devalued and treated as though they are an easily replaceable cog in a machine rather than a unique and valuable being.
The corporations received, at least, three times as much as individuals received in “Handouts”. Yet somehow it is easier for some to overlook the money that has been funneled into bonds, stocks and big business. No, what is most troublesome to those that have blinders on is the fact that we are giving money to those that need it most and a few that don’t. In fact with the money that has been funneled to keep big business from taking a hit during this crisis we could have written a check for every family in America for over $40,000 ($6 Trillion/130 Million Households). Instead we got a check for $1200 per adult and $500 per child and $600/week added to unemployment checks. The corporations, most of which do not need the money, got the rest. In turn this created a bull market after the crash, so those with wealth either rode the wave and have more now than they did before, because of the bounce and the infusion of money. Or, what has happened in most cases, prior to the decline in the market big money got out and bought back in after they saw the turn-around. Those billionaire bankers, hedge-fund managers, and corporate leaders have seen their fortunes increase by TRILLIONS during the same quarter of the year.
I do not discount the effort that has been put in to prop up the economy during this time. More companies surely would have fallen under their own weight and created a negative surge in closures. However, there are always companies looking to expand and increase market share. And when this is over, those that had strong balance sheets to begin with will still be standing. Those that did not, will be replaced by new businesses that arise as the economy restarts. This IS NOT an unusual pattern. What is unusual is the amount of money that was funneled into the market during a time when money could have been provided where it was needed most, the citizens.
In turn, the continued consumer spending would provide corporations with income while muting the small depression caused by the virus. Some industries would be immune to the effects of the increased consumer spending and for those a stimulus could be worked out after the vaccine has been released. Otherwise having to continually prop up industries like airlines and entertainment creates an endless vacuum until the vaccine is found and normalcy returns.
Now we have a Senate that cannot agree on how much more to give smaller businesses and consumers (the citizens). Our House of Representatives decided to be proactive and passed a bill (Heroes Act) on May 15th. (Fact: Even when the information about lockdowns, quarantines and wearing masks to stay safe was released and enforced, doctors and scientists reiterated that this would not stop the virus, only slow the spread to a manageable level until a vaccine and better treatment could be achieved.) The Senate stated they would not look at the bill because they wanted to follow a ‘Wait and See’ approach. Let’s wait and see if the infections get worse, let’s wait and see if the majority of the population can find a way out of the hole that has been dug without any further help.
No sugarcoating, it was a mistake to wait. They should have been proactive, not reactive. A good leader, a good government is one that is getting ahead of the issues, addressing them before they become overwhelming or unavoidable. Now we have a ticking clock sitting over the Senate. Have they done their job, no, not properly. Everyone makes mistakes but they had information in front of them showing that the first stimulus and particularly the money provided to households, had a profound effect on keeping the economy afloat. They had information stating the virus is not gone, just minimized to a manageable infection rate. They allowed TRILLIONS to end up in the coffers of corporations and wealthy investors. But they stalled when it came to the thought of giving more money to the people it would help the most.
Justification is only an excuse for not understanding that perspective will always keep one from knowing another. Does it bother me that we are arguing over money? Yes. I believe one day the monetary system will be obsolete and we will not need to place value on items the same way we do in this day and age. What’s more is the Heroes Act is a $3 Trillion Package and the Senate Package seems to be coming in at $1 Trillion. So we save $2 Trillion while subjecting more of our citizens to low wages during a worldwide pandemic. The current US GDP is $20 Trillion. The GDP in 1995 was $7.6 Trillion. That is a 260% increase in 25 years. Has the household wealth increased 260%? What about the standard (median) wage in the country? What about the cost of goods, have they stayed the same for the last 25 years? The point is we have outproduced our income and wealth and that is the main issue. Someone is collecting the gains but not those that are creating the increase in GDP. The median wage should be outpacing the GDP in growth in order for the cost of living to remain below income. And 25 years from now when the GDP is $52 Trillion, do you think the $2 Trillion spent now will be noticeable? I think it will only be noticeable if we don’t spend it now to take care of those that are creating the workforce and innovators of the future.
American are inventors, innovators and extremely hard workers. We will continue to create and make our world a better place to live. Technology will allow for the creation and implementation of vaccines on a massive scale. We need to be aware that our current actions have future repercussions. Sooner rather than later we need to come together and find a middle ground that allows us to meander the path together. We don’t have to agree and we certainly do not have to argue quite so much. Let’s find a path together, it doesn’t have to be perfect, as long as we are all walking it together.
