Democrats have been pushing for $2K relief checks for months (some of us for $2K paid on a monthly basis.)
So if he's going to offer it, let's hold him to it.
Everyone should call their Congressional Representatives today, especially their Republicans ones, and demand it.
Call the Capitol switchboard, 202-224-3121, and you'll get connected to your 2 Senators and your 1 House Representative. Say "I demand Congess pass the $2000 relief checks that Trump is promising."
Let's see what happens. Make a lot of noise. #CallToAction
Pelosi responds to Trump: Let's push for $2K checks 'this week'-
https://thehill.com/homenews/news/531389-pelosi-responds-to-trump-lets-push-for-2k-checks-this-week
@TonyStark If you are going to do this, why not simply adopt universal basic income, it doesn't have to be $2000 a month but some figure that is reasonable at least it will give people a life line.
@zleap
I'm for that.
My friend @MariaHill, who I talk to a lot about these kinds of things, has some really interesting thoughts about it that I hope she will share so I don't have to try and paraphrase them.
And I hope she doesn't mind the tag.
I think Wednesdays are busy for her so it may be a little bit.
@TonyStark @zleap Thanks for the tag. My concern is what are we trading UBI for?
I'm just a political junkie, not an economist. Here's a link to a Vox article by Robyn Sundlee, a fellow at a policy institute (USC).
A few thousand dollars is a lot of money to struggling people, or hell, even those of us who are doing ok but not rich. However, UBI isn't going to be enough that people can really live on. It will reduce poverty, and reducing poverty is a good thing. Right now what someone who isn't working can get is woefully inadequate. $200 in TANF money for 2 years, 5 lifetime? States with no funding for single people? Just wrong.
Sundlee says: "Alaska demonstrates that when you start giving people money, the act may very well eclipse every other political concern and blot out all other missions of government." Spend so much on UBI, there's nothing left for any other programs, and politicians tell people they have their UBI, but who can live on $6k per year?
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/9/5/20849020/alaska-permanent-fund-universal-basic-income
@MariaHill
Thanks, Maria.
My city is in the process of trying UBI on a small scale.
You bring up some important issues to consider. It cannot be an all-purpose cure-all by itself, then.
@zleap
@TonyStark @MariaHill At least with UBI if you are in the so called #gig economy you know how much you are going to earn.
The main question from me is would it count towards your tax free income allowance,
But yes lets try it and share the results far and wide so it feeds in to research
@zleap The gig economy is the biggest scam. I have done some work under that model and I am grateful to not be doing it any more.
I am certainly for getting money to people who need it, just concerned about what it will do to other programs are good for all of us. I don't want it to turn into "No, we can't have Medicare for All because we have UBI." I want us to move much further in the direction of social democracy and I want all of those things: socialized medicine, good free public P-16 education, Social Security that 65+ (or 67+ or whatever) and disabled people can live on, subsidized child care, and I'd like to see UBI. I have a long list of other progressive priorities too. @TonyStark
Yes you have a good point there, I guess in the UK we don't need to worry about Medicare as we have the NHS which is free (well paid for with Taxes.)
I wonder if what happened in California with the big companies being taxed if the execs are earning 100k + (I think that is the case) will spread elsewhere. and eventually outside the US
@zleap It occurs to me that people who aren't familiar with the USA, and even people in the USA who don't work in education or have kids in schools, may not know that P-16 is preschool through bachelor's degree, not age 16. Most often you see K-12 education, which is currently free to everyone. Free preschool is typically offered to people below the poverty line and in some states, but there aren't enough spots for all children. Unfortunately higher education keeps getting more expensive, as it does for you, but as education beyond high school is becoming more necessary, whether community college, university, or trade school, it's awful not to saddle people with tens of thousands of dollars of debt as they start their careers. I know in the UK your schooling is arranged differently so it may not be clear. @TonyStark
@MariaHill @TonyStark
I think tuition fees for uni is about 9000 a year
The Open University used to charge £140 for a 10 point course, (about six months) that was affordable as you did a bigger qualification bit by bit.
So even OU is far more exapensve
