In light of recent Internet memes, let's be perfectly clear about a few things here.
1) President Trump's proposal to send checks to citizens impacted by COVID-19 is not, I repeat, is not the same thing proposed by Andrew Yang during his failed attempted to nab the Democratic nomination. It is intellectually dishonest to conflate the two. Trump, along with numerous other legislators, is recommending a bailout of the American people as a temporary response to a crisis. Yang was suggesting that we should permanently provide $1000/month to an entire class of poverty-stricken Americans. The concepts are entirely different, as would be the fiscal ramifications. Moreover, Trump's stimulus package is an attempt to correct problems caused not only by the current pandemic, but by the restrictions put in place as a response to that pandemic. It's an attempt to counteract the financial hardship caused by government actions--a "sorry, here's some money" sort of thing. Yang's proposal sought to ease the woes of lower class Americans continuously, enabling them to afford the necessities of life, but would inevitably create a class of government dependents and legitimize a life of sloth.
2) It's still a bad idea. A stimulus would have positive short-term effects, but we would pay for that immediate boost ten-fold down the road. If we learned anything from Obama's stimulus package, or other similar attempts throughout history, it's that pumping money into the economy devalues your currency, and that leads to way more problems than a temporary economic downturn. Generally speaking, when the Federal government attempts to rescue a nation from economic crisis, that crisis is worsened and elongated. An economy, especially one as robust as ours, will self-correct. You simply have to think long-term and get through current difficulties without sacrificing tomorrow for today.
3) It's still Socialism. Call it what you will--a bailout, a stimulus, pandemic relief--it's still Socialism. The political and economic ideas that undergird this proposal--that the Federal government should manipulate the economy, that Uncle Sam should rescue us from crises, that government bureaucracies are the answers to the troubles of the world--are all Socialistic. Crises reveal character, both morally and politically. We know who we really are when our backs are against the wall, and COVID-19 has demonstrably shown that our nation has largely imbibed the spirit of Socialism. With each crisis, whether financial, medical, or sociopolitical, we inch ever closer to embracing our true identity.
1) President Trump's proposal to send checks to citizens impacted by COVID-19 is not, I repeat, is not the same thing proposed by Andrew Yang during his failed attempted to nab the Democratic nomination. It is intellectually dishonest to conflate the two. Trump, along with numerous other legislators, is recommending a bailout of the American people as a temporary response to a crisis. Yang was suggesting that we should permanently provide $1000/month to an entire class of poverty-stricken Americans. The concepts are entirely different, as would be the fiscal ramifications. Moreover, Trump's stimulus package is an attempt to correct problems caused not only by the current pandemic, but by the restrictions put in place as a response to that pandemic. It's an attempt to counteract the financial hardship caused by government actions--a "sorry, here's some money" sort of thing. Yang's proposal sought to ease the woes of lower class Americans continuously, enabling them to afford the necessities of life, but would inevitably create a class of government dependents and legitimize a life of sloth.
2) It's still a bad idea. A stimulus would have positive short-term effects, but we would pay for that immediate boost ten-fold down the road. If we learned anything from Obama's stimulus package, or other similar attempts throughout history, it's that pumping money into the economy devalues your currency, and that leads to way more problems than a temporary economic downturn. Generally speaking, when the Federal government attempts to rescue a nation from economic crisis, that crisis is worsened and elongated. An economy, especially one as robust as ours, will self-correct. You simply have to think long-term and get through current difficulties without sacrificing tomorrow for today.
3) It's still Socialism. Call it what you will--a bailout, a stimulus, pandemic relief--it's still Socialism. The political and economic ideas that undergird this proposal--that the Federal government should manipulate the economy, that Uncle Sam should rescue us from crises, that government bureaucracies are the answers to the troubles of the world--are all Socialistic. Crises reveal character, both morally and politically. We know who we really are when our backs are against the wall, and COVID-19 has demonstrably shown that our nation has largely imbibed the spirit of Socialism. With each crisis, whether financial, medical, or sociopolitical, we inch ever closer to embracing our true identity.
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