Biden to spend $1.9T on COV relief, $1.5T to state and city bailouts & economic relief
By M. Dowling
President-elect Joe Biden is unveiling a $1.9 trillion coronavirus plan Thursday. He’s going to bail out individuals, states and local governments, and businesses. He already said he’s concentrating on black-owned businesses.
He will do a lot based on the color of a person’s skin.
It’s called the “American Rescue Plan.” The legislative proposal would meet Biden’s goal of administering 100 million vaccines by the 100th day of his administration. He said it will advance his objective of reopening most schools by the spring.
Oh, sure, why not. That will bring us to $30 trillion in debt. And he’s only just begun.
What will steady the economy is opening up. The blue states are finally talking about opening up. It coincides with Trump leaving.
Biden wants an excuse to bail out the big-spending blue states and cities. The plan includes $1,400 checks for most Americans on top of $600.
The plan would also extend a temporary boost in unemployment benefits. There is also a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures through September.
And it shoehorns in the long-term Democratic policy aim of increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour. A lot of businesses can’t afford that. He will expand paid leave for workers across the economy [who can afford that right now?].
It’s hard to compete with the redistribution of wealth and big spending in terms of making people happy. However, we are in dangerous territory with a debt of $30 trillion.
BORROWING AND BAILOUTS
The new $1.9 trillion will be paid with borrowed money. Bad idea!
Under Biden’s multipronged strategy, about $400 billion would go directly to combating the pandemic [who gets that?]. The rest is focused on economic relief and aid to states and localities. In other words, bailouts.
About $20 billion would be allocated for an allegedly more disciplined focus on vaccination, on top of some $8 billion already approved by Congress. Biden has called for setting up mass vaccination centers and sending mobile units to hard-to-reach areas.
That’s what Trump called for but the blues don’t want him to have any credit.
TESTING, TESTING, AND TRACING
The plan provides $50 billion to expand testing, which is seen as key to reopening most schools by the end of the new administration’s first 100 days. About $130 billion would be allocated to help schools reopen without risking further contagion.
The plan would fund the hiring of 100,000 public health workers. They’ll run around and tell people to get vaccinated and on tracing.
Oh, good grief.
There’s also a proposal to boost investment in genetic sequencing, to help track new virus strains including the more contagious variants identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa.
Throughout the plan, there’s a focus on ensuring that minority communities that have allegedly borne the brunt of the pandemic are not shortchanged on vaccines and treatments, aides said.
Race, race, race! What about the elderly?