Help is On the Way! Stimulus Bill!
Help is on the way for those of us that qualify. If you make under 75k or 150k as a couple, you will be getting 1,200 single or 2,400 a couple. Additionally $500 per child. This is huge news and should really help out people struggling pay check to pay check (which is about half of population) Thank you to President Trump and all members of Congress who voted in favor of this. Checks expected in May. Hang in there everyone ??
March 25th, 2020 at 11:39 AM ^
I will be very thankful for this when and if it is received but in all seriousness, I don't get your logic on people that make less should receive more. People that make more pay more in taxes and probably have larger bills.
Getting us all back to work is what is going to save us, not something that equates to less than 1 month of living expenses for an average family.
March 25th, 2020 at 11:43 AM ^
Fair point. I guess my thinking is, if you make more you are less likely to have lost job and more likely to have ability to have some saved. In principle, I don’t disagree with you.
March 25th, 2020 at 12:10 PM ^
I promise you, people are losing jobs at all income levels.
March 25th, 2020 at 11:45 AM ^
"I don't get your logic on people that make less should receive more"
Found the conservative.
It's not "logic", it's simply empathy. Yeah it's not enough for poor folks, but it's better than nothing.
March 25th, 2020 at 12:59 PM ^
Thanks for the conservative compliment. I view that as a good and positive thing versus when you call someone a liberal and they are offended by it.
My comment is not that I don't have empathy for poor people. My comment is that the poorer you are, the lower your monthly cost of living is. People of all incomes are losing their jobs, not just poor people. Also, people of all incomes are living pay check to pay check. The US has driven a culture of consuming everything and having everything immediately at your fingertips. It has been implied that if you have a higher income and are living paycheck to paycheck, you are living beyond your means. Whereas, every person I see begging for money pulls out their brand new iPhone or goes home to their large flat screen TV.
Almost no one lives within their means in the US. More and more people expect the government to take care of them instead of sacrificing, saving and planning for the future. I am a conservative, I have a family of 6, we make less than the $150k, I have an old beat up droid, and I have a wife that was making 55k per year that is now making 0. I have sacrificed and saved so we can get through this without drastically changing our lifestyle.
Maybe the US needs more conservatives to drive a culture of taking care of yourself and not begging the government for money that most everyone will immediately spend on the new iPhone advertisement Apple just rolled out stating to "Spend your Stimulus Here!"
I also want to note that we donate a lot of our income to charities that assist poor people, children and children with needs. We also donate our time.
Bottom line is, people need to make these choices, not the government. I do get it though, if people actually depended on themselves and did their part to take care of others in need, there wouldn't be a need for the democratic party.
Wow lot to take in from this guy. Didn't realize "liberals' don't do any charitable work or donate their time. Must only be the saintly conservatives.
Or save money and do things to prepare for inevitable down turns
Never said liberals don't donate their time or money. I have a lot of liberal friends that do the same charitable work I do. Liberals do have a much larger expectation on what the gov't should do and how much the gov't should be involved in our lives.
You said "we donate a lot of our income to charities that assist poor people, children and children with needs. We also donate our time" in reference to how we need more conservatives. So you essentially did say that.
dcloren2121- He literally said those things in TWO SEPARATE posts. You are an example of what's wrong on this blog lately. People saying "You said..." or "He said..." and then just making shit up!
It's gotten to the point where if someone uses a certain set of words in the same sentence it's OK to quote them with the words resequenced however you want!
Because I can coherently recall what he said in a comment to his own post? What an absolute travesty....
March 25th, 2020 at 10:33 PM ^
No, because you linked two separate independent statements. And portrayed them as being linked. But you do you.
But not a Woman's body!
I'm sure you felt the same way about this when wall street was bailed out during the housing crisis - to sit here and say individuals are the only ones who partake in dumb financial decisions then wait for the government to bail them out is absurd.
Banks and insurance companies got billions of dollars from that bailout and now in this bill corporations are getting billions again. Strange though, because I would guess almost everyone of those CEO's and board members agree with you on this view point of the masses.
I have sacrificed and saved so we can get through this without drastically changing our lifestyle.
Then in addition to working very hard, you have also been very blessed (or lucky, depending on your perspective), as have I and anyone else that is in a situation where this virus won't ruin them financially.
My more liberal position would be that we live in a country with most wealth ever, so we should be utilizing that to at least make sure the poorest among us aren't going hungry, dying from lack of healthcare, etc.
The idea here is that people who are more well off should have enough money to get by for a few weeks with reduced or even no income, presumably because they should have some amounts of modest savings. People who don't have shit obviously do not have that luxury. And "people of all incomes live paycheck to paycheck" is ridiculous. If you have a generous income and are still living paycheck to paycheck I do not feel sorry for you.
"almost no one lives within their means in the US" is total nonsense. My girlfriend is a legal aid lawyer and I'm part-time/underemployed and we both have student loans to deal with and we can get by. And there are millions like us. I've had slight disruptions in payments recently but was able to weather it because I still had some money from my previous checks and my girlfriend was still getting paid regularly. But, a lot of people could not handle that (also - we'll still be getting paid through this while also not spending $ on the gym, going out to eat/drink, gas, etc, so this stimulus could be a net positive for us - we don't need it but we could sure use it). Something like 40% of people in this country don't have $400 for an emergency, so yeah give them more money than you would to a household making $200K. They don't have two pennies to pinch together and when the going gets rough, they are most at risk.
A big screen TV these days costs like $200- what a luxury! How dare they.
" Whereas, every person I see begging for money pulls out their brand new iPhone or goes home to their large flat screen TV."
Such a classic privileged thing to say. You know absolutely jack shit about what poor people in this country go through today and you clearly are uninterested in listening to the advocacy groups that speak for them.
They're not wasting money, they really aren't. There are dozens of studies which show the vast majority of money given to the poor is spent on necessities. It's quite literally one of the most efficient uses of money that the government has.
I know that you'd rather all poor people wear barrels and eat out of a dumpster for every meal. I know that gets you hard. But the fact is they need more money than your privileged ass (or mine!) and your inability to understand that is downright disgusting...and exhausting.
Not sure why I'm writing this all out. You lived your life shitting on poor people and you'll die that way. Oh well.
And I just found the Communist. What you propose is redistribution of wealth.
$1200 a month ain't communism, you dumbass. unless that is your concept of wealth and you're in middle school.
March 25th, 2020 at 11:47 AM ^
People who make less money are generally going to have less ability to save for a rainy day.
If you are making 200k and cant make the bills for 2 months should something happen than you are living beyond your means and thats another problem.
It also depends on where you live, which I don't think this bill addresses. $200k in rural Mississippi goes a lot further than $200k in NYC.
But on the whole, I agree with you that folks making $200k shouldn't be getting as much as someone who is in literal poverty.
I'm above the 200k threshold AND my job is secure. Poor people not only have less overall money, but they are more likely to lose their jobs because of the industries they work in and the positions they hold.
Obviously, none of this occurs to the shitstain OP who believes in Cadillac-driving welfare queens mooching off his tax dollars.
March 25th, 2020 at 11:47 AM ^
"I don't get your logic on people that make less should receive more."
Really? You genuinely don't understand the logic of this?
March 25th, 2020 at 11:48 AM ^
This appears to be an argument that people with higher salaries are currently struggling more than people with lower salaries.
On average, this is laughable.
March 25th, 2020 at 11:50 AM ^
Also there’s a catch in that the payment is going to be made with 1200 checks for $1 each.
March 25th, 2020 at 11:48 AM ^
Doing some simple math, $1200= approximately 1 week's pay for someone making $62000/year; 2 week's pay for someone making 31,000/year; 3 week's pay for someone making 20,667/year.
In other words, a very small band-aid for many who will be out of work for much much longer than that. Face it, there are a huge # of hard-working people who haven't benefitted from King Ding-Don's Holy Grail (the stock market) because they only make enough to survive paycheck-to-paycheck and don't even have the most basic of investments, a 401K, because they have next-to-nothing left after mortgage payment or rent, utilities and groceries.
And the middle class? Many in this shrinking segment are phased out of this for the most part, as anyone making between $75000 and 100,000 get an even smaller slice, no check at all for anyone >$100,000.
March 25th, 2020 at 12:08 PM ^
The payments are only one component. There was also a significant increase in unemployment benefits. It increases the number of people who can qualify, increases the benefit you can get and increases the length of time you can get it. For people out of work this will be an even bigger deal. For that we should probably thank the politicians from both sides of the aisle who worked hard to make sure this bill was better focused on helping those who needed it most. The delay in getting the bill passed also resulted in significant increases to money going directly to hospitals and much better oversight of money going to businesses.
Mineral King forgot to mention all of that in his commercial for the president,
March 25th, 2020 at 12:44 PM ^
This will be straight cash money, though, right? Meaning, it’s the equivalent of. $1200 take home check, not a portion of a gross check.
So, say there’s a family of three that qualifies. That’s a $2900 check. That is, depending on how much you put away in a 401k, medical expense account, or any other deduction, the equivalent of a month’s take home for a salary of about $50k (again, highly dependent on deductions, but also state taxes)
That I don't know, but early reports last week, as I recall, initially seemed to indicate that the checks would be subject to income tax when everyone filed their 2020 returns next spring.
With all the dickering between the political parties that reportedly repaired many of the numerous flaws in the initial version of the stimulas package, that may have been changed.
Until finding more complete information, one can only hope the 1200 per adult is tax-free.
March 25th, 2020 at 11:48 AM ^
“I made $1200 just by staying home! Ask me how.”
March 25th, 2020 at 11:52 AM ^
A check coming in May is going to be hard for a lot of people to wait for, especially if they have bills due beforehand. I know a lot of states have pushed for rent freezes and mortgage payment breaks which will help, but it's definitely going to be tense. It also, frankly, doesn't help a ton of people who live in more expensive areas that just pass the thresholds but are seeing their jobs scale back or even get furloughed. For example, I know a number of people on the coasts who make more than $150k as a family (we do, and we are not remotely affluent) who are still dealing with uncertainty financially but won't be covered.
Obvious it's a good step in that it helps people in need, but I would have liked for this bill to have been a bit more expansive up front and claw back money from people later on if it makes sense.
March 25th, 2020 at 12:18 PM ^
Agreed on all counts.
March 25th, 2020 at 12:55 PM ^
Mortgage relief is key for both homeowners and commercial property owners. For small businesses, a Landlord can defer or forgive rent for a period of time knowing they don’t have to pay mortgage for a couple of months. This will help businesses forecast operating cost and save cash to re open.
March 25th, 2020 at 11:54 AM ^
You're getting ahead of things—the full Senate has yet to vote on it, and they don't get into session until 12 noon today.
If there are any differences with the House bill, those will have to be ironed out first.
"After Senate passage, the next step is a little less clear. The House is out of session, so action there could take longer, depending on whether lawmakers can agree to pass the bill by “unanimous consent,” which would require agreement from all members of the chamber."
Then Trump has to sign a bill that apparently prevents his own businesses from benefitting from the stimulus.
*Edit: Now three GOP Senators are raising objections to parts of the bill that GOP Sens. Portman and Grassley helped negotiate. If their objections can't be dealt with, McConnell may have to file cloture and delay the vote several days.
The Senate was planning on recessing until mid-April after this thing got passed, so who the fuck knows what will happen when now.
This is why you don't go posting the celebration of the passage of a bill that hasn't actually been passed or signed. It's like lighting a victory cigar at the end of the 3rd quarter when you've just got a 10-point lead.
March 25th, 2020 at 11:55 AM ^
Thank you TRUMP!!!
March 25th, 2020 at 12:00 PM ^
User name checks out.
March 25th, 2020 at 12:04 PM ^
Yes, thank you for ignoring the virus and doing next to nothing to prevent its spread before it was too late.
Also, why do we need a stimulus bill when the economy is going to be up and running again by Easter?
Trump is appealing to his Evangelical base by saying he will raise the economy from the dead by Easter Sunday. And they’re going to eat that up and further cement him as their messiah.
That’s all this is.
I got an email from our church today. Easter, and literally everything else, is canceled. Doors are closed. At least the Catholics are taking this seriously.
I'm a deist at best, but I certainly hold no qualms towards people believing what they do. Their choice, and I certainly won't proclaim to know all the answers. I just find it laughable that there are people out there who consider this president to be a godly person or a man of faith. And actually keep a straight face in proclaiming it.
He certainly knows how to use the tenets of the faith for his own political gain, but he's one of the last people I'd look to for moral guidance. I'm no scholar on Church teaching, but I imagine that many of the ways in which he talks, acts, and carries himself is in direct contradiction to what the Church teaches.
March 25th, 2020 at 12:25 PM ^
He has done exactly jack fucking shit to get this bill passed. The US House of Representatives and the US Senate are the ones negotiating all thru nights the entire week to pass a bill unamimously.
He just has to sign it.
But he is tweeting and retweeting all day, picking fights with people. I'm sure that's really helping stuff. "Owning the Libs" should be the priority now.
March 25th, 2020 at 12:06 PM ^
Im pretty sure not 100 positive because it could have changed with all the wrangling but the first payment around Apr 6 then ANOTHER one in Mid May...2 payments for starters
March 25th, 2020 at 12:07 PM ^
I'm not about to turn away free money, but I'm high enough in the tax bracket that I qualify, yet the amount will make no real difference to me.
What kind of oversight do they have in place for the industry bailouts? Are we going to see CEOs getting their million dollar bonuses again?
March 25th, 2020 at 12:33 PM ^
Not much. But this part is important to keep Trump's hands off of the loans:
The legislation ensures that these taxpayer-backed loans cannot go to firms owned by President Trump, other White House officials or members of Congress. This would suggest that Trump-owned properties, including hotels that have been impacted, cannot seek taxpayer assistance.
March 25th, 2020 at 10:51 PM ^
Thank god for that. That was literally the biggest part that was driving me crazy. Add in the fact the it was originally put in that any company who got that bail out would remain anonymous for six months, basically right after the election. I’m sure watch dog Trump if he had total control over a 500 billion dollar slush fund wouldn’t dddaaarrreeee give himself that money or his friends....nnnooooo way that would happen.
But the way his cult backs ever other stupid ass decision I’m sure they wouldn’t see a problem if he dumped all 500 billion into Mar a Lago because he’s a good Christian man...who bangs porn stars while married, divorced multiple times, racist, etc.
The big business bailouts do have some strings now, that the original Senate version did not have. For instance, the companies will not be allowed to buy back stock (which ONLY benefits the CEO and shareholders) and bonuses will be stopped for several years. Probably doesn't go far enough, but considering that the Senate was going to let the Treasury Sect hand out checks with no oversight whatsoever, its a huge improvement.
March 25th, 2020 at 12:10 PM ^
What does this mean for college students?
March 25th, 2020 at 12:16 PM ^
Amen. Hurting people need this temporary boost.
March 25th, 2020 at 12:18 PM ^
Hopefully some of this is targeted at improving the antiquated healthcare infrastructure. Blessings to all the healthcare professionals holding this together. Lock down those borders.