Political Discussion

I try to maintain a personal policy against complaining about delayed vinyl deliveries in the midst of a damn pandemic. But I’ve been watching a package (Third Man Vault #44) that left a USPS distribution center 17 miles away from my house about 65 hours ago. This wasn’t a problem back when I thought that getting red-assed about it would mean blaming postal workers who were putting their lives on the line, but if I can blame people that I already hate...
www.commondreams.org

Maine Letter Carriers Allege USPS Leadership 'Willfully Delaying' Mail to Sabotage Postal Service From Within

"We're watching the deliberate destruction of the Post Office unfolding in front of us," said one journalist.
www.commondreams.org www.commondreams.org
 
Space Wanderer said:
I try to maintain a personal policy against complaining about delayed vinyl deliveries in the midst of a damn pandemic. But I’ve been watching a package (Third Man Vault #44) that left a USPS distribution center 17 miles away from my house about 65 hours ago. This wasn’t a problem back when I thought that getting red-assed about it would mean blaming postal workers who were putting their lives on the line, but if I can blame people that I already hate...
www.commondreams.org

Maine Letter Carriers Allege USPS Leadership 'Willfully Delaying' Mail to Sabotage Postal Service From Within

"We're watching the deliberate destruction of the Post Office unfolding in front of us," said one journalist.
www.commondreams.org www.commondreams.org
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De Stijl XX just arrived, NM the post office is good again.
 
The house and the senate are at odds over continuing expanded unemployment as more states start to reverse their phased openings and have locking down again on the table.

The house, which is controlled by democrats was to continue the 600 a week expanded unemployment. The senate, which is Republican controlled wants adjust unemployment so that all workers will get 70% of their previous salaries stating that the expanded unemployment benefits disincentives anyone from collecting from returning to the workforce. Many of which people may even make more on unemployment now than previously made when they were employed. Under the republicans plan unemployment payments will be equal to 70% of your income prior income for those who lost their jobs during the lockdown.

The disconnect on capitol hill between the GOP and Democrats are raising fears that nothing will be passed this week leaving laid-off workers high and dry with only more meager state unemployment benefits.


Nothing getting passed will will hurt people the most. But if the GOP gets their way and the Democrats have to cave, 70 percent of salary doesn't cut it when half of renters in the United states are paying more than 50% of their salary towards rent. This will only make the mass eviction / homelessness crisis that is looming worse.
 
RenegadeMonster said:
The house and the senate are at odds over continuing expanded unemployment as more states start to reverse their phased openings and have locking down again on the table.

The house, which is controlled by democrats was to continue the 600 a week expanded unemployment. The senate, which is Republican controlled wants adjust unemployment so that all workers will get 70% of their previous salaries stating that the expanded unemployment benefits disincentives anyone from collecting from returning to the workforce. Many of which people may even make more on unemployment now than previously made when they were employed. Under the republicans plan unemployment payments will be equal to 70% of your income prior income for those who lost their jobs during the lockdown.

The disconnect on capitol hill between the GOP and Democrats are raising fears that nothing will be passed this week leaving laid-off workers high and dry with only more meager state unemployment benefits.


Nothing getting passed will will hurt people the most. But if the GOP gets their way and the Democrats have to cave, 70 percent of salary doesn't cut it when half of renters in the United states are paying more than 50% of their salary towards rent. This will only make the mass eviction / homelessness crisis that is looming worse.
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Not sure how 70% is worse than 0. I am otherwise empathetic but this seems hyperbolic. Am I missing something?
 
debianlinux said:
Not sure how 70% is worse than 0. I am otherwise empathetic but this seems hyperbolic. Am I missing something?
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No, 70% is not worse than 0. But it doesn't do anything nearly enough for those people who are truly out of work because of covid. Especially when states are starting to shut down again in some capacities and are considering full lock downs again and starting over to stop the spread.

It's not going to do anything to help people pay their rent and avoid mass evictions when rent moratoriums end.

Sure there is an extension to the federal rent moratorium in this bill. But that only covers fewer than 25% of all rental properties. Those that are backed by federal mortgages. Only about half the states passed their own rent moratorium laws to cover the rest of renters during the first lock down and those are are expiring over the next month or two.

And even if they are extended. All the back rent is still due. It's not forgiven. So as John Oliver said, evictions will come hard and fast once they can for anyone who has fallen behind.

With a little more than half of renters rent being more than 50% of their salary, 70% does nothing covering rent, paying the bills and putting food on the table if someone who is in that 50% of renters loses their job again as things start to close again.
 
I think a bigger concern with the 70% is that multiple state agencies have said from the get that their often over-burdened and out-of-date systems can't handle the calculation and distribution of 70% of each individual's prior income. so even if it was passed and one was eligible, the real concern is who would actually get what and when.

even with the set federal $600, tons of people I know ran into payment issues, gaps in receiving deposits, random stoppage, etc.

70% is better than 0... unless 70% just ends up being zero.
 
bfly said:
I think a bigger concern with the 70% is that multiple state agencies have said from the get that their often over-burdened and out-of-date systems can't handle the calculation and distribution of 70% of each individual's prior income. so even if it was passed and one was eligible, the real concern is who would actually get what and when.

even with the set federal $600, tons of people I know ran into payment issues, gaps in receiving deposits, random stoppage, etc.

70% is better than 0... unless 70% just ends up being zero.
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McConnell also threatened to pass the 70%, and then adjourn the Senate for August recess. Then the Dem House can either pass a shit sandwich, or revise the bill and send it to...an empty Senate, and take the blame for not passing anything. He’s playing chicken. Again.
 
Indymisanthrope said:
McConnell also threatened to pass the 70%, and then adjourn the Senate for August recess. Then the Dem House can either pass a shit sandwich, or revise the bill and send it to...an empty Senate, and take the blame for not passing anything. He’s playing chicken. Again.
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That would be real dirty. It also goes to show that they fully expect it to fail, probably don't want it in the first place. Just the appearance that they did.
 
bfly said:
I think a bigger concern with the 70% is that multiple state agencies have said from the get that their often over-burdened and out-of-date systems can't handle the calculation and distribution of 70% of each individual's prior income. so even if it was passed and one was eligible, the real concern is who would actually get what and when.

even with the set federal $600, tons of people I know ran into payment issues, gaps in receiving deposits, random stoppage, etc.

70% is better than 0... unless 70% just ends up being zero.
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Yes, that is going to be a real big issue. Just like with the extra $600 there is going to be great demand for COBOL programs to update the unemployment system to be able to process claims and adjust existing claims. It took a couple months in some states last time and people where owed back pay.

And now, even if they take 2 months to reprogram the system, we don't know the the system has enough processing power to be able to handle the calculations. And all the calculations could be another weeks long backlog. It's a CF for sure.
 
The past few months COVID has done a really good job exposing how broken so many of our systems and programs are and in need of a major overhaul. Unemployment, health care, poverty, racism and the list goes on and on. The current government has to go, and it's not like whoever walks in is going to fix all this in their time, but we need to start putting people in government that see and fight for these things instead of the current one who fights for their own skin and nothing more.

Ya, keep pushing for kids to go back to school using the platform that "........for some it's their only meal", instead of addressing the real problem of poverty in this country. Not to mention, the CDC guidelines concerning back to school steps includes students bringing their own food..........this government has failed the people of this country in so many ways and yet there are those who don't see a problem.

As a side note, I come in here to vent a little, because when I do it anywhere else it turns into a shit show.
 
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It really frustrates me that the GOP is on an all out pack the courts campaign to combat any progressive push towards socialism and social safety nets.

The GOP does not want to fix any of the issues. One GOP member called AOC last week "disgusting" because of her views on unemployment and the social safety nets we need to protect people who have lost their jobs and can't afford rent.
 
Anytime some one uses this as an argument they haven't been paying attention. There are always meal programs for kids in the summer and most districts have been feeding kids since the pandemic. My district has passed out literally millions of meals.
 
They haven't finalized the 2020 Census results yet, but it's looking more and more likely that the state of New York is going to lose a seat in the House of Representatives.

If this happens, the establishment is likely to eliminate AOC's distract because they don't like her. They fear that her progressiveness will impact them negatively in the polls and hand the victory over to the republicans. They are trying to save their own asses and ways.
 
RenegadeMonster said:
The article that mentioned that was pre-covid and from Forbes. I know I shared in somewhere in this thread 6 months ago or so. If I come across it I'll repost it.
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Just feels more like establishment wishful thinking than a rational strategy, to me. Redrawing the maps will just put AOC, a phenomenal fundraiser with a national profile, in primary competition with another Democrat. If she wins in her new district, then the establishment is down a net -2.
 
The senate's bill, which includes the updates to unemployment and a second round to stimulus checks also includes a segment that limits liabilities.

The bill, if pases, would protect schools, businesses, healthcare providers and non-profits from people suing them if they contracted COVID in their facilities. Democrats oppose any such liability protections because such protections would make for more unsafe environments. Why make changes for safety and prevent exposure in your business if you can't be held liable.
 
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