That
seems to be the attitude of our vacationing lawmakers toward the 30 million Americans who could be
in danger of losing their homes—their primary residences, not their vacation
homes. Think that’s an overstatement? Well, we’re talking about a potential 93-percent cut in aid for some.
“If the speaker
of the House and the minority leader of the Senate decide to finally let
another rescue package move forward for workers and for families, it would take
bipartisan consent to meet for legislative business sooner than scheduled,”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said last week.
I
guess this doesn’t qualify as a real crisis, does it, Mitch?
The
jobless rate is at the highest level since the Great Depression. On July 31st,
the last of the $600 weekly extended unemployment checks went out. But still no
action (or empathy) from our lawmakers as House Democrats were unable to reach a compromise with Senate
Republicans and White House officials in recent weeks. Americans hoping for another coronavirus
relief bill from Congress will likely have to wait at least another month. Hopefully
they’ll find a way to make ends meet as lawmakers enjoy full salaries, benefits
and second homes, while frolicking in the sunshine until after Labor Day.
You can fire your representatives in November
As
Paul Muschick noted in The Morning Call,
“If your company was in the middle of an
unprecedented crisis, there’s no way the boss would put up with the entire
staff leaving town to take a break. So why do we let Congress get away with it?”
After all, they work for us. We pay their salaries.”
Do
they need overtime pay to prevent more nursing homes,
hospitals, school districts,
local governments, businesses and individuals from
being hung out to dry?
“These
elected officials act as if they have no boss,” lamented Muschick. “It’s time
for us to remind them they do — us.” Call and write and tell them to get back
to work. If they refuse, remember that we have the ability to fire many of them
on Election Day.”
I rarely use this blog to opine on politics. It’s not in my wheelhouse. But it’s too upsetting to see both parties cheerleading at their quadrennial convention/lovefests at a time when so many of their constituents are hurting—really hurting.
I
know some elected officials are on this distribution list. If you’re reading
this week, I have a special message for you: “Skip the virtual convention. Take
off the damn flip flops, put away the straw hats and get your butts back to
sweaty, steamy Washington, DC. Start passing some legislation or find a
replacement who can!
At
least you’ll have AC and a roof over your (pointy) heads. That’s more than many
American will be able to say in the weeks ahead. If it’s not stressful enough
figuring out how to get their kids/grandkids to school safely—now they have to
beg friends, relatives and houses of worship for a temporary place to live. The
alternative? Going to homeless shelters, which were never safe to begin with and
certainly not set up to optimize social distancing as we head into our first
official flu season of the pandemic.
Conclusion
America is not supposed to be like this under any circumstances, no matter how
dire. Besides, we might not have a postal service much longer. There’s no sense
in watching lawmakers “mail it in” while one out of ten American households
could be out on the street.
As The New York Times editorial board opined recently: “Staying in Washington until they get
this crucial piece of the job done is the least that senators can do to show
their solidarity with the legions of Americans who are facing far worse this
summer than a canceled holiday.”
What’s your take?
I’d love to hear from you.
#CongressionalRecess #stimulus #CARESAct
#joblessrate #homeless #eviciton
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