LogFAQs > #956017308

Unbridled9 posted...

There's a key difference. Stim checks apply regardless of your employment. Unemployment only kicks in if you're not working. That difference is huge since it means that, if you earn more from unemployment than from work, you have no motivation to work.

In this crazy world about 40% of workers (previous to Covid) made less than they currently can get with unemployment (after the bonus 300$ per week). Heck most of em made less then JUST the bonus $300 per week.

Good you say, they deserve more!!

Hell y eah, I agree, but....giving everyone more money in the US has negative side effects, since we are a supply and demand economy. The more money people have, the more demand there is for products, and therefore the more expensive they become.

Add in shortages of many things due to covid and the loss of workers (cause it's better for people to be on unemployment), and the cost of everything skyrockets.

So while I do think everyone deserves more money, more buying power etc, it's a similar situation to our medical system when obama care went into effect. Tons more people now had health coverage, but instead of building new hospitals, they actually closed quite a few down. We had more demand, but less hospitals.....which caused many people who desperatly needed medical attention to not get it (including my wife).

Now we are having a similar situation. Things are not too bad for people ON unemployment since they are getting a nice $2000+ from the gov every month, but because so many are getting that, people who are working for less than $15 a month, often 30 hours or less a week, because that is what their job offers, are seriously struggling. They are not making even close to $2000 a month (especially after taxes/deductions and costs (such as gas to get to work etc) AND they are working 5 days a week as well.

Here min wage is $13.50 which is much more then many places in the US. Someone who works 30 hours a week make about $400, but after taxes/deductions/tranportation costs etc, it's about $300 a week. They have a take home of $1200 a month or so, VS (in this state a min of 250$ or so a week for Unemployment + 300 stimulus =MIN of 550 x4) $2200 (no taxes) from unemployment.

One person stays home, has no expenses etc, and has $1000 extra to spend each month, and due to the fairly high state min wage, it's better in WA then many other places (though the rents here are pretty high).

This situation is untenable, but should in theory get better in September as long as bonus benifits end then. The real question is if the prices will settle down at that point or remain inflated. There are a ton of jobs available right now, but not jobs people would really want, and the VERY BRIEF period when they were offering $18+ an hour for normally min wage jobs, has already passed, it's back down to 13.50-14 for most of the jobs I see on indeed etc.

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Tacobot 3000 "Saving the world from not having tacos."
Friends don't make their friends die Hanz. Psychopathic friends do.