Why Are Workers In Other Developed Countries Get Help From Their Governments, While U.S. Workers Get The Middle Finger?

At the end of last month, Forbes published an article by Adam Andrzejewski, Why Are U.S. Taxpayers Providing Public Pensions To Millionaire Members Of Congress?, topped with a very cordial photo of multimillionaires Nancy Pelosi and Moscow Mitch all palsy-walsy sitting together and smiling. "Membership in the U.S. Congress," he wrote, "is an exclusive club that comes with lucrative, taxpayer-funded privileges. Retirement perks include a lifetime pension and a taxpayer-matched savings plan with taxpayer-paid contributions of up to five percent of salary... Why are U.S. taxpayers providing public pensions to millionaire members of Congress on top of a 401(k)-style plan? (The median net worth for a member recently exceeded $1.1 million.)"

When it's time to make the system function to take care of themselves and their own families... Congress makes it work. When it comes to the rest of us... not so much. As Newsweek's Jacob Jarvis noted yesterday, Stimulus Checks Were Passed by the House Two Months Ago, then asked "Where Are They? Two months ago, by narrowly passing the HEROES Act, the House of Representatives approved a second round of direct payments being sent to somewhat ease the financial hardship coronavirus has wreaked across the United States. The bill accounts for another round of stimulus checks to be distributed, of up to $1,200 per adult, similarly to those from the CARES Act."

Several worthless, cowardly, anti-family conservative Democrats voted with the Republicans against it, by the way: Cindy Axne (New Dem-IA), Joe Cunningham (Blue Dog-SC), Sharice Davids (New Dem-KS), Abby Finkenauer (fake-Dem-IA), Jared Golden (Blue Dog-ME), Kendra Horn (Blue Dog-OK), Conor Lamb (fake-Dem-PA), Elaine Luria (New Dem-VA), Ben McAdams (Blue Dog-UT), Kurt Schrader (Blue Dog-OR), Abigail Spanberger (Blue Dog-VA), Xochitl Torres Small (Blue Dog-NM) and Susan Wild (New Dem-PA). If you vote to reelect or in any way support any of these people-- or any Republicans-- you are voting to slit your own throat and to slit the throats of your family.

So now, wrote Jarvis, the IRS "has distributed millions of payments, with indications a second round could be paid more quickly than the first due to procedures having been set up already. Despite this, millions of Americans are unclear as to whether further direct support is on its way. In the time since the HEROES Act's House passage, the possibility of such payments has been touted by lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. Further relief looks set to come, though there is not consensus on what it will comprise." the worst of the Trumpist ass-kissers say they will stop anything that could possibly be of any real help to working families. Far right sociopath Ken McCarthy, for example "dismissed the legislation, insisting it 'wasn't going anywhere.' He dismissed measures within it as being part of a 'socialist wishlist,' lamenting that it was 'sickening that Democrats are using this opportunity to enforce their socialism. What is this bill that they just passed on Friday? Well, it's about pot. It's about prisoners. It's about politicizing election law, prioritizing illegal immigrants and pensions,' he told Fox News, days after its passage in the House... Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) similarly aligned himself against it, describing it as a 'parade of absurdities that can hardly be taken seriously.' Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) called the HEROES Act a 'basically a remake of Western civilization bill.' On top of this, the White House even indicated President Donald Trump would veto the bill should it manage to get through Congress and reach his desk."

Amid his combative tone against the HEROES Act, McConnell did not dismiss outright the potential for future relief.

His stance early on amounted to calling for a delay, rather than an outright rejection.

A pause, in order to see what the benefits of the prior legislation had been and what would be most effective to carry out next.

"Take a look at what we've done, see what's working, see what isn't," he said back in May.

Pelosi, a major proponent of the HEROES Act, lambasted this stance by urging him to "tell that to the virus," in response to his calls to stall further action.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) also responded negatively to the suggestion, responding by asking: "What planet are they on?"

New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez similarly called for action from the Senate Republicans earlier this week, urging McConnell to "GET TO WORK."

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) even suggested Senators needed to "get off our ass and get this done."

GOP lawmakers generally, despite unison in the stance against the HEROES Act, have suggested further financial support will be necessary in the pandemic.

Shortly after the HEROES Act passed the House, GOP senators had tentative conversations of what could happen next, as an alternative to the Democrat-led plan.

"We don't know when or exactly how big, but I think everybody believes that there will be future things we have to do to get the economy back," said Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) back in May.

Most recently, McConnell suggested another relief bill will be discussed next week by the GOP cohort in the Senate.

"When my members come back next week, we'll start socializing it with them, begin to discuss it with the Democrats and start the legislative process," he said.

"I think you can anticipate this coming to a head sometime within the next three weeks, beginning next week."

Pelosi has also suggested she believes another bill will be forthcoming.

Of Republican lawmakers, she said: "They know, they've made their overtures. They've also said publicly that 'this or that' should be in the next bill. So we anticipate we will have a bill."

While not guaranteed, there has been a broad spectrum of support for checks to a certain extent.

The White House has indicated support, with the president having previously indicated they could be part of a "very generous" upcoming relief package.

Other Republicans also warmed to the idea, with Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) previously stating: "If we can get some discretionary money into the market and the economy, that'd be a pretty good thing."

However, the parameters of the check may prove a point of contention.

The CARES Act gave $1,200 payments to those eligible and earning under $75,000.

However, there have been suggestions this threshold could be lower for future payments.

McConnell has suggested the payments be focused upon those earning $40,000 or less, meaning millions who received support the first time might miss out on a second round.

The White House has indicated it would prefer a $1 trillion spending cap, which might also limit the parameters of a second set of payments, experts previously told Newsweek.

There have also been suggestions further stimulus could be targeted more at businesses as opposed to individuals.

That's exactly the opposite of what is most needed-- which would be targeting to individuals, not businesses and especially not sticky-fingered banks who give a cut of their corrupt take to... politicians.