The Republican's Version of UBI in Response to Covid-19 is a Right Wing Dream Come True.
America, don't fall for it.
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In yet another surreal turn of events as America continues to come to terms with the devastating impact of the Coronavirus and it's far-reaching effects, Tom Cotton and Mitt Romney's proposals to send American adults a check for $1,000 dollars as the economy comes to a halt certainly caught my attention, and Trump's push for it most of all. While some might find it encouraging that our lawmakers are aware of the desperate situations millions of Americans are now finding ourselves in, the reality is we should be incredibly wary of right wing efforts to simply send Americans a check.
Romney and Cotton's version of UBI seems indicative of an effort on the part of the Republican party to suppress the masses, and keep a working class uprising from occurring as we watch capitalism crumble around us. I am not against UBI as a concept, especially in the midst of a crisis like this, but to just send Americans a one time check without further expanding and strengthening social safety nets is obviously not the answer. It's also certainly worth noting that Republicans are using this dream come true of a crisis situation in order to push through more of their dangerous policies. At the same time this idea of a check is being pushed, they are also floating the idea of implementing a payroll tax holiday, which is exactly how our social safety nets are funded.
A payroll tax holiday means programs like social security, medicare, and medicaid — some of the most popular and vital programs our Government offers — will simply not get funded. The Republicans are clearly attempting to write Americans a check in a time of panic and crisis in order to distract from their use of this opportunity to destroy the programs Americans depend on, and we cannot afford to fall for it.
The notion of the right's potential attempt to use UBI as a means to dismantle social programs is not new.
Kyle Lewis and Will Stronge of the U.K.'s Independent write:
"Once implemented, for example, it is easy to imagine a scenario in which leading conservative politicians and think tanks would argue that individuals will now have the "economic autonomy" with which to meet their own individual health care needs, resulting in a rapid withdrawal of funding for the NHS and social welfare, and the implementation of a US-style healthcare system. While a "basic" individual health care insurance policy might be affordable and calculated into a UBI payment, a traumatic life-changing injury or disease would push the burden of responsibility back onto the individual with no social safety net for protection beyond their personal payments…
…Right-wing supporters of UBI, such as the Adam Smith Institute, will try to use it as a justification for further dismantling of the welfare state and for individualising society's problems. It is true that the welfare state as it exists is no longer fit for purpose — but not because the principle of protecting people in vulnerable economic situations and ensuring healthcare for all is an outdated one. Rather, to confront the problems relevant to the present age, the welfare system needs to become even more of a safety net. More specifically — it needs to be more comprehensive regarding how it takes care of the necessities of life."
Unfortunately in the United States, it appears we are watching the right wing use UBI exactly as those of us on the left have feared they would. But that is not to say that the left does not have their own, far better answers to this crisis that also involve UBI.
Bernie Sanders has responded to calls from Republican lawmakers to send Americans a check with his own incredible proposal: A two trillion dollar emergency plan that includes a $2,000 dollar check to every American for the duration of this crisis.
Commondreams reported that:
"The plan would guarantee that all healthcare needs related to the coronavirus would be free and available to all, including testing, any treatments, and ultimately — when available — the vaccine. The plan also calls for a dramatic investment in the public health system — including an urgent overhaul in terms of testing for the virus — and increased preparedness and support for frontline medical workers, hospitals, clinics, and community health centers. It would also mobilize the National Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, and military resources to build healthcare capacity nationwide.
On the economic front, Sanders' plan would issue direct cash payments, in the form of $2,000 check to every American each month for the duration of the crisis. The plan would also establish what the Sanders campaign calls the "Emergency Economic Crisis Finance Agency," which would be charged with handling the financial downturn unleashed by what is now a global pandemic."
There is no denying that we are living in an unprecedented moment in American history. Not only is a virus spreading at a rapid rate, but our economy has virtually come to a halt. The world has never seen anything like this, and we have to respond in kind. While it may seem like it would take a miracle for Bernie Sanders to get the nomination at this point, the eternal somewhat naive optimist in me can't help but hold on to the miracle mindset. Biden's previously devastating double digit lead in the national polls in recent weeks has now shrunk back down to single digits nationally, and it's been reported that his advisors behind the scenes are trying to convince him to adopt some of Bernie's policies as quickly as possible.
We still have a chance to elect the real thing. The democratic primary is not over yet, and we have an opportunity to elect the one man who has been acting like an unparalleled leader throughout all of this. We have a chance to stop Republican efforts to use the pain and shock that this nation is feeling to gut our safety nets once and for all, and meet their calls for UBI with a far better plan that encompasses the scale of what we're facing.
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