“Stimulus”, or Survival?
By: Lauren Elizabeth
Tags: Economy, Politics, Society, Coronavirus, Government

“Stimulus”, or Survival?

The longer Washington plays games with our lives, the more needless suffering real people are forced to experience.

Photo by Maria Oswalt on Unsplash

The dead of winter is coming, and with it comes the culmination of the housing and economic crisis that has only continued to build since the start of the coronavirus pandemic that’s ripping through the United States even worse than before. As I have said countless times before, whether it be the total lack of support for parents and teachers struggling to help children get through this unprecedented school year, the loss of over 300,000 lives, or the fact that that tens of millions of people are about to lose their housing through no fault of their own, it’s irrefutable that the government has failed us in every conceivable way virtually from the moment we were made aware of how significant the effect of this pandemic would be. The idea that another “stimulus” check for the American people is even controversial is testament alone to how little our lawmakers tasked with representing us actually care.

One need only look at the unemployment sub-reddit on Reddit to get a glimpse of just how bad things have been, and continue to get worse. Jeff Stein with The Washington Post shared an image of one of the posts concerning unemployment, where the user writes:

“I hope we all get some good news today. I’m on the verge of being homeless as well since I haven’t paid anything to my roommate and their girlfriend (ruthless) wants to kick me out into the cold. (Not her problem, as she says. Lol) I applied for SNAP yesterday and I have been dumpster diving for food the last few days outside of restaurants… I don’t have a car so every time I walk to food banks and stuff like that they’re either closed or need proof of residency and I don’t have that as I’m just couch surfing…”

Under the ‘unemployed sub-reddit, another user wrote:

“I’m losing it. I’ve been unemployed for 10 months now because of Covid. I’ve applied to over 600 jobs and only one interview. I have BS in Business Admin and MS in International Relations. I’ve had my resume redone, done interview prep, updated LinkedIn, and reached out to contacts/ connections. I’m coming off a terrible experience at last job with the US government that left me diagnosed with PTSD, major depressive disorder, and severe anxiety. Im really really not well enough mentally to work full-time and my depression has been more than overwhelming the last few months. I’m struggling getting out of bed, taking my dog out, and I am having an extremely difficult time. I can’t sleep through the night and have difficulty eating. Therapy isn’t working anymore. I live alone (immune compromised). No family support (financially or emotionally). Unemployment ran out two weeks ago. I’ve lived in 7 different places in the last year. Lost my apartment in June, managed to find new place in October, and I am hanging on by threads. Rent due in two weeks. Little savings left, high credit card debt and all bills sitting on credit card. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep doing this. Do I check into mental health facility? What do I do please help. Please any advice would be appreciated.”

In a consumer-driven economy like that of the United States, it should go without saying that the stability of the economy is dependent upon the ability of average Americans to actually be able to spend. It should come as no surprise then, that the direct relief payments the American people desperately need have been dubbed “stimulus checks”. That said at this rate, the situation has been so dire the need has nothing to do with economic stimulus, but rather the ability just to survive.

It’s near impossible not to read stories like the one above, and not sink into feelings of total, utter hopelessness and raw anger. For months I have been wondering what it would take for the American people to rise, whether it be mass demonstrations in the streets or a general strike, and demand that basic needs be met in the richest nation on earth. But when reflecting on what millions of people are currently going through, can we really be surprised that people don’t have the time or the energy to organize? Can we really be surprised that people have become so conditioned to the cruelty, our lawmakers feel entirely comfortable subjecting their constituents to unnecessary trauma while they hold our stability hostage? Are they capable of realizing that the longer they allow this to fester, the less likely it is that any amount they send us will be enough to help people catch up on their bills and overdraft fees, let alone stimulate their beloved economy?

The wealth of the richest people in the country has grown by such an unprecedented amount as a direct result of this pandemic, a study found that a one time wealth tax could bring in enough money to send every single American a check of $3000, and still leave the elites with more money than they had at the beginning of the pandemic. Meanwhile, single mothers who lost their jobs as a direct result of the same circumstances that saw a surge in their fortunes are putting their bank accounts into overdraft just to buy diapers for their babies.

I can’t help wondering what it will take for our lawmakers to actually care. What are the American people going to have to resort to in order to get through to people who have been so insulated from the pain and the rage, that they have no ability to understand how their failures are directly impacting tens of millions of people? How much more are we going to be expected to put up with before they realize these checks aren’t some frivolous luxury they don’t feel we’re worthy of receiving, but an absolute necessity?