There is absolutely no reason why the government response to the #COVID2019 crises must be the solution that benefits the 1% at the expense of everyone else.
A far more effective response would one that helps the most vulnerable while lifting the economy from the bottom up. 1/17
A far more effective response would one that helps the most vulnerable while lifting the economy from the bottom up. 1/17
In the below thread, we show why the day-to-day fluctuations of the market matter little to the vast majority of people.
What matters is the REAL economy. 2/17
What matters is the REAL economy. 2/17
The Fed had already begun measures to prop up the financial markets even before Coronavirus was a concern, in effect redistributing wealth upwards while leaving most of us with the bill. 3/17
Rather than (once again) bail out the 1%, while leaving everyone else in the dust, here are 5 examples of sound economic policies that would work for everyone’s benefit: 4/17
First, the government should immediately issue an emergency funding program to cover ANY & ALL costs of testing & treatment for anyone (including the uninsured & underinsured) for COVID-19 & Influenza. 5/17
A study of 22 ‘highly developed’ countries found that the US is the ONLY country that does not guarantee worker paid-sick-days. Millions of workers right now have zero paid sick days. This is a disgrace. It's also a public health nightmare. 6/17
As is well understood: “If working adults are able to stay home when they are sick, they are less likely to spread infectious diseases to adults they work with” Contagion Nation @ceprdc 7/17
The U.S. should catch up with the other countries by offering 21 days minimum sick leave per year plus a Social Insurance program that covers extended sick days & disability should more than 21 days be necessary. 8/17
Public health is a public good & markets are incapable of adequately handling public goods.
M4A makes economic sense, it makes public health sense & is the moral path forward. Healthcare is a human right.
We need M4A now. 9/17
M4A makes economic sense, it makes public health sense & is the moral path forward. Healthcare is a human right.
We need M4A now. 9/17
In the wealthiest country in the world, millions are homeless, housing insecure & food insecure. This is an absolute national disgrace. We are no better than our most vulnerable. We should be expanding social safety nets. 10/17
Finally, wages have been stagnant for 50 years while cost of living has exploded.
See this thread below on just how inequitable income is: 11/17
See this thread below on just how inequitable income is: 11/17
We desperately need to reverse this income inequity trend through fiscal & monetary policies that guarantee full employment, coupled with wage-led growth along a trajectory towards a new economy that is inherently democratic & equitable. 12/17
We should start by increasing the minimum wage to 1968 comparable levels: $24/hour 13/17
A business that can’t provide a living wage is not a viable business. Guaranteed full employment means everyone looking to work can find work. Lifting the economy *bottom-up* is THE MOST EFFECTIVE path of economic recovery. There are no excuses. $24/hour. 14/17
Think these policies are politically untenable? With every crisis, there are trillions available to bail-out the 1%. Furthermore, economic & political shocks are consistently used to ram unpopular policies & laws that benefit the 1% at our expense. 15/17
These 5 policies would help the REAL economy: the economy that affects you & I. They would reverse the trend of economic injustice & hardship while providing a path for real economic recovery. They would provide relief to the coronavirus crisis & improve public health. 16/17
We must not allow another bailout package for the 1%. They are already building their narrative.
We need economic policies that work for ALL of us & these 5 policies are a good place to start. 17/17
We need economic policies that work for ALL of us & these 5 policies are a good place to start. 17/17
