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Utilit99

House conservatives unveil playbook on how they’ll fight back against Democrats' $1.9T COVID bill

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1 hour ago, dogcows said:

This makes no sense. You say prices will go up, which may happen. But you’re ignoring the fact that wages for many people could double, giving them more buying power.

Republicans should actually be in favor of this long-delayed increase in the minimum wage. Right now, our tax dollars go towards benefits like SNAP going to many people earning minimum wage. When it’s raised, there will be fewer requests for the government assistance. But I guess you want socialism instead? OK fine let’s lower the minimum wage and have MORE government handouts.

No, there's no "may" about it.  Costs absolutely WILL go up.  It's a 100% given and a direct correlation.  We're not talking about a simple raise from $8/hr to $9 or $10/hr to $12.  We're talking about a 600% increase in a very short period of time.  Servers going from $2.50/hr to $15/hr?  You don't think this would have a massive impact?

I'm not "ignoring the fact that wages for many people could double", I'm discounting the even remote possibility that it will happen.  To think this, is purely moronic.  No ones income is going to double.  In the case of servers, who I was referring to, the outcome is easily predictable.  If they're getting a $12+/hour pay increase, overhead costs for the restaurant are going to sky rocket.  Prices on the menu will go up measurably.  The net result is obvious.  People will stop tipping all together.  Service quality will go down.  Servers will pay more in taxes because we all know for a 100% fact that they don't claim anywhere near what they make.  Their income will be more fixed because people aren't tipping.  People will go out to eat less often.  Restaurants will reduce their staff in order cut costs... so servers will be working even more tables, with less benefit (because as I said, people won't be tipping).  Smaller restaurants will close because their costs will be too high which will result in higher unemployment.  This is all obvious and easily predictable.

Here you go... Indeed.com, the average server in the US make about $12 an hour (with tips).  Do you really think that's truthful?  You know it's not.  You know it's not because that's assuming everyone is telling you the truth about the tips they're making.  So, they're probably making $18 an hour when you consider the fact that the rest is tax free dollars.  Well, with $15 an hour minimum wage, they just got a pay cut, didn't they?  Income doubling?  Hahahaha, you're an idiot if you think that.  The ONLY winner, as I said, is the government.  The restaurant loses, the server loses, and the patron loses.

Let's say that restaurants don't raise prices drastically.  What's the reason?  The reason is because there'll be less servers working.  Instead of having 5 servers cover 4 tables each, they'll have 2 servers cover 10 tables each.  They'll be working less hours a week, waiting on more tables, be taxed more on their income, and on top of all of that, people won't be tipping.  How does that benefit the server?

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11 hours ago, TBayXXXVII said:

No, there's no "may" about it.  Costs absolutely WILL go up.  It's a 100% given and a direct correlation.  We're not talking about a simple raise from $8/hr to $9 or $10/hr to $12.  We're talking about a 600% increase in a very short period of time.  Servers going from $2.50/hr to $15/hr?  You don't think this would have a massive impact?

I'm not "ignoring the fact that wages for many people could double", I'm discounting the even remote possibility that it will happen.  To think this, is purely moronic.  No ones income is going to double.  In the case of servers, who I was referring to, the outcome is easily predictable.  If they're getting a $12+/hour pay increase, overhead costs for the restaurant are going to sky rocket.  Prices on the menu will go up measurably.  The net result is obvious.  People will stop tipping all together.  Service quality will go down.  Servers will pay more in taxes because we all know for a 100% fact that they don't claim anywhere near what they make.  Their income will be more fixed because people aren't tipping.  People will go out to eat less often.  Restaurants will reduce their staff in order cut costs... so servers will be working even more tables, with less benefit (because as I said, people won't be tipping).  Smaller restaurants will close because their costs will be too high which will result in higher unemployment.  This is all obvious and easily predictable.

Here you go... Indeed.com, the average server in the US make about $12 an hour (with tips).  Do you really think that's truthful?  You know it's not.  You know it's not because that's assuming everyone is telling you the truth about the tips they're making.  So, they're probably making $18 an hour when you consider the fact that the rest is tax free dollars.  Well, with $15 an hour minimum wage, they just got a pay cut, didn't they?  Income doubling?  Hahahaha, you're an idiot if you think that.  The ONLY winner, as I said, is the government.  The restaurant loses, the server loses, and the patron loses.

Let's say that restaurants don't raise prices drastically.  What's the reason?  The reason is because there'll be less servers working.  Instead of having 5 servers cover 4 tables each, they'll have 2 servers cover 10 tables each.  They'll be working less hours a week, waiting on more tables, be taxed more on their income, and on top of all of that, people won't be tipping.  How does that benefit the server?

Latest I’m hearing in interviews with Senators today is that Democrats want to phase in the higher wages instead of going to $15 overnight. They didn’t mention restaurants and tips, but I know the food service industry has lobbyists working the issue. It should be interesting to see how it shakes out.

As for inflation, it’s not something we should be worried about right now. Fed interest rates are at historic lows, so it would be simple to nudge that lever upwards if we see prices start to climb.

I think the increased minimum wage is a win for both sides. Less government assistance needed by min-wage workers, and those in such jobs will have a higher standard of living.

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How about to solve all the current day issues they start by cutting out 91% of the spending that is in this bill, and pass the covid only portion of the bll.

Dems are so stupid and they don't care about the people they claim to represent.

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8 hours ago, dogcows said:

phase in the higher wages instead of going to $15 overnight. They didn’t mention restaurants and tips

From the article...

"The legislation would gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2025 and guarantees that tipped workers, youth workers and workers with disabilities are paid the full federal minimum wage."

Not overnight, but as I said, a short period of time.  They're talking about less than 4 years.  A 600% pay increase over 4 years.  That's substantial.  Yes, they did mention tips.  As I emboldened, underlined, and italicized.... they're talking about restaurant waiters and waitress.  Not exclusively of course, but they are included.  On top of that, they're also including hair dressers/stylists.  Sure, there are people who work in high end shops (just like servers), who are making bank off of rich people tipping them $50 off a hair cut that cost $150.  But, there's a lot more who work in small shops that make $8 off a $40 hair cut (which is the same hair cut by the way), but I digress.  Anywho.  The people going to those shops are the middle and lower class people.  This legislation will force these patrons to pay immensely higher costs for hair cuts and what not, because the shop owner's overhead just increased by 400-600% over 4 years.

For some reason, you seem to think that these business owners are just going to absorb the cost and go on with their day.  In NJ, our p.o.s. governor passed a law that increased the minimum wage $1 every January 1st.  I have a friend who's a small business owner.  In the first year that minimum wage went up, he said "let's see if people spend more money".  The answer?  Nope.  The second year, he cut the number of people working each shift and even laid off 2 people.  The third year, he increased prices 11%... didn't increase the number of employees nor their hours.  So explain to me, in this scenario, who won?  The employees, the patrons, the owners, or the government?  To note, this isn't the only place it happened.  It happened all throughout South Jersey.  Another note, this only brought the minimum wage up from $8+ to now $11.  In a similar time frame, they're calling for tipped workers to go from $2.50 to $15... and you think nothing bad will happen?  :blink:

8 hours ago, dogcows said:

the food service industry has lobbyists working the issue.

Of course they are.  They want to create more unions.  The net result of every union is Democrat politicians getting more money at the direct expense of those in the union.

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The referee of the Senate came out with a ruling that they can’t put a minimum wage hike into the reconciliation-process bill. So, it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon, needing 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. The reconciliation measure will probably be passed without the minimum wage hike soon… as a COVID-relief only bill.

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9 minutes ago, dogcows said:

The referee of the Senate came out with a ruling that they can’t put a minimum wage hike into the reconciliation-process bill. So, it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon, needing 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. The reconciliation measure will probably be passed without the minimum wage hike soon… as a COVID-relief only bill.

You don't know anthing that's in that bill do you?

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19 minutes ago, Utilit99 said:

You don't know anthing that's in that bill do you?

 Not a Fockin chance. 

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18 hours ago, Utilit99 said:

You don't know anthing that's in that bill do you?

No. I’m an idiot liberal who doesn’t know how to read. Sorry there’s stuff in there that you don’t think is related to COVID relief… but based on other opinions you’ve espoused here, I’m not too concerned with your analysis of the bill. The bill should have $0 according to people that think COVID is a hoax…

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1 hour ago, dogcows said:

No. I’m an idiot liberal who doesn’t know how to read. Sorry there’s stuff in there that you don’t think is related to COVID relief… but based on other opinions you’ve espoused here, I’m not too concerned with your analysis of the bill. The bill should have $0 according to people that think COVID is a hoax…

9% of 1.9 trillion mean anything to you since you are so up to date?

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Zzz… if you don’t think COVID is a problem, then you’re not gonna support any relief at all. No surprises here at all.

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3 hours ago, Utilit99 said:

9% of 1.9 trillion mean anything to you since you are so up to date?

I am up to date with facts, not right-wing talking points. Do they get the re-animated corpse of Limbaugh to dole them out to the dittoheads? Or have they anointed his successor already?

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29 minutes ago, dogcows said:

Zzz… if you don’t think COVID is a problem, then you’re not gonna support any relief at all. No surprises here at all.

Who said that? Just making it up, disagreeing with a make believe poster? 

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6 hours ago, dogcows said:

I am up to date with facts, not right-wing talking points. Do they get the re-animated corpse of Limbaugh to dole them out to the dittoheads? Or have they anointed his successor already?

So you don't know what's in the bill. I already said you don't. Stop proving it over and over.

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The Democrats decided abortion, immigration, and China belonged in a bill meant to aid Americans:

Pro-Abortion
• Democrats blocked an amendment with Hyde language that would ensure that federal benefits used to pay for COBRA health insurance premiums are not used to provide abortion services.
• Maintains ability for Planned Parenthood to receive PPP [Paycheck Protection Program] funds.

Promotes Illegal Immigration
• Stimulus checks could go to families where a parent is an illegal immigrant.
• Allows subsidies paying for 85 percent of COBRA premiums to go to illegal immigrants.

Soft on China
• Allows funding to go to colleges that have partnerships with companies that are owned or controlled by communist China. Democrats rejected a GOP amendment to fix this.
• Allows funding to go to colleges and universities that have partnerships with Confucius Institutes.

The PPP mentioned above “provides loans to help businesses keep their workforce employed during the” COVID-19 pandemic. It also allows eligibility to some borrowers “for PPP loan forgiveness.”

Schools remaining closed has become a hot topic issue. President Joe Biden promised to open schools within his first 100 days. However, the bill gives schools incentive to remain closed because the government will provide them with “$130 billion on top of the $110 billion already given to schools, even if they remain closed.”

That PPP I talked about? Labor unions, including teachers, now have access to “funding worth up to $10 million per union.

The bill expands the PPP to cover “violent criminals, including those guilty of assault on a police officer and nonconsensual sexual crimes.”

Thus, the new guidelines for PPP push aside the small businesses that need funding. It also includes large nonprofits, “country clubs, fraternities and sororities and publicly-traded internet news organizations.”

You cannot have a Democrat bill without social justice (This section includes the PPP for violent criminals I already mentioned):

Left’s Social Justice Agenda
• Provides $50 million in funding for EPA environmental justice grants, a thinly-veiled kickback to leftist environmental groups.
• Extends PPP funds to violent criminals, including those guilty of assault on a police officer and nonconsensual sexual crimes.
• Expands Medicaid eligibility, for five years, to incarcerated individuals 30 days prior to their release.
• Prioritizes funding based on identity politics while ignoring rural businesses and communities.
• Gives billions in subsidies and loan forgiveness worth 120% of debt to farmers and ranchers on the basis of race and ethnicity.
• Gives $800 million in additional foreign food aid.

Let’s look at more useless items:

Budget-busting Spending
• Over $1 trillion remains unspent while Democrats push Biden’s $1.9 trillion budget-buster.
• Provides an additional $1.5 billion to Amtrak, which is already sitting on roughly $1 billion of unspent aid.
• Provides $30 Billion for transit grants, available through FY 2024, of which $26 billion (87%) would go to urban area transit entities. This almost three times the total annual outlays through the FTA.
• $8 billion in operating expense, debt payments, and development projects aid to largely urban airports, available through FY 2024.
• Provides a $350 billion bailout for state and local governments despite limited declines in overall revenue last year. Such funding effectively subsidizes unwarranted shutdowns that kills businesses and livelihoods.
• $3 billion in aid to supplement payroll costs for certain U.S. aircraft manufacturers.
• Democrats on the Education & Labor committee blocked an amendment that would have required agency Inspector Generals to audit and report on the use of COVID-19 funds.
• Congress provided $150 billion to the Coronavirus Relief Fund for state and local governments to cover pandemic-related expenses. It is unclear how much of the funds have been spent so far and whether the funds used met the letter of the law.

A Wall Street Journal editorial piece mentioned Sen. Chuck Schumer slipped in “$1.5 million for the Seaway International Bridge, which connects New York to Canada.” The spending includes $500 million for “grants to fund activities related to the arts, humanities, libraries and museums, and Native American language preservation.”

Last but not least, we have a welfare wishlist. This section includes more subsidies for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (IHEAP), steps closer to taking over the medical community, and more paid leave for federal employees:

Liberal Welfare Wishlist
• Incentivizes harmful Medicaid expansion by increasing newly expanded state’s base FMAP by five percentage points for two years. Not only does this hurt state budgets, it also brings our nation one step closer to a complete federal takeover of our health care sector.
• Increase the size of Obamacare premium tax credits for existing beneficiaries.
• Effectively place an excise tax on everyday Americans’ pharmaceutical purchases by removing the Medicaid AMP rebate cap, which could create instances where drug manufacturers are paying Medicaid to supply drugs.
• Expands Medicaid eligibility, for five years, to incarcerated individuals 30 days prior to their release and to women for 12 months postpartum, an unrelated provision that should be considered on its own merits.
• Provides additional subsidies for LIHEAP ($4.5 billion), a program ripe with fraud, waste, and abuse, that President Trump even sought to eliminate.
• Extends 15 percent increase in SNAP funding through the rest of FY 2021.
• Provides nearly $600 million for additional paid leave for federal employees and postal workers.
• Would increase the Child Tax Credit (CTC) by $1,000 per child over 5 and $1,600 per child under 6. For 2021, the credit would be fully refundable. Would double the maximum EITC benefit to workers with no dependents.
• Would increase, by 20%, the maximum amount of federally subsidized wages for paid leave. Would allow self-employed people to claim up to 60 days annually worth of federally subsidized paid leave.
• Removes state matching requirement for the Child Care Entitlement to States (CCES) grant program, along with an almost 20% increase in funding for this program.
• Would, effectively, implement the Democratic Butch Lewis taxpayer bailout of pensions plan.

Oh, and don't forget:

$350 billion for state bailouts. Primarily all democrat states.

Some of the money goes to track down illegal immigrants with criminal records, who were thrown out the this country, and we are going to then transport them back into our country.

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On 2/24/2021 at 11:21 AM, TBayXXXVII said:

No, there's no "may" about it.  Costs absolutely WILL go up.  It's a 100% given and a direct correlation.  We're not talking about a simple raise from $8/hr to $9 or $10/hr to $12.  We're talking about a 600% increase in a very short period of time.  Servers going from $2.50/hr to $15/hr?  You don't think this would have a massive impact?

I'm not "ignoring the fact that wages for many people could double", I'm discounting the even remote possibility that it will happen.  To think this, is purely moronic.  No ones income is going to double.  In the case of servers, who I was referring to, the outcome is easily predictable.  If they're getting a $12+/hour pay increase, overhead costs for the restaurant are going to sky rocket.  Prices on the menu will go up measurably.  The net result is obvious.  People will stop tipping all together.  Service quality will go down.  Servers will pay more in taxes because we all know for a 100% fact that they don't claim anywhere near what they make.  Their income will be more fixed because people aren't tipping.  People will go out to eat less often.  Restaurants will reduce their staff in order cut costs... so servers will be working even more tables, with less benefit (because as I said, people won't be tipping).  Smaller restaurants will close because their costs will be too high which will result in higher unemployment.  This is all obvious and easily predictable.

Here you go... Indeed.com, the average server in the US make about $12 an hour (with tips).  Do you really think that's truthful?  You know it's not.  You know it's not because that's assuming everyone is telling you the truth about the tips they're making.  So, they're probably making $18 an hour when you consider the fact that the rest is tax free dollars.  Well, with $15 an hour minimum wage, they just got a pay cut, didn't they?  Income doubling?  Hahahaha, you're an idiot if you think that.  The ONLY winner, as I said, is the government.  The restaurant loses, the server loses, and the patron loses.

Let's say that restaurants don't raise prices drastically.  What's the reason?  The reason is because there'll be less servers working.  Instead of having 5 servers cover 4 tables each, they'll have 2 servers cover 10 tables each.  They'll be working less hours a week, waiting on more tables, be taxed more on their income, and on top of all of that, people won't be tipping.  How does that benefit the server?

Seems like the need to tip would be greatly reduced, probably from about 20 percent to 5 percent.

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15 minutes ago, jonmx said:

Seems like the need to tip would be greatly reduced, probably from about 20 percent to 5 percent.

If I were a waiter or a bartender like I was years back, and this $15 an hour was put in place, and it turned out to be that people stopped tipping or only left a buck or something like that, I would quit the waiting tables gig, and I would look for a busboy job, a job stocking shelves in a grocery store or the likes, or work in a fast food place cooking fries or something like that. Same dollars in my pocket with way way way less headache than having to deal with picky dining customers and temperamental chefs and managers.

And for bartending, with no tips, I'm not going to continue to take on that responsibility of serving alcohol to the public (even more so than waiters normally do). Needing to supervise them from harming themselves or others is a pain in the ass for a percentage of people who like to go to the bar to get wasted. Someone goes out and gets in a car crash and seriously gets injured or kills someone, it comes back to the bar and the bartender. The police in some cities try to trap you if you have a very busy place. They occasionally send in underage people who look 28 years old and are holding an empty beer bottle or something like that and say to the bartender, "I would like another one of these please". I would rather stock shelves for the same paycheck. 

Easy peasy decisions right there.  

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10 hours ago, Utilit99 said:

The Democrats decided abortion, immigration, and China belonged in a bill meant to aid Americans:

Pro-Abortion
• Democrats blocked an amendment with Hyde language that would ensure that federal benefits used to pay for COBRA health insurance premiums are not used to provide abortion services.
• Maintains ability for Planned Parenthood to receive PPP [Paycheck Protection Program] funds.

Promotes Illegal Immigration
• Stimulus checks could go to families where a parent is an illegal immigrant.
• Allows subsidies paying for 85 percent of COBRA premiums to go to illegal immigrants.

Soft on China
• Allows funding to go to colleges that have partnerships with companies that are owned or controlled by communist China. Democrats rejected a GOP amendment to fix this.
• Allows funding to go to colleges and universities that have partnerships with Confucius Institutes.

The PPP mentioned above “provides loans to help businesses keep their workforce employed during the” COVID-19 pandemic. It also allows eligibility to some borrowers “for PPP loan forgiveness.”

Schools remaining closed has become a hot topic issue. President Joe Biden promised to open schools within his first 100 days. However, the bill gives schools incentive to remain closed because the government will provide them with “$130 billion on top of the $110 billion already given to schools, even if they remain closed.”

That PPP I talked about? Labor unions, including teachers, now have access to “funding worth up to $10 million per union.

The bill expands the PPP to cover “violent criminals, including those guilty of assault on a police officer and nonconsensual sexual crimes.”

Thus, the new guidelines for PPP push aside the small businesses that need funding. It also includes large nonprofits, “country clubs, fraternities and sororities and publicly-traded internet news organizations.”

You cannot have a Democrat bill without social justice (This section includes the PPP for violent criminals I already mentioned):

Left’s Social Justice Agenda
• Provides $50 million in funding for EPA environmental justice grants, a thinly-veiled kickback to leftist environmental groups.
• Extends PPP funds to violent criminals, including those guilty of assault on a police officer and nonconsensual sexual crimes.
• Expands Medicaid eligibility, for five years, to incarcerated individuals 30 days prior to their release.
• Prioritizes funding based on identity politics while ignoring rural businesses and communities.
• Gives billions in subsidies and loan forgiveness worth 120% of debt to farmers and ranchers on the basis of race and ethnicity.
• Gives $800 million in additional foreign food aid.

Let’s look at more useless items:

Budget-busting Spending
• Over $1 trillion remains unspent while Democrats push Biden’s $1.9 trillion budget-buster.
• Provides an additional $1.5 billion to Amtrak, which is already sitting on roughly $1 billion of unspent aid.
• Provides $30 Billion for transit grants, available through FY 2024, of which $26 billion (87%) would go to urban area transit entities. This almost three times the total annual outlays through the FTA.
• $8 billion in operating expense, debt payments, and development projects aid to largely urban airports, available through FY 2024.
• Provides a $350 billion bailout for state and local governments despite limited declines in overall revenue last year. Such funding effectively subsidizes unwarranted shutdowns that kills businesses and livelihoods.
• $3 billion in aid to supplement payroll costs for certain U.S. aircraft manufacturers.
• Democrats on the Education & Labor committee blocked an amendment that would have required agency Inspector Generals to audit and report on the use of COVID-19 funds.
• Congress provided $150 billion to the Coronavirus Relief Fund for state and local governments to cover pandemic-related expenses. It is unclear how much of the funds have been spent so far and whether the funds used met the letter of the law.

A Wall Street Journal editorial piece mentioned Sen. Chuck Schumer slipped in “$1.5 million for the Seaway International Bridge, which connects New York to Canada.” The spending includes $500 million for “grants to fund activities related to the arts, humanities, libraries and museums, and Native American language preservation.”

Last but not least, we have a welfare wishlist. This section includes more subsidies for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (IHEAP), steps closer to taking over the medical community, and more paid leave for federal employees:

Liberal Welfare Wishlist
• Incentivizes harmful Medicaid expansion by increasing newly expanded state’s base FMAP by five percentage points for two years. Not only does this hurt state budgets, it also brings our nation one step closer to a complete federal takeover of our health care sector.
• Increase the size of Obamacare premium tax credits for existing beneficiaries.
• Effectively place an excise tax on everyday Americans’ pharmaceutical purchases by removing the Medicaid AMP rebate cap, which could create instances where drug manufacturers are paying Medicaid to supply drugs.
• Expands Medicaid eligibility, for five years, to incarcerated individuals 30 days prior to their release and to women for 12 months postpartum, an unrelated provision that should be considered on its own merits.
• Provides additional subsidies for LIHEAP ($4.5 billion), a program ripe with fraud, waste, and abuse, that President Trump even sought to eliminate.
• Extends 15 percent increase in SNAP funding through the rest of FY 2021.
• Provides nearly $600 million for additional paid leave for federal employees and postal workers.
• Would increase the Child Tax Credit (CTC) by $1,000 per child over 5 and $1,600 per child under 6. For 2021, the credit would be fully refundable. Would double the maximum EITC benefit to workers with no dependents.
• Would increase, by 20%, the maximum amount of federally subsidized wages for paid leave. Would allow self-employed people to claim up to 60 days annually worth of federally subsidized paid leave.
• Removes state matching requirement for the Child Care Entitlement to States (CCES) grant program, along with an almost 20% increase in funding for this program.
• Would, effectively, implement the Democratic Butch Lewis taxpayer bailout of pensions plan.

Oh, and don't forget:

$350 billion for state bailouts. Primarily all democrat states.

Some of the money goes to track down illegal immigrants with criminal records, who were thrown out the this country, and we are going to then transport them back into our country.

Nice cut-and-paste. You have some computer expertise. Can you do a mail-merge too?

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10 hours ago, Utilit99 said:

Pro-Abortion
• Democrats blocked an amendment with Hyde language that would ensure that federal benefits used to pay for COBRA health insurance premiums are not used to provide abortion services.
• Maintains ability for Planned Parenthood to receive PPP [Paycheck Protection Program] funds.

Also wanted to point out how absurd this is. There was nothing in the bill, one way or another, about abortion. But since some Republican proposed an amendment with the word abortion in it to an unrelated bill, you are now calling the bill pro-abortion. And yet here you are, whining that Dems are putting stuff in the bill that supposedly has nothing to do with COVID relief. What a load of 💩.

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56 minutes ago, dogcows said:

Nice cut-and-paste. You have some computer expertise. Can you do a mail-merge too?

I'm lazy. Easier to to copy the truth rather than type it all out. What are your reponses to those line items?

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2 minutes ago, Utilit99 said:

I'm lazy. Easier to to copy the truth rather than type it all out. What are your reponses to those line otems?

Yeah I really want to spend my life arguing against BS talking points with no sources given. If the article you cut-and-pasted from had footnotes or some other verification of its claims, maybe post that here? Or at least a link to the original? I shot down the most absurd statement in there already.

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3 minutes ago, dogcows said:

Yeah I really want to spend my life arguing against BS talking points with no sources given. If the article you cut-and-pasted from had footnotes or some other verification of its claims, maybe post that here? Or at least a link to the original? I shot down the most absurd statement in there already.

Now more source crap.. Are you and sho related ?

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4 minutes ago, dogcows said:

Yeah I really want to spend my life arguing against BS talking points with no sources given. If the article you cut-and-pasted from had footnotes or some other verification of its claims, maybe post that here? Or at least a link to the original? I shot down the most absurd statement in there already.

So again, you got nothing. That's fine, but why complain?

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WASHINGTON — Unveiling the second major stimulus bill of the pandemic, Congress on Monday approved a $900 billion packageaimed at addressing the needs of millions of Americans who have been forced to weather the effects of the coronavirus for months even as many existing federal aid programs ran thin or expired.

The new agreement extends some parts of the CARES Act, the $2.2 trillion stimulus law passed in March, and borrows others with modifications and reductions.

The full text of the legislation, spanning almost 5,600 pages, was passed by the House and Senate soon after it was released. Here are some of the core features.

Individual payments

Among the most anticipated components of the legislation is the direct payments, with $600 going to individual adults with adjusted gross income of up to $75,000 a year based on 2019 earnings. Heads of households who earn up to $112,500 and a couple (or someone whose spouse died in 2020) who make up to $150,000 a year would get twice that amount.

Eligible families with dependent children would also receive an additional $600 per child.

As with the earlier round of payments of up to $1,200 sent out in the spring, the benefit declines for those who earned more than those income levels. It cuts off entirely for individuals who earned more than $99,000.

In a change from the last round, however, payments will not be denied to citizens married to someone without a social security number, allowing some spouses of undocumented immigrants to claim the benefit this time around.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Monday that the payments could begin arriving as early as next week.

Unemployment benefits

With as many as 12 million Americans facing the prospect of losing federal unemployment assistance on Dec. 26, Congress acted to extend multiple programs, albeit at less generous levels than in the spring.

The agreement would revive enhanced federal jobless benefits of up to $300 per week for 11 weeks, providing a lifeline for hard-hit workers until March 14. (The new benefit is half the amount provided by the CARES Act in the spring.)

The legislation also extends Pandemic Unemployment Assistance — a program aimed at a broad set of freelancers and independent contractors — for the same period, providing an additional $100 per week. Still, it requires those applying for the benefit to provide proof of unemployment, which could complicate applications.

Targeted aid for small businesses

With a specific focus on aiding small businesses ravaged by the pandemic, the agreement sets aside $285 billion for additional loans under the Paycheck Protection Program, renewing the program created under the CARES Act.

The latest version includes stricter terms that appear intended to correct some of the unpopular elements of the original program, which allowed a significant share of funds to flow to a tiny fraction of borrowers, including professional sports teams, high-income law firms and national restaurant chains. Public outcry over the distribution of funds sparked an audit by the Treasury Department; the program was also criticized for falling prey to widespread fraud.

Among other measures, the new legislation caps loans at $2 million and makes them available only to borrowers with fewer than 300 employees that experienced at least a 25 percent drop in sales from a year earlier in at least one quarter. The agreement also sets aside $12 billion specifically for minority-owned businesses.

Further focusing on small businesses, publicly traded companies will be ineligible to apply this time around.

The law also provides $15 billion to support a broad category of entertainment-related businesses, including small theaters and live music venues, that have been shuttered for most of the year.

Funding for vaccines and nursing homes

Amid concerns about the pace of vaccine distribution in the United States, the legislation sets aside nearly $70 billion for a range of public health measures, including $20 billion for the purchase of vaccines, $8 billion for vaccine distribution, and an additional $20 billion to help states continue their test-and-trace programs.

The bill also provides money for federal Covid-19 research and will allow a federal program that insures mortgages for nursing homes to dole out emergency loans aimed at helping hard-hit elder care centers cover their costs.

Support for climate measures

In an unusual rebuke of the Trump administration’s climate policy, the deal includes new legislation to regulate hydrofluorocarbons, the powerful greenhouse gases common in air-conditioners and refrigerators.

It also allocates $35 billion to fund wind, solar and other clean energy projects.

Both measures received vocal bipartisan support, with senior senators from both parties hailing the breakthrough as overdue and key to creating jobs of the future.

The inclusion of some climate legislation may be of particular interest to President-elect Joseph R. Biden, whose hopes of enacting even modest reforms on climate change hinge on the support of Republicans such as Senator John Barrasso, Republican of Wyoming, who threw their support behind the new measures.

A ban on surprise medical bills

Clearing a longstanding legislative impasse, the deal will also help millions of Americans avoid unexpected — and often exorbitant — medical bills that can spawn from visits to hospitals.

The bill will make it illegal for hospitals to charge patients for services like emergency treatment by out-of-network doctors or transport in air ambulances that patients often have no say in accepting.

The new changes, which take effect in 2022, will require that patients only pay the normal in-network deductibles and co-payments they would otherwise under their insurance. The law would then leave it to health providers to negotiate with insurers to settle the difference.

Rental protections

The compromise would protect tenants struggling with rent by extending a moratorium on evictions another month, through Jan. 31. The Department of Housing and Urban Development separately issued a similar moratorium on Monday that also protects homeowners against foreclosures on home mortgages and runs until Feb. 28.

The bill also provides $25 billion in rental assistance, a move that could help take pressure off some state and local housing officials who anticipated forfeiting some of the aid allocated from the CARES Act because they were unable to distribute it all ahead of a Dec. 30 deadline.

Food security

Expanding one of the most reliable channels of aid, the agreement increases monthly food stamp benefits — formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP — by 15 percent for six months, beginning on Jan. 1.

Overall, the legislation provides $13 billion for increased nutrition assistance, $400 million of which will support food banks and food pantries. An additional $175 million is earmarked for nutrition programs under the Older Americans Act, such as Meals on Wheels.

Funding for broadband infrastructure

With millions of families forced to work and attend school remotely and make health appointments online, the legislation includes $7 billion for expanding access to high-speed internet connections.

Nearly half of that — $3.2 billion — will go toward helping cover the cost of monthly internet bills by providing up to $50 per month to low-income families.

The stimulus deal also sets aside $300 million for building out infrastructure in underserved rural areas that have historically suffered from slow internet speeds, as well as $1 billion in grants for tribal broadband programs.

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24 minutes ago, dogcows said:

Also wanted to point out how absurd this is. There was nothing in the bill, one way or another, about abortion. But since some Republican proposed an amendment with the word abortion in it to an unrelated bill, you are now calling the bill pro-abortion. And yet here you are, whining that Dems are putting stuff in the bill that supposedly has nothing to do with COVID relief. What a load of 💩.

It says planned parenthood can get PPE loans. That’s not pro abortion? Or are you going to claim PP does Pap smears so it’s not all about abortion? Lol. I can get fish at McDonald’s. But it’s about hamburgers. 

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