Economists project that 42% of the jobs we are losing right now are gone for good. That's
15,000,000 jobs. Gone forever. Never coming back. We're dealing with unprecedented
job loss in America right now rivaled only by the great depression. Before the COVID-19
outbreak in the United States, 78% of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck and
57% of Americans couldn’t afford an unexpected $400 bill. The federal reserve projects
COVID-19 job losses to be upwards of 47 million. That's an unemployment rate of 32%.
For reference, the unemployment rate in the U.S. during the great depression was 24.9%
at its peak. In my opinion, now more than ever, America needs to pass a universal basic
income. If the U.S. government won't support giving monthly checks to Americans now,
I fear they never will.
Questions
1. Do you support universal basic income in perpetuity, until the pandemic is over,
or not at all? Why?
2. Do you think the U.S. government will help the people who lost their jobs permanently?
3. What would you do if you were president right now?
Forbes Article
