PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania — The last New York Jewish Week arrived in my mailbox last Thursday, six days late. I will miss it. The parent company suspended publication of the print edition because of the advertising lost with the Covid-19 crisis.
An inconvenience for me, but much worse for Jewish employees who are left without jobs. Just like layoffs at Jewish community centers, Federations and other Jewish organizations throughout the nation. Not to mention layoffs in businesses and governments in general.
No doubt this damage would be more limited if not for the negligence of President Trump and his fellow Republicans who control the U.S. Senate. We know they have done little to end this debacle, and even made matters worse.
Trump played magician on Saturday when he announced a series of unilateral steps that is all flash and no substance. At first glance, he told America that the public will continue to receive unemployment checks and continue a moratorium on evictions.
Reporters swiftly exposed the fine print. Trump said people will receive $400 weekly instead of the $600 they were receiving until July 31. But then each state must contribute $100 of that money, which means that the feds would offer $300. Nor would the provisions guarantee the eviction moratorium.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin signaled what Trump was up to when he said, “If the Democrats want to challenge us in court and hold up unemployment benefits to those hardworking Americans that are out of a job because of Covid, they’re going to have a lot of explaining to do.”
News reports pointed out that only Congress can, supposedly, allocate money for specific programs, and Trump’s executive actions might be challenged in court. So far, Democrats and Republicans in Congress have deadlocked as Democrats seek to maintain the $600 payments and other services while the GOP’s position is to cut back
But as Mnuchin sees it, our president is moving fast to save the day while Democrats in Congress are playing games and fooling the public.
We can wonder how many more Americans will die or endure more misery until 12:01 p.m. on Jan. 20, assuming that Joe Biden is inaugurated president that day, the earliest that I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.
Our former vice president under President Obama will, hopefully, do his best to end this crisis if he is elected. Perhaps Republicans will do better in the interim, if only for political motives.
Normally, I do not dwell so heavily on helping political candidates, but everything about our current situation is abnormal and bizarre. One of our political parties is intentionally endangering us. The coronavirus crisis has only worsened under their tenure with their control of the White House and the Senate. What can we conclude when the Trump administration orders children to return to school while we remain vulnerable to Covid-19?
Trump’s failure to control the coronavirus is hardly the only issue during this election, but it is certainly the most dominant one. The most realistic avenue to ending this nightmare is to elect sensible people to oust irrational office-holders. This will mean electing Biden, flipping enough Senate seats so Democrats will control the Senate and maintain the Democratic majority in the House.
It is paradoxical for any American to want one-party control. The balance of powers provisions may well be the most groundbreaking concept that our founders introduced to the world, but it is not working out in any productive manner.
The best course of action for every American who votes by mail is not only to vote but to vote as early as possible, as greater numbers of voters intend to vote by mail this year because of the coronavirus. Ballots will be mailed to people by mid-September, allowing plenty of time to fill out the ballots and return them before Nov. 3, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. A clerk at the Philadelphia city commissioners office, which oversees elections, told me that ballots will be sent 50 days before the election.
I expect Biden to be elected, and Sen. Kamala Harris’s selection for vice president will strengthen Biden’s chances. Also, Democrats will flip the Senate and hold onto the House of Representatives. – so long as there are no serious problems with voting operations. That is a lot to presume.
Then the hard work begins. One suggestion: If the current government refuses to provide what is essential, then the next government can compensate. For example, if unemployed citizens receive $300 per week instead of $600, then the Biden administration and Congress can allocate the other $300 retroactively for that time period.
Such moves would help, but to reference Trump’s own words, they will not be sufficient to make up for the existing carnage.
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Bruce S. Ticker is a Philadelphia-based columnist.