This op-ed was solely inspired by an intellectually dishonest tweet from the self-proclaimed socialist U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
It’s as if he doesn’t want you to know the truth about this legislation; it is almost as if the Democratic party thinks the American people are stupid. Let’s dig into the nitty gritty details politicians don’t want you to know regarding The American Rescue Plan. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law in March and was supported heavily by the Democratic party. This plan in no way rescues America but is out to destroy it.
Biden’s America isn’t looking so hot. The reality is that there is one job per unemployed person in the U.S. today, and job openings sit at record highs with no incentives to go back to work, only incentives to do just the opposite. Congress continues to pay for and incentivize idleness with bills like the American Rescue Plan. There should be incentives for people to go back to work and provide for their families, not the opposite.
Part of the problem is that the general electorate, who is bamboozled by the federal government time and time again, continues to vote in corrupt and lying politicians.
Similarly, ARPA claims to help “working families” which in theory sounds great, but couldn’t be further from the truth.
Bernie Sanders stated in his tweet, that the American Rescue Plan is for the “working class” and any Republican who opposed it is thus not supportive of working Americans. Let’s define the working class, shall we? It is composed of those engaged in waged or salaried labor. According to the ARPA that was passed in March of this year and that Sanders is referencing in his above tweet, the only requirement to receive these payments from the government is to have a child; no work or services are required to receive monthly benefit payments from the IRS. Bernie Sanders is misleading people into believing that this bill has to do with working Americans, while it has nothing to do with work. However, honestly telling people you are just giving payments out to people that are able to have a child isn’t as politically advantageous as supporting the “working class.”
The truth is that most if not all Republicans would support tax cuts to working families: The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act under President Trump did just that, by expanding the standard deduction from $6,000 to 12,000 for single filers, and $12,000 to 24,000 for families, allowing hard-working Americans to keep more of their money.
Yet, The American Rescue Plan expands the Child Tax Credit to $3,600 per child under the age of 6 and $3,000 per child ages 6-17. More importantly, this bill makes these tax credits fully refundable. The fact that these tax credits are refundable means that individuals with 0 tax liability can still apply and receive a monthly payment from the IRS. Parents don’t need to be employed or otherwise have earnings in order to claim the child credit for 2021.
The worst part about this legislation and the narrative from politicians like Bernie is its dishonest nature. They claim this is for working Americans, but in reality, the responsible, employed workers get nothing unless they have children, while those that don’t work and continue to have children they can’t afford qualify for these payments. I am not intending to tell you what to think of this bill, but I want to expose the truth and let you make your own judgment.
Not to mention, one of the biggest concerns for entrepreneurs today is labor. There is a shortage of workers because of welfare programs and moratoriums on evictions all at the taxpayers expense. The reality is that there is one job per unemployed person in the U.S. today, while 3.6 million workers quit their jobs in May of this year. Yet our government is sending checks to people that don’t have jobs while many middle-class Americans sit behind a desk 9-5 and pay for this newly introduced welfare program. This type of policy incentivizes lazy behavior. There should be incentives for people to go back to work and provide for their families and help rebuild our economy, not to stay at home and not work and have more children they can’t afford.
There is no doubt that this policy will have “unintended consequences”, but these consequences are completely predictable. The people getting payouts from the democratic party will become dependent on this ever-growing federal government. At a minimum these tax credits should have been non-refundable, meaning you have to work and pay taxes to receive a credit.
I don’t want an America that incentivizes people to not work. I am exhausted from living in a split America where politicians take from working people and give to those that refuse to work.