By Hubie and Bertie
We cats are searching for better ways to get our news. We've given up on cable TV, even the "liberal" channels, because we're tired of the bothsidesism, the gloom-and-doomism, and the hosting of execrable Republicans who are trying to rehabilitate their images. (And of their refusal to call out Trumpster GOPers who couldn't care less about democracy.) So maybe it's a good thing that we get five hard-copy newspapers delivered to our home every day.
In the meantime, we're finding some glimmers of light on (GASP!) social media. They come with a big caveat, of course: You have to check your sources. Your follows should include MSM accounts, and you need to avoid the nutcases. And of course, question every image you see (and sometimes, when the GOP is involved, the audio).
Today, with weekly unemployment claims falling to 199,000 (the lowest in 52 years), we found a Congressman from Illinois with a refreshingly reasoned analysis of where the country is today. So we're going to turn the rest of this post over to him. Enjoy!
"Less than two years ago, the economy was in freefall, unemployment rising to Great Depression levels, workforce participation falling, GDP collapsing and unconstrained disease spreading. Electing responsible adults matters.
"Our 30-second news cycle forgets this too quickly. We had a President suggesting COVID would just go away. Entire sectors of the economy were shut down. Childcare was gone. The architects of the 2008 bailout were advising us that this was going to be much, much worse, and all were keenly aware that 2008 was over-reliant on monetary policy. It got money to banks, but left a generation behind. It would have been stressful in any environment, but all the more when we knew the White House was inept and in full denial mode.
"The actions taken — the Family First Act, the CARES Act, the American Rescue Plan — were all designed to get money into the economy and use as much fiscal (versus monetary) policy to get money to those in the most need.
"The direct Economic Impact Payments to individuals, the PPP program to get money to businesses (and make those loans forgivable if they used funds on payroll), the expansion of the Child Tax Credit and making it refundable — those trillions of targeted dollars were intentional.
"Some, but not all was bipartisan. Sadly, the support for states — for our teachers, sanitation workers, police, firefighters — was purely partisan. But the people affected didn't care why they got help. What mattered was that they got help.
"We still have a long way to go. Workforce participation, especially among women, is still too low thanks to gaps in the childcare system. Access to healthcare is still woefully uneven. And yes, the jolts to the global economy have caused supply chain disruptions that need fixing.
"But NONE of this happens without good, ethical people in the White House and Congress who understand their duty to the American people and put facts over politics, hard work over lazy soundbites.
"If anyone had told you two years ago that in November 2021 we would be facing labor shortages and inflationary pressures from surging consumer demand and supply bottlenecks, you would have reasonably asked them what they were smoking.
"Things aren't perfect. But thank goodness we are here instead of there." We cats PURR.
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