Some people collecting both state and federal unemployment benefits have more money coming in than their regular job and aren’t going back to work. Why not? This is a rare chance to pay off bills, build savings and maybe enjoy some extravagance.
MIT figures it takes nearly $70,000 a year in the United States for a family of four to cover expenses, including renting but not owning a home. Meanwhile, many small, local businesses may not survive this crisis. Labor-intensive, close-margin businesses cannot afford to pay staff a living wage.
We claim that small, local businesses are the backbone of our economy, yet our policies don’t support our beliefs. Now is the time for change. We’d be better off if we subsidized employee wages, subsidized business expenses and make sure their owners can make a living wage.
A robust societal infrastructure like in Western Europe is essential. The old normal never worked. It isn’t normal to be always broke. These investments will never be lost to the broader society. With these shifts, we’d give new meaning to personal freedom and keep alive a great new normal: “We’re all in this together.”
Jo Ann Myers
Waldoboro
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