Sports is finally coming back. And things are awesome.

There hasn’t been a lot of news today so let’s see how the Left wants to change our way of life.

And Trump drops the hammer on the World Health Organization.

 

Merica!

Kevin Harvick won The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway, as NASCAR returned to the track after a 10-week hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. South Carolina.

UFC also took to the mat on a Saturday Fight Night.

What a shock that the most American sport, Nascar, was the first sport to take the track. The stadium was empty but I am sure the rating went through the roof. I hate the left-turn circuit so I didn’t see it.But I’m sure I’m in the minority.

I am a huge fan of the UFC. When I saw it on ESPN, I thought it was a rerun. Nope, it was a live fight. Again, the arena was empty and the match-ups weren’t the best. Heck, even the judges seemed to be a little off (some of the judgments were iffy).

But MMA is like fishing. The worst day of MMA is still better than the best Friends rerun.

Baseball has announced tentative plans to play games in July. Stadiums will be empty. Dugouts will be designed to allow for social distancing. And games will be played in regions (as I’ve said before) to limit traveling.

But the biggest change will be the ban on spitting. That’s right! The one thing baseball is known for is being banned. Well, let’s be honest: it’s an advisory. So we’ll see how that works.

States like New York, California and Texas have announced they are ready to open for sports (with measures). Florida, where the UFC hosted their fight on Saturday, has already opened up to sports.

Once sports begin to open, everything should start opening up and we can start getting back to normal.

https://www.foxnews.com/auto/kevin-harvick-nascars-darlington-speedway
https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/29185583/ufc-dana-white-eyes-arizona-vegas-host-30-card

 

Be Aware

One of the things that scares me more than anything during this pandemic is not getting sick or dying, it’s the weakness that politicians try to make to make government bigger and increase their power.

One of the great things about today is that even democrats are saying it is time to open up the economy, albeit carefully. Of course, everyone wants the economy opened up carefully. Even those heartless republicans that want to kill grandma.

But, even though we are beginning to open the economy and the tyrants in certain states are now facing court challenges for their suffocating policies, the Left still is proclaiming changes need to be made.

Vox released an article that proclaimed that there are seven changes that need to be made to this country. How these changes are going to prevent a future pandemics. Here’s what they had to say:

Federal Paycheck Guarantee

The idea is a federal paycheck guarantee: As part of it, the federal government would give a direct subsidy to businesses to cover paycheck costs for employees who are furloughed or laid off.

Although these proposals have the potential to significantly reduce unemployment, there are a few reasons they’ve encountered resistance: For one, the cost is likely significant — as much as $600 billion over six months for Jayapal’s proposal — and though the benefits could well outweigh them, this issue has prompted pushback even from Democrats.

One of the more interesting ideas floating around in Congress comes from ideologically dissimilar members; versions have been offered by everyone from progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) to moderate Democrats such as Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Doug Jones (D-AL). Republican Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) has put forth his take as well.

Recurring Stimulus Payments

Congress already authorized sending one-time $1,200 payment stimulus checks to many Americans. But now, some lawmakers are interested in making it more of a recurring effort.

A number of recurring payment plans have been floated so far. In the House, Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Tim Ryan (D-OH) teamed up on a plan that would send $2,000 per month to every qualifying person over the age of 16. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Jayapal released a similar bill that would put $2,000 monthly recurring payments on debit cards for qualifying Americans during the pandemic, and add $1,000 per month for a year after the pandemic ends.

This is a precursor to a Universal Basic Income.

The problem with this is two fold:

• Encourages unemployment.
• Is a huge burden on the government.

 

Right now, between unemployment and the “stimulus” checks, the unemployed are making more now  than they were when working. People on furlough do not want to go back to work because of this.

Now, I do believe Universal Basic Income may be a thing soon because technology is going to replace a lot of low paying jobs, I do not think this is a thing right now. The reality is: business want people and not machines, especially in the service industries like food services. But this is becoming uneconomical as the governemnt implements higher minimum wages, expensive regulations and benefit requirements.

Automatic Stablizers

“The significant challenge of getting legislation through Congress could also be reduced by implementing automatic stabilizers, which target relief toward unemployment insurance and other existing federal programs for low-income people.

“Automatic” is the operative word here; automatic stabilizers keep expanded unemployment insurance, food assistance like SNAP, and Medicaid assistance flowing to newly unemployed people who need it as long as America’s economy is weak due to the coronavirus. Rather than benefits being tied to an arbitrary end date on a calendar, as they are now, they would instead be tied to the economic conditions. When the economy improves and job numbers rise, the benefits shut off.

A group of Democrats in the House and Senate, Sens. Bennet and Jack Reed (RI) and Rep. Beyer, have released a plan to do this, ensuring assistance gets to those who need it without Congress having to approve more money.”

This is dangerous. Nothing should be automatic. Everything should be investigated.

We also need to be careful with using the Wuhan Flu as an excuse for a weaker economy. This gives people an excuse for not putting their big-boy pants on and working to be self sufficient.

Nothing should be automatic.

Mortgage and Rent Assistance

The first plan, from Waters, Rep. Denny Heck (WA), and Sen. Brown, creates a $100 billion Emergency Rental Assistance program that would help renters who can’t afford their monthly rent pay it, and also help property managers make repairs to their buildings. The money could be used to help renters with future rent payments or with rent or utility payments that are past due. This idea is included in House Democrats’ latest coronavirus bill.

A separate bill introduced by progressive Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN) and co-sponsored by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY) and other members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus would go much further: a nationwide cancellation of rents and mortgages until the coronavirus crisis is over. Omar’s bill would establish a landlord relief fund through the Department of Housing and Urban Development to get financial assistance to residential landlords who would lose money due to canceled rents.

Right now, people are getting more being on furlough than they would be working. They are getting rent assistance. Why do they need more?

The idea of cancelling rents and mortgages is just insane. What do landlords do about their mortgages? This is just another way to have people controlled and dependent on the government.

Emergency Medicade and Medicare Coverage

Universal Healthcare has never gained any traction because of the $50 trillion price tag. But that doesn’t stop the Left from using the Wuhan flu as a reason for giving it new life.

The high cost of coronavirus treatment has become a major problem patients have had to deal with during this pandemic, and it’s an issue that multiple proposals, including one from Reps. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Gil Cisneros (D-CA), aim to address head-on.

Their bill, the Emergency Medicaid for Coronavirus Treatment Act, would guarantee Medicaid insurance coverage for residents in any state who needed to seek treatment following a Covid-19 diagnosis. Specifically, it enables anyone who has needed this treatment since Trump declared a national emergency earlier this year to obtain Medicaid coverage.

As Vox’s Dylan Scott has written, this bill is significant. Under it, “the federal government would assume responsibility for medical care for every American under these particular circumstances.”

Another bill from Sen. Sanders and Rep. Jayapal, the Health Care Emergency Guarantee Act, would use Medicare to cover medical costs both for uninsured and insured patients during the coronavirus pandemic. Under their plan, Medicare would cover copays and deductibles for those who are insured, and the entirety of health care costs for anyone who’s uninsured.

Medicare for All failed during Comrade Bernie’s campaign, But that does not mean the Left is going to not use a crisis to sneak it in.

Extend expanded unemployment insurance, including to college students and recent graduates

“A major component of the CARES Act is an expansion of unemployment insurance, which, despite many flaws, is directly helping millions of people who have been laid off or furloughed during the pandemic. As part of this expansion, people receiving unemployment insurance get an additional $600 per week, a benefit set to end July 31.

House lawmakers are pushing for an extension of these benefits until the end of next January. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI) is also working on making sure more people are covered by these benefits — which were already made more accessible to independent contractors and self-employed people as part of the CARES Act.”

This is a bad idea. It is extending the motivation to remain unemployed. We need people to want to work. Continually giving them money, especially the latest generation getting out of college, is not going to be the way to do it.

Hazard Pay for Essential Workers

I’m up and down on this one.

• I hate the government defining what is and is not an essential worker.
• This bill is not aimed at doctors, nurses and medical staff but aimed at anyone who works. This is just an extension if giving low wage workers money. In other words, it’s raising the minimum wage.
• News people are considered essential workers. Does that mean that Chris Cuomo, who is already rich, gets hazard pay?
• It gives quite a bit of money to these people: $12 extra dollars an hour. It someone is earning minimum wage, that doubles their salary.
• Who’s going to pay for this? If businesses that remain open and are expected to pay for some or all of this, people will be laid off.
• I’m a little afraid of what the end goal of this. I do not trust politicians during a crisis. My guess is to raise the minimum wage.

 

What is wrong with all these ideas? They are encouraging dependence on the federal government.

Remember: nothing is free.

When one depends on the government for something, he/she gives up a freedom or strips a freedom from someone else.

Remember: Nothing is free.

Adolph Hitler said that freedom cannot be stripped all at once. It must be stripped a bit at a time. By the time people realize it, it will be too late.

Remember: Nothing is free.

Nikita Khrushchev said that a communist revolution does happen with war. It happens from within.

Remember: Nothing is free.

To say we should wake up is an understatement.

https://www.vox.com/2020/5/18/21246421/congress-stimulus-ideas