It is a nerve-wracking time in America, and until we feel safe we cannot focus on much more than securing our needs and those of our loved ones.
But once we have, we need to pay attention and quickly. The Congress and White House are about to repeat the disaster “We the People” took in 2008 while our government bailed out the very Wall Street firms that caused the Great Recession.
Look at what is happening now. The coronavirus, while no one’s fault, threatens the economic livelihood of citizen and corporations. And it is clear that Congress and the White House will race to rescue the corporations, as they should, but they will likely leave we citizens struggling to stay afloat.
You do recall 2008-2009: Millions of foreclosures, evictions, retirement savings wiped out — and what did we get? Nothing. And what happened to all those millions of average Americans foreclosed on and evicted? They just faded from view, sank or swam on their own.
It is vital to note that corporations are not getting bailed out; they are getting the support they need to survive this crisis. What we must do now is put pressure on Congress, because we won’t get fooled again.
If we do not put pressure on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and our entire congressional delegation right now, Congress and White House are likely to stick it to us again.
Yes, there is talk of a check of some kind for every American, but where are the details? Here is what we must demand happen in the next round of bills passed in Congress:
â Fifteen days paid sick leave for every American worker.
â Guaranteed unemployment benefits for every American worker who misses more than the 15 days allotted.
â A suspension in all firings until the crisis is over.
â A suspension of all evictions and foreclosures during the crisis.
â A halt to denying any government support already in place, like food stamps and the SNAP program, from which some 700,00 people are about to be purged.
â Tax increases agreed to now, to pay for the economic crisis package we need now. We will not see these costs taken out of social programs in the future.
We must tell the Congress, and yes, the Democrats in particular, that if they allow the citizenry to get jerked around as we were in 2008, then they will have united all of us, left, right and center, and come November we will impale their political careers on spikes!
Or, if you prefer: We The People demand that Congress pass an economic aid package that includes all of the above, with a guarantee that the costs will be paid for by tax increases or the rescinding of tax cuts already in place.
This is not fiddling politics while Rome burns — it is what happened in 2008 when we were all so frightened about economic collapse, and in that fearful state we let our government coddle and protect the very Wall Street kamikazes who made the crisis, while they deliberately abandoned the most desperate citizens.
The coronavirus is no one’s fault, but the actions we need now are the same as 2008: Immediate help to working Americans as well as corporations, and not at a punitive cost to social services for years to come.
This is not a left versus right issue, but a truly We The People vs. Feckless Politicians.
At this time we should be taking care of our families, friends and neighbors. It is not such a crisis that we cannot demand our government do its job of taking care of its citizens now and preparing for the consequences to come.
I am home now, off from school. And I have set aside 30 minutes each morning at 10 to make two calls, first to Pelosi and then to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and then down the chain of our entire congressional delegation. And to Rep. Adam Schiff too, why not? But it is also the Republican congresspeople who need to hear from their constituents.
Please, share this column or set up a social media chain and get 10 friends to make the same calls. Every day for 10 days. One half hour for 10 days: is it too much?
It’s a tough time. The coronavirus has attacked us where we are weakest.
The crisis requires quiet reflection and thoughtfulness, but we have been trained for a decade by Twitter to have a Pavlovian response to news — instant opinions. And instant opinions lead to impulsive actions.
We have been trained by Amazon to shout, “Give it to me now! Next day delivery!” But the coronavirus is pinching that nerve by making us wait week or months for it to arrive.
We are adapting, and we will come through. Social media in many ways has dumbed us down, but it also has been used to light prairie fires of resistance and revolt.
Let us use it that way now, to ensure that while we take care of each other, our Congress is taking care of us all — today, through this crisis and beyond.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi can be reached at 1236 Longworth HOB, Washington DC, or at 202-225-4965.
Sen. Warren can be reached at Washington DC: 202-224-4543; Boston: 617-565-3170; or Springfield: 413-788-2690.
Joe Gannon, author and teacher lives in Easthampton, He can be reached at opinion@gazette.net