American Recovery Plan
Joe Biden promised to “Build Back Better.†The liberals in Congress just passed the American Recovery Plan. They set the agenda because Democrats won elections for the House, Senate and the Presidency,.
Liberals believe government programs can, and should, alleviate suffering. Conservatives reject this approach. They believe individuals should be left to struggle on their own to survive.
With majorities in the House and the Senate Democrats drafted legislation that has the support of 70% of Americans. The American Recovery Plan will not only relieve immediate suffering, it will also Build Back Better.
The headline number for most of us if the $1400 relief check. It goes to every adult with a valid Social Security number and earned under $75,000. This money will flow into the local economy as we pay our bills for housing, electricity, and healthcare.
Parents get added relief. For every dependent child on their 2019 or 2020 tax return, the parent will receive an additional $1400 as well as $3000 per child tax credit. These benefits mean parents will be able to spend more of their own money on raising their children.
Contrary to much fear mongering, only legal residents of the United States qualify.
Unemployed Americans won an additional $300 a month for insurance. Congress also passed a tax break targeted toward them. They don’t have to pay taxes on the first $10,000 of benefits if they earned less than $100,000 in that year.
A pandemic recovery plan would be incomplete without addressing healthcare. The American Recovery increases subsidies for individuals to buy private health insurance. This part builds on the previous programs started under the Affordable Care Act, more widely known as ObamaCare.
The economic down turn also negatively hit restaurants and state budgets hard. Congress included aid directed specifically toward them.
Unlike previous bill, liberals set aside money for restaurants earning less than $500,000 per year. They also provided money to help school districts reduced class sizes and buy personal protective gear.
Finally, there has been a lot of talk about online learning and buying. Far too many of us still don’t have reliable internet to learn or to sell/buy online.
The American Recovery Act aims to make that better. It created a $7.6 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund to expand broadband access in disadvantaged communities.
The American Recovery Plan takes a big step toward healing America. It is good government and shows what can be done when elected officials believe in serving the public. It is a much needed change.
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