Andrew Yang was once one of presidential candidates for the Democratic party. One of his fundamental campaign policies was “Universal Basic Income.” According to Yang, this meant that “every adult in America would get a thousand dollars a month, no questions asked.” At the time, many people were turned off by this concept due to how unrealistic it seemed. But that was before coronavirus.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many people have been forced to stay at home. Because of this, many people are out of work and a sense of self worth. Riots and protests flood the nation in order to stop the government intervention regardless of any dangers of the coronavirus. With all the constant debate on whether or not to have the quarantine, the government proposed a solution: The Stimulus Check.
According to the IRS, the government is giving “Economic Impact Payment,” or more commonly known as the stimulus check. After meeting certain requirements, the government will send paychecks to american adults around the country, so they can provide for necessities to live. The check itself is 1,200 dollars, and an additional 500 dollars for every person is dependent on you. This idea, which many Americans were unsure of the practicality, is now being implemented.
However, this isn’t a perfect system. Those who haven’t filled out their tax returns don’t get the checks. So anyone who had a job working under the table just doesn’t have money. In addition, full time college students up to age 24 also don’t qualify for these checks, regardless if they are a dependent or not. Then of course there’s the issue of simply getting your paychecks. According to “The Motely Fool,” around “62 million households have not received their Economic Impact Payment.”
Andrew Yang has taken the time to comment on the issue on his instagram. He stated that in order the fix this problem, the money should just go to every adult, “no questions asked.” This would fix the problems of college students and workers who work under the table.
However there’s one problem that this won’t fix. Many people find a sense of self worth from going out and earning money. According to the Center of Disease Control, the specific quarantine going on has caused people to undergo loneliness and depression. As much stress as work can cause, unemployment is another cause of depression.
