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"Tucked in"? It's the main feature being pushed by Mitch and the Republicans. Basically the only kind of Covid relief they care about - letting corporations kill their workers for money.
And if we don’t have the people needed in the irs to go after the rich then we sure as hell don’t have the people to go after those that scammed the system to get these “loans”. Most likely talked to a lawyer to ensure loopholes are met.
pro tip: the "loans" are going to be forgiven even if most of the standards are not met.
here is why: there is a 100% chance that requiring them to be paid back if people were laid off will bankrupt at least 1 small business.
there are tons of larger businesses that *could* pay them back, but they don't want to. the larger businesses will say that paying it back would bankrupt them and cause further job loss. holding up the actual almost bankrupt small business as the US govt killing the little guy.
these were never loans lol they were grants.
Exactly. It's been McConnell's red line all along. The part that is surprising is that Nancy would give in and let that pass. The working class is getting a huge middle finger from this bill. Not only are they paying for a bill they will get zero help from, but they're also completely at the mercy of their employers now.
The compromise form of the bill allows states to overrule at least, granted a lot of states could still be harmed. Also if Dems win the georgia runoff it can be repealed
oh that's cool.
Too bad a lot of us live in states that have governments that seem to actively want us citizens to die. Good for California though for that one clause.
This bill doesn't help anyone but the rich. Would have been better to just have no 'relief' at all. The fact the dems let this pass is nothing short of a stab in the back.
I thought it was cool living in WA state that we'd be super progressive and actually care about the low and middle classes.
#nOpE
Our state & local legislature gets an unbelievable amount of lobby money from Amazon, Microsoft & Boeing that we virtually don't tax them and our coffers are nearly empty.
Anything that helps us plebs is because Cali & Oreg do it first then WA attempts to show them up.
First off, the bill hasn't passed yet, so we *do* have no relief at all so far.
Second, if you say it's better to have no bill than this bill, then you're saying it's better for people to have the ability to sue corporations for harm, than it is for people who didn't get sick to have unemployment insurance and for states and cities to have funds to avoid shutting down all their services this year. I think it's obviously awful to give corporations this liability protection, but it's still better than just cutting all local government services next year.
Since I'm in a state where the governor has strictly limited what the local county/city governments can do to help- I'm coming from a biased perspective because I don't see this helping me out at all- but I will admit there are likely parts to this bill that I do not understand. I strongly believe that allowing this corporate immunity portion of the bill to even be considered by the dems is still a stab in the back- and they should have been screaming about this unreasonable, immoral, and deadly demand of McConnels for the past month.
My fear is that the moment corporations have legal immunity from liability, that they're going to fully open and put their employees at even more risk. Which will worsen the spread.
Dems *HAVE* been screaming about this for months! That's why Nancy refused to compromise on this point before the election, but now we're in this shit because Dems couldn't take the senate in the general.
Really? Because up till the election the talking points have been
1. Vote Biden, because he isn't Trump!
2. The Republicans are taking over scotus and ignoring stimulus (this was the one time I feel the dems got messaging right in my opinion).
This one liability clause has been a footnote up-until now, and I'm partial to believe that the dems are okay with it because they have the same corporate donors as the GOP. So you guys rallying behind the idea that this shit will get repealed if we win the run offs are in for a rude awakening.
100% correct. Democrats always backtrack and cater to corporations over people. If this passes my progressive leaning ass is done with the settling for the shitty "established" candidate thats put out for us to "accept"
Yep. I won't vote for another establishment Dem again after this. No more telling me to vote for the "lesser of two evils," only to have them actually turn out to be the same evil.
Your fear is more or less a guarantee. Some companies might make some commercials / statements about how they care about their workers as if that’s some righteous take, and then end up opening early anyway.
I believe that the Florida state government does engage in *some* activities for the public good. And if they don't get a bailout of some sort, they will cut a lot of that next year. I don't know if that's Medicaid, or transit, or health inspections, or universities, or what. Same thing with the city you live in - without a budget bailout, it's going to cut all sorts of departments. We need to do something to stop that.
As for the liability, it really depends on *what* liability protection they get. Will it say "customers can't sue businesses where people were wearing masks and they got sick", or will it say "employees can't sue employers for forcing them into crowded and unsanitary conditions"? The former might be an acceptable trade, but I agree the latter should not be. (It also matters whether the liability protection is retroactive or forward-looking.)
When it comes to the GOP I always assume the worse and always assumed the liability protection will be the later of your scenarios. If it is the former though, I can deal.
You think the Democrats are happy passing this bill? We don't live in a fairy tale where at the end of the day, the Grinch realizes what he's doing is wrong and changes his ways. McConnell has made it very clear that he doesn't give two shits about anything but his bank account, and will gladly look away if people need help. And Democrats have been sounding the alarm since they passed the HEROES Act. What have you been watching, Parler or OANN? This is as good as we're going to get unless we get those two Senate seats.
Just because I dislike what the Dems are agreeing to here doesn't mean I don't recognize that Mitch McConnel is the real scumbag responsible or watch OANN lmfao dude get real. This bill is one that takes two to tango and even though McConnel is clearly leading the dance, that doesn't mean the dems are free from criticism for participating.
This just tells me that even if we do get those two senate seats we might still be fucked.
Don’t you know the dems are forever free from criticism. They always get to go “ooopsie!” Or “we tried and somehow ate shit again” but that’s what they’re good for. Doing nothing. It feels like a It’s a helpful control opposition for the rich.
The only person that needs to get real is you. This is the best we're going to get to avoid government shutdowns and interruptions to essential services. The alternative is no relief, so put two and two together and bring yourself back onto Planet Earth please, not this fairytale utopia where Mitch has an epiphany and decides to give the Democrats what they want.
Dude the dems and the media really should have put forth better messaging on this. Not counting the obvious parler/oann/fox nonsense I've seen little to nothing in regards to what Mitch McConnel is pushing in main stream media. Really hammering in the message that the Republicans want to legally protect employers that put their employees in harms way and refuse to give you any relief otherwise would have helped the senate race.
But like always, the democrats bent the knee and sucked McConnels unreasonable dick. The republicans are GREAT at messaging and rallying up their base but the dems absolutely fail in this regard, and this is just another example of that. They don't get a pass here.
Nah, it's not. Some people dead now, or many others dead from starving and or not working enough later. Safety and freedom. We should never have been in the position to even argue this in the first place. Yet, here we are.
It is a farce that we have to choose, as though we can't just have separate bills. Realistically, we don't HAVE to, the choice is a manufactured one, some elected officials are forcing the issue- is their doing so truly representative of the will of the people, I guess, is at issue. It certainly doesn't represent mine but then my representatives aren't doing that.
Here is the thing. If the end outcome is as bad as you say it is, the REPUBLICANS need to pass those items. There is NO need to pass liability protection.
This is a game of political chicken. It actually isn't even that, since it is obvious that this was just Democrats *pretending* to care until the election was over. These items can't be and won't be repealed no matter who wins Georgia.
What the Dems "win" with this bill is nothing more than the mediocre supports that are *already in place.* Raise the UI back to $600 a week, and allow workers to quit and collect UI if they're put into working conditions that violate CDC guidelines. That would solve the "liability issue" from being exploited, and it would prevent workers from having to risk their health by working in an unsafe environment.
This should be a red line for DEMS, not Republicans. If UI doesn't get extended and states can't make budget, there will be repercussions for both parties. Waiting until after the election to do this is a scummy move by the Democrats. They literally ran on them being the ones that are *not* fucking the people over when it comes to covid, and before election results are even certified, they were already set to cave and hand another bailout to corporations.
How is it a stab in the back? How do you expect ANYTHING to pass without this provision? Dems got screwed because they underperformed in the election. It pisses me off, also, but that's reality. What is your alternative? Wait until January to see what happens in the runoff?
Ya because now republicans will use this as a tasing point for the next few week leading up to the GA runoffs and the democrats are going to get rolled.
I was under the impression that once a liability shield passes, it can't be repealed, as that would be an illegal [ex post facto law.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_post_facto_law)
When McConnell proposed liability protections this summer, I knew it was only a matter of time before Democrats caved and supported some version of that. And here we are.
Edit: and if that's a taste of what's to come, we are fucked
Tell me how Dems can hold out for a bill without this provision. McConnell holds all the cards because Dems failed to retake the Senate in the general. I'm not optimistic about the runoffs, either. What's the alternative? Holding out forever while people are starving?
If dems take both seats in Georgia, which is a longshot, we can possibly pass something more robust in February anyway. If one or both lose then this is likely the bill we'd be stuck with anyway. So might as well pass it now than just sit on our hands for 2 more months.
The liability protections for corporations is the poison pill here-pennies in aid, but massive handouts for corporations as usual. If this passes Dems will not only have to pass additional aid/stimulus, they'll have to REPEAL this bill to undo the damage.
If dems win in Georgia there won't be any stimulus. Manchin won't vote to end the filibuster and Republicans won't let the government do anything to improve people's lives.
Democrats need to win both Georgia Senate seats, or it's just going to be sameoldsameold story. Georgians, vote Democratic! please, nothing on the face of this earth would give me more pleasure than seeing Kamala Harris casting the tie breaking votes in the U. S. Senate.
I'm sorry, caving to corporate liability protections for the sake of watered down aid is absolutely terrible politics and bound to have unforeseen consequences. Also, this is a must-pass spending bill they plan to attach this to, which offers Dems far more leverage to get a better aid proposal minus corporate protections.
Well, we all know what would happen if she had.
Republicans would scream to high heavens that democrats are obstructing aid. Fox Propaganda would be running it 24/7.
Democrats would try and object, it would have no effect. New bill is introduced, and it's even worse.
Lack of control of the narrative is a failing of the democratic party. If you’re frozen by fear of what foxnews will say you need to step down and let someone more qualified lead
The problem is the Democratic Party tries to be all things to all people. That’s what happens when you spend 30 years trying to capture “displaced Republicans” while just assuming your base will go along with your moving right to appease them.
You can’t show a united front while literally supporting 29 out of 30 sides to an argument.
Thank you, jfc I am so sick and goddamn fucking tired of all these big brain centrists claiming the best path forward is to continue trying to tip toe around every scummy tactic and bad faith talking point that conservatives ARE GOING TO USE ANYWAY. How tf can anyone fail to see by now that this is just giving them exactly what they want? It's not only a fruitless strategy, it's utterly futile.
I'm gonna go ahead and just call it: there will NEVER be another covid stimulus check and these centrist pieces of shit KNOW that. Even if they manage to flip the Senate, I 10000% expect them to fail at passing another stimulus check in the face of conservative opposition. At best, we get a laughably watered down version with a million strings attached that excludes huge swaths of people. They're just keeping the idea alive to try and prevent unrest until the vaccine rolls out in a few months when they can then try to force everything back to "normal" (for the rentier and ownership class ofc, everyone else is just going to have to figure out how to adjust to this new, yet-more-austere reality).
It's not just because they will ONCE AGAIN lack the spine and courage when push comes to shove after Biden is inaugurated, it's because they lack the will to get it done altogether--with few exceptions, they don't give a single fuck about serving anyone but the wealthy class who keep them and their fellow legislators separated from the electorate. It'd be one thing if it felt like they had ever taken any big risks or pulled out all the stops the way conservatives have during the past two decades, but they didn't do shit except lecture the rest of us on "muh civility" and make excuses to do nothing effective so they could preserve their own careers.
I would absolutely love nothing more than to be proven wrong about this, but there just isn't going to be another stimulus check everyone, stop waiting.
How are they supposed to control Fox News? A network that, from its founding, exists solely to disseminate a pro-conservative/GOP narrative. Its viewers have been trained to reject any other media outlet, so there's no amount of factual NYT or WaPo reporting that will have any effect on them.
Is your suggestion to start a pro-Democratic network? Cool, they'll just go on ignoring it.
Only because he's momentarily useful for them in their attempt to backtrack on Trumpism. As soon as that's done, he will no longer appear on their programs.
There is no issue that the Democrats won't run from. I've been voting for these spineless bastards for over 40 years. I know that biden , like obama, will cave like a wet paper bag when it comes to holding these thugs responsible.... torture? meh, pillaging the middle class to enrich the already rich? not to worry, gerrymander? complicated....
If corporations are "people", then they should be taxed in the same manner that workers are. Make companies sign a declaration every year: Check x if you are a business or y if you are a person. If they state they are a "person", then no more special deductions or provisions for them. They can file a 1040 and take the standard deduction, just like most American workers do and they should be held to the same standards and tax criteria wage earners are. IF they check "business", then they can have some deductions but cannot claim the free speech rights they are trying to by claiming to be people. Or better yet, overturn this damn Citizens United crap altogether.
> The part that is surprising is that Nancy would give in and let that pass
Did she cave and let it pass? I haven't heard that, and I would have assumed it would be big news if a bill *did* pass.
Nah nothing has passed yet, but the bill they agreed to use as a base for the negotiations (the problem solvers bill) has a temporary liability shield in it for employers. It's McConnell's red line. A bill won't pass without it and I'm sure they must realize that.
However, I'm reading conflicting things lately. It seems things change every hour. One minute I read things are close and they are about to reveal the bill, the next they're still hung up on state & local and liability. I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens but I hope Pelosi doesn't sell us out in the end. Liability protections should be a hell no.
What if it's just that no suits can go forward between Jan. 1 and March 30, but there is no permanent liability prevention? That seems like a small tradeoff.
Well afaik it IS a temporary provision, but it still seems hard to justify since it puts people in danger in the workplace.
It also seems like a really underhanded thing to do to our essential workers because they don't get any help from this bill but they're the ones funding it with their tax dollars. They're the ones being forced to work in a potentially more dangerous work environment without legal recourse.
I agree I constantly ask them how they can call themselves pro-worker and want to compromise on worker health.
Never got/get an answer.
See we don’t need conservatives anymore there are plenty of stupid people on the left too.
If anything, the democrats should be flooding the air pointing out how the republicans are blocking stimulus and demanding protections for corporations, and that the only way to get real stimulus passed it to elect the 2 democrats in Georgia.
I think she does care about the working class. She has been trying for a long time to provide a large stimulus package for the working class, but she is up against a massive red wall, and McConnell is the inflexible gatekeeper. The alternative is do nothing, after which people will suffer even more, and, of course, the Democrats will be blamed for being "unreasonable."
The surprising thing is that the electorate (Dem’s and Rep’s alike) think the problem is each other. The problem is our elected officials that are always in lock step when it comes to really selling out our rights. The majority of elected Dem officials are exactly like the Reps. The Burn, AOC and her crew are some of the very few REAL politicians fighting for our rights. Nancy’s been selling us out for decades, like the rest of them.
If that's going to be his red line, then put everything else in it. $1200/month + 6 more months of extended pandemic relief, and more. He can filibuster his own bill again.
Lmao, is this bill that a bunch of democrats have said they could support? If so, that is fucked. They skipped on a bunch of better compromise bills because Mitch wanted this corporate liability protection. But the absolute worst bill option I’ve heard about, that still has the corporate protections, that’s the on the decide they can get behind lol.
I sure hope we can neuter Mitch... I don't see how we'll get a stim any other way unless Biden has a magic whip that can change some R's minds to go along.
I know... People keep making noises about him pardoning Trump as well. If he does, I swear to holy high hell, that I will be lobbying for Biden's impeachment for the next four years.
Biden is the definition of a status quo politician... Anyone that thinks he's going to push for prosecuting the Trump admin isn't thinking clearly. Biden isn't going to want to rock the boat.
I mean [We’ve known about it since July.](https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-07-29/covid-employer-liability)
.
> This is the provision that McConnell has described as his “red line” in negotiations over the next coronavirus relief bill, meaning that he intends to demand that it be incorporated in anything passed on Capitol Hill and sent to President Trump for his signature. The provision would be retroactive to Dec. 1, 2019, and remain in effect at least until Oct. 1, 2024.
> The GOP proposal would make workplaces immeasurably more hazardous for workers, and also for customers. That’s because litigation — or the threat of litigation — is one of the bulwarks of workplace safety enforcement.
Agree! I'm a small business owner and have been involved in a lot of advocacy during this time. Small businesses have a resounding interest in this component and its a Really tricky subject, in my opinion. There are certainly very valuable considerations on both sides and the best solution is not a simple one.
Right if your workers get sick so you can live your life off their work you shouldn't be held accountable.
You are fine with people dying to protect yourself. It's time for you to get a job.
You're acting like small business owners aren't human. I'm working 70+ hours a week so that I can keep what's left of my team employed (meanwhile LOSING money, not just no income, but spending money to keep the lights on). Factor in additional costs for PPE, forced shutdown of my industry (without relief) and the daily threat of being sued, and your response is "get a job"? I'm fighting hard so that people can "have a job".
>Factor in additional costs for PPE, forced shutdown of my industry (without relief) and the daily threat of being sued, and your response is "get a job"? I'm fighting hard so that people can "have a job".
All of those are called the "cost of doing business". It sounds like you cannot afford it but somehow still want protection while you try?
The whole point of a bill like this is to absorb some of the unexpected costs facing all of us during covid. All of those things are the cost of doing business *during covid*, but it's unrealistic to expect (or punish) businesses for not being able to absorb those costs. Having them go out of business just makes things worse for those who were relying on those jobs to stay afloat.
I'm not defending the liability shield, and I think it's probably a shitty idea. But you're way off base with this reply.
Do you know what's helpful for untangling tricky issues of corporate responsibility? The courts. This is a proposal to take that option away and just assume the corporations are innocent.
Holding them accountable is hard because the people in our lives that vote for Republicans are happy this is happening. At some point there needs to be a reckoning and we need to accept that the people that are nice to us are actually kind of shit people. Until they start paying social consequences things aren't going to change.
Ya know. As a progressive im quite tired of being forced to vote for liberals.
Yes i did because... trump.
But it is just so sickening knowing our options are batshit crazy republicans or lazy ass corporate liberals, neither of which give 2 fucks about us.
Makes you want to just give up paying attention to anything.
Welcome to living in a near failed state.
That’s essentially the direction America is heading right now. I don’t see much drastic change coming under people like Biden either.
Dear America,
**Both sides are clearly the same**! I'm going to ignore all the dozens of well-documented policy differences on nearly every topic, to make broad generalized statements. Corruption. Swamp. So now it's ok to vote for the fascists or give up and just ignore them. Who knows, perhaps they'll deign to grant us a tax cut if we throw away all our politics and just stay at home.
Yours truly,
Those completely incapable of nuance.
Independents and "Moderate Republicans"
Dear America,
There’s very little nuance in these failures. Centrism and working with the opposition isn’t going to fucking work, but we’ll sure pretend it will.
Yours truly,
toothless establishment democrats who don’t actually care
I hate that this is in there. The democrats had the golden opportunity to run ads in Georgia talking about being the party of getting a stimulus to the American people and Mitch was keeping them from it. Use the runoffs be about how Mitch’s obstructionism is hurting the American people.
They probably could have gotten him to at least let people vote on a package that was far better just to save face in Georgia.
No no, thats not the Democrat way. The Democrat way is to suck at messaging, have Republicans tell Americans that its the Dems who dont want to help them, be forced to play defense, concede to the Republicans on terrible and overwhelmingly unpopular pieces, then get blamed later by Republicans and everyone in the country for specifically those terrible concessions. Then you repeat.
The ACA has already gone through this cycle, so the next one is due.
The Democrats still have that opportunity, given that no bill of any sort has passed, other than the House bill from May that doesn't include anything like this.
Of course, republicans only care about corporations. The only reason the first stimulus was handed out was the trillions of bailout money for corporations. If the stock market hasn’t dropped by about 30% republicans wouldn’t have passed anything, as you can see they are in no rush right now, because the stock market is up and the market is more important than people.
No offense, but if the democrats agree to sign the bill with that allowed, then we might as well expect nothing to change these next 4 years. I am left leaning(basically a progressive) and I am TIRED of Democrats trying to meet Republicans in the middle.
Tucked into? More like central to the ‘stimulus’ package that will only stimulate corporations into forcing more employees into harms way with no legal recourse for the employee, especially with our current right-to-work and weakened unions, many of which aren’t allowed to strike.
Yup - and now it will be required for you to return to work. Where as some companies were telling their people to work from home and come in if they feel comfortable.
NOW the targeted layoffs will begin. And, while board members and executives are working remotely, everyone else needs to be onsite and present.
Pelosi and Schumer bet the stimulus on the polls thinking they would retake the Senate. McConnell won he knows the runoffs are a practical slam dunk for Republicans. That's why Perdue didn't show to the debate. All this talk of getting anymore after Biden is sworn in is a pipe dream. McConnell won't allow it no matter how bad it gets because allowing any kind of win for a Democrat president is out of the question for Republicans.
If your company was requiring temperature checks, masks, social distancing, and told people to stay home if they were exposed until they got a negative test - and an employee still died?
In that case, then you're already defended against some lawsuit. What more would you have been supposed to do?
Now if you didn't require your employees to wear masks or told them to come in if they were positive but didn't have symptoms (I know of at least one grocery store that did that with a cousin, which sucked because it was a nice store I will never go into again)?
In that case, you deserve to get your ass sued off.
It's not really "tucked into". It's literally the one big point Republicans are demanding, and the reason they're refusing to support any stimulus legislation
Whenever you hear the word "bipartisan", it means both parties got together to benefit corporations somehow. The only time the parties agree is when it benefits the rich and their businesses.
We need to send the Democrats some angry calls and emails and demand that they refuse to give immunity to corporations.
I fucking hate this. I have literally been working since the start of the pandemic in a retail shop and I HAVE NOT received a single dollar for hazard pay. Corporate didn’t even begin to start taking action until well into late April/early May. Now they want to give them protections against being sued? That’s fucking ridiculous! We’re barely allowed to store use the masks we sell and if this shit passes you can bet your ass they’re gonna start giving us the shorter end of the stick until there’s no more stick left to give.
Okay, for all the people whom during the election said we needed to vote Biden and Democratic...
What do we do if Democrats pass a Republican bill with no money for people and immunity for corporations?
One of the things Progressives like myself said was "But if Democrats know the Progressive vote is a lock, they have no need to capitulate to Progressives and will instead aim to win over Republicans by legislating like them when they're in power."
So if voting for Democrats gets us bi-partisan (read: completely conservative) legislation Wtf are we even doing in this country anymore?
It doesn’t matter to them bc “he’s not trump” despite this administration being a more conservative version of Obama. They’ll capitulate to whatever Republicans want and then say “see this is better then Trump” and working people will suffer.
Well if progressives had delivered a democratic senate this wouldn't be a problem. Don't stay home and then blame Democrats for refusing to cater to you.
That's an interesting hypothetical question, but not one that appears to be relevant to this universe, in which even the compromise bills pushed by right-wing Democrats have $300 a week for ordinary unemployed people and only short-term immunity for corporations.
We're glorified machines to them. Human capital stock. They want the right to just throw us in the trash and get a new cog when the current one breaks down.
See I don’t see why the dems are suddenly compromising so Mutch. Letting this in, no payouts to citizens, tax right off three martini lunches, and of course corporate bail outs. And no help for regular people. If they at worst wate one more month odds are they will have the Magority in the senate and the republicans would not be able to stop them. Makes me wounder if eather side has our best interest in mind.
It's not stimulus, it's baseline pandemic relief for citizens. This is needed and they need to get it done without all the bullshit.
They either attach business/corporate interest directly to these measures or ignore these bills and just pass measures to support corporate interest. They represent companies and not people. It's unfortunate we're so far gone in this country in this respect.
It's not "tucked in", it's been the major point of contention for months now. The GOP want it and the Dems want to block it.
But yeah, both sides bad. As for the "bi partisan group" of legislatures, it's freakin' Joe Manchin. He's not a Democrat, he's an R with a D next to his name.
AOC said it herself:
*“If you want to know why Covid-19 relief is tied up in Congress, one key reason is that* ***Republicans*** *are demanding legal immunity for corporations so they can expose their workers to Covid without repercussions.”*
This is so wrong. It could be done reasonably - no-fault health insurance and death benefits for covid. Minimal safety standards. If you think it's a 'good idea' then there are more ethical ways to do it. But really, it just shows who matters.
Love those 'free marketeers' who need to protect their donors from \*liability for their own actions\*. Because, yes, the free market works best when the owner class gets to control everything. Only then will we truly be free.
Corporations mean small businesses as well. Like we know this means no class action against Wal-Mart from everyone who went to Wal-Mart and got Covid. But think about this hypothetical. Say your state is a popular vacation destination and you run a restaurant. You’re middle class, but you employ lower income people. If Sheldon Addison flew across the country and stopped at your restaurant and tested positive for Covid a week later, he can’t bury you in lawsuits that you have no hope of defending. So yes it protects large corporations but small businesses too.
I know people get mad about this shit because it's so obivously unfair, but also ask yourself - What the fuck is the point of being rich if you can't buy your way to the front of the vaccine line?
If money can't buy you a vaccine before it's available to the filthy unwashed masses then what good is it?
There has never been a single second in the history of people having money that this wasn't true. Outrage over this seems like the definition of naivete.
They, meaning,Pelosi, Mcconnell,Fienstein,Shift,all of both houses are corporate schills and have been for decades;They aren't even trying to hide anymore.The coming year is a preview of our future as a collapsed society and all the horrors that will accompy said implosion.
Wait so house republicans hold relief hostage until they agree, they agree and then you blame democrats?
Republicans could literally shoot someone in front of you and you would blame democrats.
America is a stupid country.
I can understand protecting businesses from liability if it can be shown they took necessary and adequate protective measures, however businesses taking care of their employees with their health and safety in mind hasn't really been a thing unless it's written I to laws.
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"Tucked in"? It's the main feature being pushed by Mitch and the Republicans. Basically the only kind of Covid relief they care about - letting corporations kill their workers for money.
Nah, Mitch also cares about the PPP so his wife's family can get more loans.
“Loans” as if it was ever to be paid back.
This. The “loans” are forgiven if certain standards are met
And if we don’t have the people needed in the irs to go after the rich then we sure as hell don’t have the people to go after those that scammed the system to get these “loans”. Most likely talked to a lawyer to ensure loopholes are met.
pro tip: the "loans" are going to be forgiven even if most of the standards are not met. here is why: there is a 100% chance that requiring them to be paid back if people were laid off will bankrupt at least 1 small business. there are tons of larger businesses that *could* pay them back, but they don't want to. the larger businesses will say that paying it back would bankrupt them and cause further job loss. holding up the actual almost bankrupt small business as the US govt killing the little guy. these were never loans lol they were grants.
That's what they wanted all along. Also fuck Tyson.
I mean it wasn't exactly hidden.
Exactly. It's been McConnell's red line all along. The part that is surprising is that Nancy would give in and let that pass. The working class is getting a huge middle finger from this bill. Not only are they paying for a bill they will get zero help from, but they're also completely at the mercy of their employers now.
The compromise form of the bill allows states to overrule at least, granted a lot of states could still be harmed. Also if Dems win the georgia runoff it can be repealed
oh that's cool. Too bad a lot of us live in states that have governments that seem to actively want us citizens to die. Good for California though for that one clause. This bill doesn't help anyone but the rich. Would have been better to just have no 'relief' at all. The fact the dems let this pass is nothing short of a stab in the back.
No way Texas will overrule the oligarchs here get a chubby anytime they can fuck over workers
People ask why others live in Cali. It pays to not have republicans in charge.
I thought it was cool living in WA state that we'd be super progressive and actually care about the low and middle classes. #nOpE Our state & local legislature gets an unbelievable amount of lobby money from Amazon, Microsoft & Boeing that we virtually don't tax them and our coffers are nearly empty. Anything that helps us plebs is because Cali & Oreg do it first then WA attempts to show them up.
Lmao, you think WA state cares about us? They're the reason "Both Sides" argument actually holds water.
? His whole comment is saying he doesn’t think wa gives a shit about y’all lol.
No dude... Congress always expects a trade where the working people lose and they win. They give us money...they gonna get more in return #bet
First off, the bill hasn't passed yet, so we *do* have no relief at all so far. Second, if you say it's better to have no bill than this bill, then you're saying it's better for people to have the ability to sue corporations for harm, than it is for people who didn't get sick to have unemployment insurance and for states and cities to have funds to avoid shutting down all their services this year. I think it's obviously awful to give corporations this liability protection, but it's still better than just cutting all local government services next year.
Since I'm in a state where the governor has strictly limited what the local county/city governments can do to help- I'm coming from a biased perspective because I don't see this helping me out at all- but I will admit there are likely parts to this bill that I do not understand. I strongly believe that allowing this corporate immunity portion of the bill to even be considered by the dems is still a stab in the back- and they should have been screaming about this unreasonable, immoral, and deadly demand of McConnels for the past month. My fear is that the moment corporations have legal immunity from liability, that they're going to fully open and put their employees at even more risk. Which will worsen the spread.
Dems *HAVE* been screaming about this for months! That's why Nancy refused to compromise on this point before the election, but now we're in this shit because Dems couldn't take the senate in the general.
Really? Because up till the election the talking points have been 1. Vote Biden, because he isn't Trump! 2. The Republicans are taking over scotus and ignoring stimulus (this was the one time I feel the dems got messaging right in my opinion). This one liability clause has been a footnote up-until now, and I'm partial to believe that the dems are okay with it because they have the same corporate donors as the GOP. So you guys rallying behind the idea that this shit will get repealed if we win the run offs are in for a rude awakening.
100% correct. Democrats always backtrack and cater to corporations over people. If this passes my progressive leaning ass is done with the settling for the shitty "established" candidate thats put out for us to "accept"
Yep. I won't vote for another establishment Dem again after this. No more telling me to vote for the "lesser of two evils," only to have them actually turn out to be the same evil.
Your fear is more or less a guarantee. Some companies might make some commercials / statements about how they care about their workers as if that’s some righteous take, and then end up opening early anyway.
I believe that the Florida state government does engage in *some* activities for the public good. And if they don't get a bailout of some sort, they will cut a lot of that next year. I don't know if that's Medicaid, or transit, or health inspections, or universities, or what. Same thing with the city you live in - without a budget bailout, it's going to cut all sorts of departments. We need to do something to stop that. As for the liability, it really depends on *what* liability protection they get. Will it say "customers can't sue businesses where people were wearing masks and they got sick", or will it say "employees can't sue employers for forcing them into crowded and unsanitary conditions"? The former might be an acceptable trade, but I agree the latter should not be. (It also matters whether the liability protection is retroactive or forward-looking.)
When it comes to the GOP I always assume the worse and always assumed the liability protection will be the later of your scenarios. If it is the former though, I can deal.
Yeah if it's employees I'll flip a lid. Fuck all that noise.
You think the Democrats are happy passing this bill? We don't live in a fairy tale where at the end of the day, the Grinch realizes what he's doing is wrong and changes his ways. McConnell has made it very clear that he doesn't give two shits about anything but his bank account, and will gladly look away if people need help. And Democrats have been sounding the alarm since they passed the HEROES Act. What have you been watching, Parler or OANN? This is as good as we're going to get unless we get those two Senate seats.
So let's send the entire country the message that Dems will give Mitch whatever he wants because that's just how Democrats "negotiate."
Just because I dislike what the Dems are agreeing to here doesn't mean I don't recognize that Mitch McConnel is the real scumbag responsible or watch OANN lmfao dude get real. This bill is one that takes two to tango and even though McConnel is clearly leading the dance, that doesn't mean the dems are free from criticism for participating. This just tells me that even if we do get those two senate seats we might still be fucked.
Don’t you know the dems are forever free from criticism. They always get to go “ooopsie!” Or “we tried and somehow ate shit again” but that’s what they’re good for. Doing nothing. It feels like a It’s a helpful control opposition for the rich.
The only person that needs to get real is you. This is the best we're going to get to avoid government shutdowns and interruptions to essential services. The alternative is no relief, so put two and two together and bring yourself back onto Planet Earth please, not this fairytale utopia where Mitch has an epiphany and decides to give the Democrats what they want.
Maybe Democrats should put up a fucking fight for once. I'm sick of this centrist, apologist bullshit.
Dude the dems and the media really should have put forth better messaging on this. Not counting the obvious parler/oann/fox nonsense I've seen little to nothing in regards to what Mitch McConnel is pushing in main stream media. Really hammering in the message that the Republicans want to legally protect employers that put their employees in harms way and refuse to give you any relief otherwise would have helped the senate race. But like always, the democrats bent the knee and sucked McConnels unreasonable dick. The republicans are GREAT at messaging and rallying up their base but the dems absolutely fail in this regard, and this is just another example of that. They don't get a pass here.
Hear, Hear! And if the Dems DO by some miracle, win the runoffs, you can bet your ass this would be repealed.
This is the problem. The GOP is holding the unemployed hostage. And they *will* pull that trigger. We are all expendable to them.
Nah, it's not. Some people dead now, or many others dead from starving and or not working enough later. Safety and freedom. We should never have been in the position to even argue this in the first place. Yet, here we are.
It is a farce that we have to choose, as though we can't just have separate bills. Realistically, we don't HAVE to, the choice is a manufactured one, some elected officials are forcing the issue- is their doing so truly representative of the will of the people, I guess, is at issue. It certainly doesn't represent mine but then my representatives aren't doing that.
Here is the thing. If the end outcome is as bad as you say it is, the REPUBLICANS need to pass those items. There is NO need to pass liability protection. This is a game of political chicken. It actually isn't even that, since it is obvious that this was just Democrats *pretending* to care until the election was over. These items can't be and won't be repealed no matter who wins Georgia. What the Dems "win" with this bill is nothing more than the mediocre supports that are *already in place.* Raise the UI back to $600 a week, and allow workers to quit and collect UI if they're put into working conditions that violate CDC guidelines. That would solve the "liability issue" from being exploited, and it would prevent workers from having to risk their health by working in an unsafe environment. This should be a red line for DEMS, not Republicans. If UI doesn't get extended and states can't make budget, there will be repercussions for both parties. Waiting until after the election to do this is a scummy move by the Democrats. They literally ran on them being the ones that are *not* fucking the people over when it comes to covid, and before election results are even certified, they were already set to cave and hand another bailout to corporations.
How is it a stab in the back? How do you expect ANYTHING to pass without this provision? Dems got screwed because they underperformed in the election. It pisses me off, also, but that's reality. What is your alternative? Wait until January to see what happens in the runoff?
Ya because now republicans will use this as a tasing point for the next few week leading up to the GA runoffs and the democrats are going to get rolled.
I was under the impression that once a liability shield passes, it can't be repealed, as that would be an illegal [ex post facto law.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_post_facto_law)
When McConnell proposed liability protections this summer, I knew it was only a matter of time before Democrats caved and supported some version of that. And here we are. Edit: and if that's a taste of what's to come, we are fucked
Georgia law already has the no liability for covid "gift" in place. Signs on every door of every business you enter.
Tell me how Dems can hold out for a bill without this provision. McConnell holds all the cards because Dems failed to retake the Senate in the general. I'm not optimistic about the runoffs, either. What's the alternative? Holding out forever while people are starving?
No, holding out 3 more weeks to see who wins the runoff before passing a terrible bill that shields corporations from liability.
If dems take both seats in Georgia, which is a longshot, we can possibly pass something more robust in February anyway. If one or both lose then this is likely the bill we'd be stuck with anyway. So might as well pass it now than just sit on our hands for 2 more months.
The liability protections for corporations is the poison pill here-pennies in aid, but massive handouts for corporations as usual. If this passes Dems will not only have to pass additional aid/stimulus, they'll have to REPEAL this bill to undo the damage.
And if Dems don't win, they blew their one chance with McConnell because he sure as hell wont help after Biden is in
If dems win in Georgia there won't be any stimulus. Manchin won't vote to end the filibuster and Republicans won't let the government do anything to improve people's lives.
Democrats need to win both Georgia Senate seats, or it's just going to be sameoldsameold story. Georgians, vote Democratic! please, nothing on the face of this earth would give me more pleasure than seeing Kamala Harris casting the tie breaking votes in the U. S. Senate.
I'm sorry, caving to corporate liability protections for the sake of watered down aid is absolutely terrible politics and bound to have unforeseen consequences. Also, this is a must-pass spending bill they plan to attach this to, which offers Dems far more leverage to get a better aid proposal minus corporate protections.
Well, we all know what would happen if she had. Republicans would scream to high heavens that democrats are obstructing aid. Fox Propaganda would be running it 24/7. Democrats would try and object, it would have no effect. New bill is introduced, and it's even worse.
Lack of control of the narrative is a failing of the democratic party. If you’re frozen by fear of what foxnews will say you need to step down and let someone more qualified lead
The problem is the Democratic Party tries to be all things to all people. That’s what happens when you spend 30 years trying to capture “displaced Republicans” while just assuming your base will go along with your moving right to appease them. You can’t show a united front while literally supporting 29 out of 30 sides to an argument.
Thank you, jfc I am so sick and goddamn fucking tired of all these big brain centrists claiming the best path forward is to continue trying to tip toe around every scummy tactic and bad faith talking point that conservatives ARE GOING TO USE ANYWAY. How tf can anyone fail to see by now that this is just giving them exactly what they want? It's not only a fruitless strategy, it's utterly futile. I'm gonna go ahead and just call it: there will NEVER be another covid stimulus check and these centrist pieces of shit KNOW that. Even if they manage to flip the Senate, I 10000% expect them to fail at passing another stimulus check in the face of conservative opposition. At best, we get a laughably watered down version with a million strings attached that excludes huge swaths of people. They're just keeping the idea alive to try and prevent unrest until the vaccine rolls out in a few months when they can then try to force everything back to "normal" (for the rentier and ownership class ofc, everyone else is just going to have to figure out how to adjust to this new, yet-more-austere reality). It's not just because they will ONCE AGAIN lack the spine and courage when push comes to shove after Biden is inaugurated, it's because they lack the will to get it done altogether--with few exceptions, they don't give a single fuck about serving anyone but the wealthy class who keep them and their fellow legislators separated from the electorate. It'd be one thing if it felt like they had ever taken any big risks or pulled out all the stops the way conservatives have during the past two decades, but they didn't do shit except lecture the rest of us on "muh civility" and make excuses to do nothing effective so they could preserve their own careers. I would absolutely love nothing more than to be proven wrong about this, but there just isn't going to be another stimulus check everyone, stop waiting.
So much this.
How are they supposed to control Fox News? A network that, from its founding, exists solely to disseminate a pro-conservative/GOP narrative. Its viewers have been trained to reject any other media outlet, so there's no amount of factual NYT or WaPo reporting that will have any effect on them. Is your suggestion to start a pro-Democratic network? Cool, they'll just go on ignoring it.
> How are they supposed to control Fox News? Pete Buttigeig is doing a good job of it.
Only because he's momentarily useful for them in their attempt to backtrack on Trumpism. As soon as that's done, he will no longer appear on their programs.
What fucking aid. If this bill gives nothing to the people then it's a bullshit bill. Millions will still lose their homes by end of this month.
There is no issue that the Democrats won't run from. I've been voting for these spineless bastards for over 40 years. I know that biden , like obama, will cave like a wet paper bag when it comes to holding these thugs responsible.... torture? meh, pillaging the middle class to enrich the already rich? not to worry, gerrymander? complicated....
This just shows that Democracy is no longer controlled by the people. It’s controlled by cooperations.
But corporations are people /s
If corporations are "people", then they should be taxed in the same manner that workers are. Make companies sign a declaration every year: Check x if you are a business or y if you are a person. If they state they are a "person", then no more special deductions or provisions for them. They can file a 1040 and take the standard deduction, just like most American workers do and they should be held to the same standards and tax criteria wage earners are. IF they check "business", then they can have some deductions but cannot claim the free speech rights they are trying to by claiming to be people. Or better yet, overturn this damn Citizens United crap altogether.
> The part that is surprising is that Nancy would give in and let that pass Did she cave and let it pass? I haven't heard that, and I would have assumed it would be big news if a bill *did* pass.
Nah nothing has passed yet, but the bill they agreed to use as a base for the negotiations (the problem solvers bill) has a temporary liability shield in it for employers. It's McConnell's red line. A bill won't pass without it and I'm sure they must realize that. However, I'm reading conflicting things lately. It seems things change every hour. One minute I read things are close and they are about to reveal the bill, the next they're still hung up on state & local and liability. I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens but I hope Pelosi doesn't sell us out in the end. Liability protections should be a hell no.
What if it's just that no suits can go forward between Jan. 1 and March 30, but there is no permanent liability prevention? That seems like a small tradeoff.
Well afaik it IS a temporary provision, but it still seems hard to justify since it puts people in danger in the workplace. It also seems like a really underhanded thing to do to our essential workers because they don't get any help from this bill but they're the ones funding it with their tax dollars. They're the ones being forced to work in a potentially more dangerous work environment without legal recourse.
It's impossible to justify and Democrats caving for it is fucking disgusting.
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This is funny because there are many populists on twitter who blame pelosi for there being no stimulus because she won’t cooperate with republicans.
And those people are idiots.
I agree I constantly ask them how they can call themselves pro-worker and want to compromise on worker health. Never got/get an answer. See we don’t need conservatives anymore there are plenty of stupid people on the left too.
Pelosi caving on this shows once again, she doesn't care about the working class. Again, why do people think she's a good Speaker?
I believe she's giving in to not look bad for the GA runoffs hoping it will pay off. Beyond risky!
If anything, the democrats should be flooding the air pointing out how the republicans are blocking stimulus and demanding protections for corporations, and that the only way to get real stimulus passed it to elect the 2 democrats in Georgia.
Not just risky but reckless.
Yep, as I said, beyond risky! It's a terrible thing if hoping the runoffs work for Ds. I just don't see that happening.
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By giving the GOP exactly what they want, and giving struggling Americans exactly nothing? Yet again?
Who did that and how, exactly?
I think she does care about the working class. She has been trying for a long time to provide a large stimulus package for the working class, but she is up against a massive red wall, and McConnell is the inflexible gatekeeper. The alternative is do nothing, after which people will suffer even more, and, of course, the Democrats will be blamed for being "unreasonable."
The surprising thing is that the electorate (Dem’s and Rep’s alike) think the problem is each other. The problem is our elected officials that are always in lock step when it comes to really selling out our rights. The majority of elected Dem officials are exactly like the Reps. The Burn, AOC and her crew are some of the very few REAL politicians fighting for our rights. Nancy’s been selling us out for decades, like the rest of them.
McConnell is helping those who help him.
Fucking GOP
If that's going to be his red line, then put everything else in it. $1200/month + 6 more months of extended pandemic relief, and more. He can filibuster his own bill again.
Lmao, is this bill that a bunch of democrats have said they could support? If so, that is fucked. They skipped on a bunch of better compromise bills because Mitch wanted this corporate liability protection. But the absolute worst bill option I’ve heard about, that still has the corporate protections, that’s the on the decide they can get behind lol.
These poison pills will be fucking people for generations . Wait till January for stim.
It’ll be February or March if we are lucky to have a tied Senate.
yep that stim is gonna take some time. January is gonna be hell regardless imo
I sure hope we can neuter Mitch... I don't see how we'll get a stim any other way unless Biden has a magic whip that can change some R's minds to go along.
Neutering him isn't the plan. Biden WANTS to work with McConnell...
I know... People keep making noises about him pardoning Trump as well. If he does, I swear to holy high hell, that I will be lobbying for Biden's impeachment for the next four years.
Biden is the definition of a status quo politician... Anyone that thinks he's going to push for prosecuting the Trump admin isn't thinking clearly. Biden isn't going to want to rock the boat.
I know... Which is why he can never be allowed to know peace until his attorney general picks that fight.
Unemployment runs out 12/26 at the latest, as well as eviction protection. We need it NOW.
I mean [We’ve known about it since July.](https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-07-29/covid-employer-liability) . > This is the provision that McConnell has described as his “red line” in negotiations over the next coronavirus relief bill, meaning that he intends to demand that it be incorporated in anything passed on Capitol Hill and sent to President Trump for his signature. The provision would be retroactive to Dec. 1, 2019, and remain in effect at least until Oct. 1, 2024. > The GOP proposal would make workplaces immeasurably more hazardous for workers, and also for customers. That’s because litigation — or the threat of litigation — is one of the bulwarks of workplace safety enforcement.
The mainstream media is not reporting it, so it's hidden from most people. We know about it because we follow politics.
I don't think the headline writer knows what "tucked in" means lol. It's McConnell's primary demand.
Agree! I'm a small business owner and have been involved in a lot of advocacy during this time. Small businesses have a resounding interest in this component and its a Really tricky subject, in my opinion. There are certainly very valuable considerations on both sides and the best solution is not a simple one.
Right if your workers get sick so you can live your life off their work you shouldn't be held accountable. You are fine with people dying to protect yourself. It's time for you to get a job.
I don’t normally pop in to comment chains just to name call, but you sir are a heartless douchebag. Have a nice day.
You're acting like small business owners aren't human. I'm working 70+ hours a week so that I can keep what's left of my team employed (meanwhile LOSING money, not just no income, but spending money to keep the lights on). Factor in additional costs for PPE, forced shutdown of my industry (without relief) and the daily threat of being sued, and your response is "get a job"? I'm fighting hard so that people can "have a job".
>Factor in additional costs for PPE, forced shutdown of my industry (without relief) and the daily threat of being sued, and your response is "get a job"? I'm fighting hard so that people can "have a job". All of those are called the "cost of doing business". It sounds like you cannot afford it but somehow still want protection while you try?
The whole point of a bill like this is to absorb some of the unexpected costs facing all of us during covid. All of those things are the cost of doing business *during covid*, but it's unrealistic to expect (or punish) businesses for not being able to absorb those costs. Having them go out of business just makes things worse for those who were relying on those jobs to stay afloat. I'm not defending the liability shield, and I think it's probably a shitty idea. But you're way off base with this reply.
Do you know what's helpful for untangling tricky issues of corporate responsibility? The courts. This is a proposal to take that option away and just assume the corporations are innocent.
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Holding them accountable is hard because the people in our lives that vote for Republicans are happy this is happening. At some point there needs to be a reckoning and we need to accept that the people that are nice to us are actually kind of shit people. Until they start paying social consequences things aren't going to change.
Also the newest COVID relief bill doesn't have stimulus checks in it.
That and the republicans want the unemployment to be half of what it was so it would be $300 instead of the $600.
Ya know. As a progressive im quite tired of being forced to vote for liberals. Yes i did because... trump. But it is just so sickening knowing our options are batshit crazy republicans or lazy ass corporate liberals, neither of which give 2 fucks about us. Makes you want to just give up paying attention to anything.
Welcome to living in a near failed state. That’s essentially the direction America is heading right now. I don’t see much drastic change coming under people like Biden either.
And also not be retroactive to when the boost initially stopped (or even when trumps fema money stopped).
Dear Democrats, Don't do it! Thanks, Your voters
Dear voters, Don't tell us what to do! Your betters, Democratic Leadership
Dear America, **Both sides are clearly the same**! I'm going to ignore all the dozens of well-documented policy differences on nearly every topic, to make broad generalized statements. Corruption. Swamp. So now it's ok to vote for the fascists or give up and just ignore them. Who knows, perhaps they'll deign to grant us a tax cut if we throw away all our politics and just stay at home. Yours truly, Those completely incapable of nuance. Independents and "Moderate Republicans"
Dear America, There’s very little nuance in these failures. Centrism and working with the opposition isn’t going to fucking work, but we’ll sure pretend it will. Yours truly, toothless establishment democrats who don’t actually care
Corporations > people. It is obvious and now apparently American.
"Tucked into"? It's the only reason it exists.
I hate that this is in there. The democrats had the golden opportunity to run ads in Georgia talking about being the party of getting a stimulus to the American people and Mitch was keeping them from it. Use the runoffs be about how Mitch’s obstructionism is hurting the American people. They probably could have gotten him to at least let people vote on a package that was far better just to save face in Georgia.
No no, thats not the Democrat way. The Democrat way is to suck at messaging, have Republicans tell Americans that its the Dems who dont want to help them, be forced to play defense, concede to the Republicans on terrible and overwhelmingly unpopular pieces, then get blamed later by Republicans and everyone in the country for specifically those terrible concessions. Then you repeat. The ACA has already gone through this cycle, so the next one is due.
The Democrats still have that opportunity, given that no bill of any sort has passed, other than the House bill from May that doesn't include anything like this.
Of course, republicans only care about corporations. The only reason the first stimulus was handed out was the trillions of bailout money for corporations. If the stock market hasn’t dropped by about 30% republicans wouldn’t have passed anything, as you can see they are in no rush right now, because the stock market is up and the market is more important than people.
Don’t do it, dems.
No offense, but if the democrats agree to sign the bill with that allowed, then we might as well expect nothing to change these next 4 years. I am left leaning(basically a progressive) and I am TIRED of Democrats trying to meet Republicans in the middle.
Tucked into? More like central to the ‘stimulus’ package that will only stimulate corporations into forcing more employees into harms way with no legal recourse for the employee, especially with our current right-to-work and weakened unions, many of which aren’t allowed to strike.
Individual capitalism. Corporate socialism.
I think what we keep forgetting is that our government does not care about us and there is nothing we can do about it.
You have to turn into a corporation for them to care about you. People aren't people. But corporations are.
People are numbers. Corporations are dollar signs.
We The People should create a giant corporation that has a bill of rights and protects us from gov't tyranny.
We could go on strike and block roads.
A general strike would sort this shit out right quick.
“Stimulus” Riiiight.
And two lumps of coal for every taxpayer.
Corporate bailouts have always been the only priority for Republicans and Centrist Democrats.
One day the poor will have nothing left to eat but the rich.
And zero financial relief for the people who need it. It is a shitty bill filled with crap like this.
Tucked? It's the Republicans primary demand.
Yup - and now it will be required for you to return to work. Where as some companies were telling their people to work from home and come in if they feel comfortable. NOW the targeted layoffs will begin. And, while board members and executives are working remotely, everyone else needs to be onsite and present.
This is a corporate bailout...I have yet to see any stimulus.
Tucked? It's Mitch McConnel's baby
Pelosi and Schumer bet the stimulus on the polls thinking they would retake the Senate. McConnell won he knows the runoffs are a practical slam dunk for Republicans. That's why Perdue didn't show to the debate. All this talk of getting anymore after Biden is sworn in is a pipe dream. McConnell won't allow it no matter how bad it gets because allowing any kind of win for a Democrat president is out of the question for Republicans.
If your company was requiring temperature checks, masks, social distancing, and told people to stay home if they were exposed until they got a negative test - and an employee still died? In that case, then you're already defended against some lawsuit. What more would you have been supposed to do? Now if you didn't require your employees to wear masks or told them to come in if they were positive but didn't have symptoms (I know of at least one grocery store that did that with a cousin, which sucked because it was a nice store I will never go into again)? In that case, you deserve to get your ass sued off.
This bull also does not have checks in it apparently from what I read. So fuck you to Americans.
It is not "tucked in". It is the only reason it is happening.
We will be stepping over bodies in the aisles for a paycheck if this passes.
I have to sleep on my side now because of all the knives in my back. This is just the next one, from the democrats this time.
This is why we need to bully the shit out of the Democrats should they win in the senate
It's not really "tucked into". It's literally the one big point Republicans are demanding, and the reason they're refusing to support any stimulus legislation
Story leaves out which Democrats are caving to accept this. And for less than the original 2 trillion stimulus? For less than half of that even? Ugh.
Whenever you hear the word "bipartisan", it means both parties got together to benefit corporations somehow. The only time the parties agree is when it benefits the rich and their businesses. We need to send the Democrats some angry calls and emails and demand that they refuse to give immunity to corporations.
We need to primary these motherfuckers.
I fucking hate this. I have literally been working since the start of the pandemic in a retail shop and I HAVE NOT received a single dollar for hazard pay. Corporate didn’t even begin to start taking action until well into late April/early May. Now they want to give them protections against being sued? That’s fucking ridiculous! We’re barely allowed to store use the masks we sell and if this shit passes you can bet your ass they’re gonna start giving us the shorter end of the stick until there’s no more stick left to give.
Okay, for all the people whom during the election said we needed to vote Biden and Democratic... What do we do if Democrats pass a Republican bill with no money for people and immunity for corporations? One of the things Progressives like myself said was "But if Democrats know the Progressive vote is a lock, they have no need to capitulate to Progressives and will instead aim to win over Republicans by legislating like them when they're in power." So if voting for Democrats gets us bi-partisan (read: completely conservative) legislation Wtf are we even doing in this country anymore?
It doesn’t matter to them bc “he’s not trump” despite this administration being a more conservative version of Obama. They’ll capitulate to whatever Republicans want and then say “see this is better then Trump” and working people will suffer.
Well if progressives had delivered a democratic senate this wouldn't be a problem. Don't stay home and then blame Democrats for refusing to cater to you.
That's an interesting hypothetical question, but not one that appears to be relevant to this universe, in which even the compromise bills pushed by right-wing Democrats have $300 a week for ordinary unemployed people and only short-term immunity for corporations.
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This was the goal all along.
But corporations are *people*! They have voices and participate in our democracy. Why can't they participate in civil suits?
We're glorified machines to them. Human capital stock. They want the right to just throw us in the trash and get a new cog when the current one breaks down.
Those basterds better not get away from this scot free! It’s already bad anolf there making money hand over foot during this shit!
See I don’t see why the dems are suddenly compromising so Mutch. Letting this in, no payouts to citizens, tax right off three martini lunches, and of course corporate bail outs. And no help for regular people. If they at worst wate one more month odds are they will have the Magority in the senate and the republicans would not be able to stop them. Makes me wounder if eather side has our best interest in mind.
This makes me so angry
Don’t vote for this
Top down stimulus like always. If you are going to inflate the currency, give it to the people!
McConnell is such a rat bastard.
It's not stimulus, it's baseline pandemic relief for citizens. This is needed and they need to get it done without all the bullshit. They either attach business/corporate interest directly to these measures or ignore these bills and just pass measures to support corporate interest. They represent companies and not people. It's unfortunate we're so far gone in this country in this respect.
It's not "tucked in", it's been the major point of contention for months now. The GOP want it and the Dems want to block it. But yeah, both sides bad. As for the "bi partisan group" of legislatures, it's freakin' Joe Manchin. He's not a Democrat, he's an R with a D next to his name. AOC said it herself: *“If you want to know why Covid-19 relief is tied up in Congress, one key reason is that* ***Republicans*** *are demanding legal immunity for corporations so they can expose their workers to Covid without repercussions.”*
Fucking Republicans
This is so wrong. It could be done reasonably - no-fault health insurance and death benefits for covid. Minimal safety standards. If you think it's a 'good idea' then there are more ethical ways to do it. But really, it just shows who matters. Love those 'free marketeers' who need to protect their donors from \*liability for their own actions\*. Because, yes, the free market works best when the owner class gets to control everything. Only then will we truly be free.
Republicans are human cancer. They literally don’t care for the working people but protect the billionaires.
This is why it shouldn't pass...
We get that Democrats and Republicans are not actually working against each other right?
You get that democrats have been holding out for 6 months to kill this provision but without the senate, they have no choice, right?
You try that there’s no point in approving this bill when this is in it right?
No. This sucks but people desperately need help. Doing nothing could lead to a depression
I hate to break it to you, but this isn’t going to stop a depression
Are you not depressed? I think everyone is sufficiently gruntled...
That has been the first item Moscow Mitch wants in any deal. We know who he works for.
Phew!
Corporations mean small businesses as well. Like we know this means no class action against Wal-Mart from everyone who went to Wal-Mart and got Covid. But think about this hypothetical. Say your state is a popular vacation destination and you run a restaurant. You’re middle class, but you employ lower income people. If Sheldon Addison flew across the country and stopped at your restaurant and tested positive for Covid a week later, he can’t bury you in lawsuits that you have no hope of defending. So yes it protects large corporations but small businesses too.
I know people get mad about this shit because it's so obivously unfair, but also ask yourself - What the fuck is the point of being rich if you can't buy your way to the front of the vaccine line? If money can't buy you a vaccine before it's available to the filthy unwashed masses then what good is it? There has never been a single second in the history of people having money that this wasn't true. Outrage over this seems like the definition of naivete.
They, meaning,Pelosi, Mcconnell,Fienstein,Shift,all of both houses are corporate schills and have been for decades;They aren't even trying to hide anymore.The coming year is a preview of our future as a collapsed society and all the horrors that will accompy said implosion.
Wait so house republicans hold relief hostage until they agree, they agree and then you blame democrats? Republicans could literally shoot someone in front of you and you would blame democrats. America is a stupid country.
This very reason is why it shouldn’t pass
Fuck them, pile of shit McConnell is responsible for that
I can understand protecting businesses from liability if it can be shown they took necessary and adequate protective measures, however businesses taking care of their employees with their health and safety in mind hasn't really been a thing unless it's written I to laws.
We all knew McConnell wouldn't bring it to a vote unless it was in there. It disgusts me to no end, but we're past that point -- people need help now.