Category Archives: Basic Income Guarantee

In a Queens apartment, a laid-off busboy has no idea if he will make next months rent or feed his family. An out-of-work waitress in Amsterdam, though, can count on the government to cover 90 percent of her wages. As a Malaysian florist anxiously burns through her savings, cafe owners in Brussels receive about $4,300 to make up for lost revenue.

Weeks of layoffs and lockdowns have made clear that poor and working-class people will bear a disproportionate share of the pain from the coronavirus pandemic. In cities around the world, work has stopped. Bills have not. And no end is in sight. But the first wave of government rescue packages has exposed another reality: The pain will depend largely on where people live.

The disparity reflects not only the worlds differing safety nets, but also the contrasting views of a governments role in a crisis. Should it pump cash into the economy? Bail out businesses? Replace lost income for workers? Those questions are at the heart of a protracted debate over a nearly $2 trillion rescue package being negotiated in Washington.

I dont know what Im going to do. Oh my God, said Jose Luis Candia, 34, who lost his two jobs busing tables at high-end Manhattan restaurants. His wife gave birth to their third daughter a month ago. Friends have donated money for groceries. He does not know how he will pay rent or what will happen if he cannot.

Half a world away, in Copenhagen, workers in Mr. Candias situation face a different reality. The Danish government has promised to cover 75 percent to 90 percent of salaries if businesses do not lay off their employees. Better to pay to keep people employed than to pay for the disruption caused by mass layoffs and unemployment, the government has said.

I live from paycheck to paycheck, said Sebastian Lassen, 25, a coffee shop manager in Copenhagen. He feared the uncertainty, he added, but never considered that the government would allow so many workers to fall into poverty. We didnt come to the thought that, OK, maybe well be on the street, he said.

The Netherlands will pay up to 90 percent of wages for companies hit hard by the pandemic, with extra provisions being developed for restaurants. Everybody here believes that the government will take responsibility for the situation, and I believe that too, said Athina Ainali, a 25-year-old waitress for one of Amsterdams many shuttered restaurants.

Washington is divided over how to dole out recovery aid. Proposals have included one-time $1,200 payments. The biggest chunk of money, about $425 billion, is set aside for central bankers to use largely as they see fit. Economists say they expect that will include buying corporate debt and stabilizing financial markets. Democrats say the proposals do not do enough to expand unemployment benefits, provide food assistance or relieve student debt.

New York restaurant owners and workers are calling for aggressive action, including doubling unemployment benefits (which currently cover only about 50 percent of wages, even for minimum-wage employees) and providing rent abatement for displaced employees.

What distinguishes the United States from other countries is not the nature of the bailouts. Its the underlying structure, said Carol Graham, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who studies safety nets. People are more vulnerable from the get-go, even in normal times. You throw a shock like this at the system? Its about as bad as it could get.

American workers face extra anxiety over medical costs. The United States, unlike most of the developed world, does not guarantee health care.

While countries like Denmark have famously robust safety nets, even the Conservative government in Britain has, after years of austerity, adopted a similar approach. For the first time in our history, the government is going to step in and pay peoples wages, the British chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said last week. The plan, which is still being developed, will pay up to about $2,900 a month to workers who have lost hours but are not laid off.

The center-right government in Germany will spend more than $40 billion to help small businesses cover basic needs to stay afloat during the crisis. That is in addition to a program aimed at larger companies, called kurzarbeit, or short-time working, that covers lost wages for employees who are sent home, to avoid laying them off. Economists expect about two million workers to receive aid under the program, more than during the financial crisis a decade ago.

We have a security net, and people dont fall below the security net, said Dierk Hirschel, the chief economist of ver.di, one of Germanys largest trade unions. But people are going to lose income, and in a traumatic way.

The German development bank, KfW, has promised an all-but-unlimited supply of business loans. There will be no upper limits for the amount of credit that the KfW can give out, Peter Altmaier, the minister of the economy, said.

Even with the rush to save jobs, uncertainty remains. Britains plan may come too late for workers who have already been laid off. If they cannot find jobs soon, they will most likely fall into the nations welfare system, which can pay as little as $300 a month. I do not know where to go from here, said Delphine Thomas, 20, who was laid off from a movie theater in Liverpool.

South Koreas employee-retention program covers 70 percent of wages or more, and the government recently loosened the rules to make more businesses eligible. But part-time workers, contractors and the self-employed receive fewer protections. Some may be eligible for one-time cash payments. Labor advocates want those workers to have the same benefits as full-time employees.

Business owners, too, face uneven support depending on the country. Elias Calcoen and his partner opened a cafe in Brussels eight months ago. It has been closed for more than a week, but the citys government is offering small businesses immediate $4,300 payments, plus $1,300 a month in federal aid for displaced self-employed workers.

We have no kids, we are in good health and the Belgian government is not leaving us by ourselves, Mr. Calcoen said. There are many people who are in a much worse position.

Brenda James-Leong, a florist in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, says she has been burning through savings while her store is closed. The Malaysian government has offered monthly assistance to the unemployed and lump payments to workers in certain sectors. If the government is doing anything for small businesses like mine, it has not been communicated as of now, she said.

Such apprehension is common, even in countries with generous aid programs. Ursula Waltemath, who owns Restaurant Brace in Copenhagen with her husband, has converted from fine dining to takeout. With schools closed, their 3-year-old daughter shadows them everywhere. At this rate, she figures they can survive three months, even with the government paying a portion of salaries.

It sounds amazing, and it is, to have this help, she said. But even 25 percent of all employee salaries, and rent and basic expenses, is a fortune if you have zero income.

Reporting was contributed by Anna Schaverien, Su-Hyun Lee, Jack Ewing and Melissa Eddy.

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Covid-19s Economic Pain Is Universal. But Relief? Depends on Where You Live. - The New York Times

These are some of the holes in the government policy. The government needs to act swiftly to the low-paid, self-employed and homeless and also needs rules to prevent abuses.

The UK governments response to the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic has been disjointed. A good example is last weeks announcement that government grants will cover 80% of the salary of retained workers up to a total of 2,500 a month.

This late conversion to helping people to pay their bills and thereby keep businesses afloat is most welcome, but there are omissions that require urgent attention. Some examples:

There is little help for the UKs five million self-employed people working as carpenters, electricians, diggers, gardeners, tax drivers, self-fillers, cleaners, home helps, sole traders, owner managers and freelance journalists. The only help offered by the government is that every self-employed person can now access, in full, Universal Credit at a rate equivalent to Statutory Sick Pay for employees.

The Chancellor said: Im strengthening the safety net for self-employed people too, by suspending the minimum income floor, a measure used by the Department for Work and Pensions to calculate the amount of Universal Credit. There are complex conditions.

The Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is 94.25 per week. Even if someone goes through he hurdles of claiming the Universal Credit, they will only receive about 400 a month.

As the government is committed to providing the wage subsidy through HMRC, it could adopt an alternative approach. The income of the self-employed often fluctuates. HMRC could estimate average annual income and then apply the 80% test and 2,500 ceiling.

The government proposals hit the poorest the hardest. The current rate of the national minimum wage (NMW) for a 25-year-old is 8.21 an hour rising to 8.72 an hour from 1 April 2020. Many on and around the NMW will only receive 80% of their normal wage unless their employer pays the other 20%. If employers do not do that, the poorest workers face a wage cut of 20%. The government guarantee needs to cover 100% of the NMW. This could be done by to establishing a floor for the wage subsidy or a Universal Basic Income (UBI).

The governments wage support does little for 320,000 homeless people in the UK, many of whom may be outside the tax net altogether. A UBI would help them.

The current tax free personal allowance for the purpose of income tax is 12,500 a year. Some 42% of adults have an income below that threshold. The low-paid often do not submit tax returns and thus cannot be helped by a subsidy administered by HMRC. UBI is the best way to help them.

The government scheme only helps employees on payroll at 1st March. This does not offer any help to those who were made redundant just before that or persuaded to take unpaid leave before the Chancellor announced the wage subsidy of 20th March. An equitable solution would be for employers to withdraw the redundancy notices and unpaid leave.

The wage subsidy is not accompanied by any obligations upon the employers and is open to abuse. It could have considered a range of options, including requiring employers to pay 20% of the wage, a promise not to cut staff for the next 12 months or change their employment rights, a curb on executive pay, or a requirement to have employee-directors on boards so that employee interests are explicitly taken into account in the post coronavirus period.

The wage subsidy needs to be accompanied by curbs on dividend payments so that corporations preserve their cash flows to aid survival and recovery rather than using the public resources to enrich a few. Amidst the crisis, on 20th March or earlier, EasyJet paid a dividend of 174m whilst putting staff on unpaid leave. Some 60m went to its co-founder Stelios Haji-Ioannaou. It is hard to reconcile public subsidies with lavish dividends.

Many workers on low pay face wage cuts but are required to pay 100% of their rent, and other bills. There are numerous regional, class, age and income/wealth inequalities, but around 7.5m workers have no savings to fall back on. They can be evicted for non-payment of rents. The government needs to enact legislation to prevent evictions for rent arrears. It also needs to freeze, reduce or waive utility bills for the duration of the crisis.

These are some of the holes in the government policy. The government needs to act swiftly to the low-paid, self-employed and homeless and also needs rules to prevent abuses.

Prem Sikka is Professor of Accounting at University of Sheffield and Emeritus Professor of Accounting at University of Essex. He is a Contributing Editor to LFF and tweetshere.

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Who the government's coronavirus economic measures leave behind - Left Foot Forward

It was abundantly clear after the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak reached Jabalpur, Lucknow, Bhilwara and a reported case from a slum in Mumbai that Indian public policy needed to include the neglected informal sector workforce: The most important stakeholders for politicians.

People across the world are dealing with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, including several shocks that ravaged economies.

The impact of the epidemic is nuanced and multi-layered.

There is no question that what we are about to see is a hyphenated reality: The one that lies in the co-existence of independence-interdependence of local and global economies and more bluntly, globalisation and de-globalisation.

Global and local supply chain disruptions loom across the world, devastated travel and tourism industries, global aviation bracing for impact, tanking stock markets, cancelled events and postponement of several elections are some of the impacts the world is facing.

The crisis ahead is complex and exposes deep societal punctures as everyone slides into a cocoon of imminent self-isolation.

Several state governments in India announced comprehensive packages, keeping in mind the needs of the poor.

The Delhi government, in addition to a Rs 50 crore package in its 2020-2021 budget, announced free lunch and dinner to the homeless, free ration and double pension.

The state governments of Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal, Kerala, Rajasthan, etc, all announced urgent welfare measures, keeping in mind the problems of the urban and rural poor.

The working classes, the urban poor and migrant labourers make the economy tick. They, however, bear the brunt each time an unexpected shock hits them.

These shocks have dire consequences: Economic dislocation, long-term livelihood shocks, occupational and social displacement.

Labourers and migrant workers were seen leaving for their native homes, according to media reports and visuals seen on social media.

They leave for the possibility of finding family support, cheaper food, accommodative social structures and a community sense, compared to a fairly alienated urban eco-system.

The existence of the anonymity of the city could not have been more obvious.

The alienated luxuries of exercising work from home or calling in sick are not options for those who struggle for daily wages and live hand-to-mouth.

Over 90 per cent of the countrys total workforce lies in this informal sector, largely excluded from holistic legal and social protection, or poor security benefits.

Social distancing, work from home and hand sanitisation are the most logical elixirs correctly recommended and implemented worldwide.

It is, however, worth understanding why many of our brethren dont have these luxuries, essential in a lockdown situation.

These are isolated concepts when one sees the problem from the lens of the average construction worker, airport staff and garbage collectors sanitising our lives without protective gear.

It beseeches us as a society to look within and understand why these important stakeholders continue to be the most vulnerable.

They act as bridges between rural and urban India. They are the most important economic buffers that help the economy sustain and thrive.

We must be considerate to factor in compassion and incorporate concepts of affordability and accessibility to the fore, if policy is to be overhauled.

This is the minimum urban vocabulary that takes ages to trickle down to the most important stakeholders: People at the wrath of globalisation and its discontents.

How do family members of a household that does not have access to water constantly wash their hands? How does a family of five living in an urban slum practice physical and social distancing?

It is about time that governments come up with a comprehensive plan to protect working classes and the unorganised sector not just at the time of an epidemic, but for the long haul.

Prioritising resource allocation is key which is why governments are now designing packages.

A problem of this magnitude, however, should not be the reason to wake up.

A revamped approach to universal basic income or minimum income guarantee on an emergent basis is perhaps needed.

Such concepts were discussed before the 2019 general elections.

India Inc also needs to step in and prove their societal responsibility and ethical commitments. Anand Mahindra and Reliance Foundation have taken the lead in this regard.

A more serious and empathetic approach to cooperative federalism towards coordinated action between the centre and the states, most importantly, becomes the need of the hour.

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India Environment Portal Resources :

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COVID-19 outbreak brings attention back to informal sector - Down To Earth Magazine

The Baidu Inc. map application displays the locations visited by people who have tested positive for ... [+] the coronavirus in an arranged photograph taken in Shanghai, China, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020. For decades, China has been building and refining the ability to track its citizens' whereabouts and interactions to contain dissent and protest. The state's effort to try to contain the rapid spread of the new coronavirus is now testing the limits of that surveillance system. Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg

At this point, with half the world in lockdown, it goes without saying that we are living through an episode that will leave an indelible mark on our future. We are no longer just talking about the deaths and the economic crisis the coronavirus pandemic will undoubtedly cause, but about much deeper changes we will have to make to prepare ourselves for a future that suddenly no longer seems so attractive.

The coronavirus has jolted us back to reality. We may have thought we were enjoying the greatest period of well-being in history, but now we know we are vulnerable, that we live on a planet we are destroying and making uninhabitable for our species, and that our activity causes mutations in microorganisms that periodically manifest themselves as dangerous pathogens. The best that this pandemic can provide us with is the evidence that things should not return to the way they were before.

How will we live when we have the pandemic under control? Everything we are learning about the coronavirus should help us prepare better for future pandemics, which there will be. At the moment we know that acting quickly is essential, that covering things up, downplaying the threat or not taking responsibility just makes things worse, and that some countries are doing much better than others in flattening the curve and containing the pandemic. As I commented at the time: the United States was a disaster waiting to happen.

We now know what we only suspected at the beginning of the month: the enormous importance of testing. The more test kits are available, the simpler and the faster they are, the better. The commitment to diagnosing as many people as possible set those countries that are managing to contain the pandemic apart from those that continue to see the number of infections rise.

In addition, we must maintain the lockdown, however difficult. We should listen to somebody who grew up in a society where there were no civil rights, Angela Merkel, talk about how the current situation justifies restricting our movements. And matters will not stop there: people might have been shocked when they saw China use apps and geolocation to control the movements of its population during the spread of the infection, but we now see Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan following suit: their success is being used to justify population control measures that would be completely unacceptable under normal circumstances.

Now, with the pandemic spreading exponentially, the US is considering suspending some constitutional rights, and asking for information from Facebook, Google and other technology companies about to implement measures similar to Chinas, to the extent you can do so in a democratic country. European mobile phone operators are beginning to share their users data with the authorities to identify their customers movements without revealing their identity, so far honoring the GDPRbut that could soon change.

Were going to have to adapt the social contract to facilitate the mechanisms to allow the state to bring populations under greater control by monitoring them without giving up our civil rights when the lockdown is lifted. In the future, health care will change drastically, and monitoring devices will become fundamental. Being able to impose a really effective quarantine without idiots trying to escape to the country, being able to guarantee that an infected person remains isolated or being able to trace the movements of someone during the period they could be acting as a vector of the disease becomes key, but without becoming a police state.

Were going to have to do more if were going to bring the coronavirus under control, and leveraging technology to do so makes perfect sense. Quarantines must be tightened, research must allow us to understand why some people only have mild symptoms while others become seriously ill or die, even if it means sequencing the DNA of all those who undergo testing. And we must accept this as something exceptional, as something to help resolve a crisis, without losing our hard-won civil rights.

The coronavirus has made us aware of many things. Among them, that we can slow down and halt an epidemic. Now, let us act with the same determination to solve a more serious problem: the climate emergency. Let us act to change the way we live and turn ways of alleviating the crisis through subsidies and temporary aid into a safety net system by providing unconditional basic income to keep the entire population above the poverty level, not only in the face of a pandemic, but forever.

Can we ensure that these exceptional measures are not cemented in place? The only way lies in redefining the social contract. That will be just one of the many things we will have to do in the hopefully not-too distant future.

We really need to get our heads round this one

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Coronavirus, Surveillance And The Redefinition Of The Social Contract - Forbes

By James K. Galbraith

Los Angeles Times

As the COVID-19 crisis deepens, my fellow economists have reached deep into their bare cupboards of old ideas, and what have they found?

Models that do not work: bailouts for big companies. Tax cuts for people well-off enough to owe taxes. Cash-grant schemes, a favorite of the universal income crowd.

These tactics wont be effective. We cannot predict how bad the economic situation will get. And however bad it is, you cannot fill the hole with money alone.

In 1929, Irving Fisher, the greatest economist in America, said that stocks had reached a permanently high plateau. In December 2008, the incoming Obama team locked onto a forecast that was out of date by Inauguration Day. The models now are useless. Is the $1-trillion-plus package proposed by the Treasury Department enough? No economist knows. In this situation, we must act without knowing, and do whatever it takes.

But we must act wisely. Bailouts of airlines will benefit those who own stock. Tax cuts, no matter how designed, are geared toward people who have money to tax. These are not priorities.

Cash grants are another issue. Cash is simple, appealing and welcome although getting it quickly to those most in need is not so easy. But the main problem right now is not a shortage of cash.

The critical looming problem is the security and stability of basic supplies. We can beat the virus if people are separated and sheltered in safe and secure homes and apartments. For that, they must remain housed and fed.

We need medical supplies, as everyone knows: masks, oxygen, respirators, ventilators. We need field hospitals, converting hotels and dormitories and even stadiums. We need people trained quickly to work these facilities and to be paid well for work that requires them to be on the front lines. We need to gear up factories all over the country to make the necessary goods, on the assumption that global supply chains will not be revived before inventories run out. For these tasks, we need workers.

We also need more basic, everyday items that flow across the country in vast domestic networks: food, cleaners, disinfectants, paper goods, motor fuel. They need to get into grocery stores, pharmacies and gas stations. For all that, we need truckers, stockers, checkout clerks, managers. Even the restaurants that now only offer takeout will need drivers. We need security guards in the stores. In short, our critical service and distribution workers need to stay on the job.

These needs arent going to be addressed by bailouts. And cash grants come with two big hazards. First, they may fuel panic buying and hoarding, accelerating the rush to shortages, deepening hardship and even hunger for those who do the right thing and refuse to panic. Second, cash grants may encourage essential low-wage workers to stay home, making it difficult to keep the distribution chains working as they must.

We need instead to guarantee that our critical sectors food, fuel, medicines, household basics all stay open, while everything inessential is closed. For this, workers in those sectors need higher wages, health protections, a guarantee that medical costs will be covered if incurred. Amazon has raised wages, and that is a start. All big distributors, grocery and drug chains and fast-food franchises should follow.

Well also need many more workers in health care a sector where armies of domestic workers could quickly deploy their cleaning and housekeeping skills. People with some training in health care proper can get more. People who have quit the sector can come back. Better pay will help here as well.

The millions now being laid off do need expanded unemployment insurance a shelter-in-place supplement would replace some lost income. The fast way to do this is through employers; just have the government reimburse them.

But more important for those at home is to cut their costs. Los Angeles has enacted a moratorium on evictions and late fees for renters. The federal administration has announced a moratorium on foreclosures for some mortgages. These are proper steps. Internet and other basic telecommunications services should be made free for the duration. The government can support closed businesses with loans and grants to keep them in hibernation until this abates.

Can all this be paid for? Of course it can be. Whatever we can do, we can afford. Getting caught up in budget guesswork, business as usual for Congress and economists, is a time-consuming mistake. In the end, the problem is not money. It is speed, logistics, targeting.

For that, a Health Finance Corporation, modeled after the Reconstruction Finance Corporation of Depression and World War II fame, with unlimited borrowing power, can put the money where it is needed. States and cities, the National Guard and the Army, business and labor can all do their part. If we act, at once and wisely, a better America will rise to the call.

James K. Galbratih teaches at the University of Texas at Austin.

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Commentary: We need food, medicine and safety not tax cuts and corporate bailouts to face coronavirus - The Daily World

KEY POINTS

New Zealands Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ordered a month-long lockdown for the country beginning on Wednesday to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

Schools and businesses will shut down, residents will be required to stay indoors and only essential services -- supermarkets, banks, pharmacies, doctors clinics, service stations and gas stations -- will be open.

Nonessential services like bars, cafes, restaurants and cinemas will be closed.

Public transport will be available only for those people who work in essential services.

New Zealand, a nation of 4.8 million, has confirmed more than 100 cases of the virus, but no deaths yet.

New Zealand has already closed its borders to foreign travelers.

Ardern said that community transmission of the virus was taking place in New Zealand and that, in a worst case, the number of cases would double every five days, meaning that ultimately tens of thousands of people could die.

The worst case scenario is simply intolerable, it would represent the greatest loss of New Zealanders lives in our history and I will not take that chance. Ardern said. I say to all New Zealanders: the government will do all it can to protect you. Now Im asking you to do everything you can to protect all of us. Kiwis go home.

If the number of new virus infections slows down after a month, the lockdown will be partly relaxed in specific areas, she added.

The situation here is moving at pace, and so must we. The trajectory is very clear, act now or risk the virus taking hold as it has elsewhere, Ardern added. We currently have 102 cases, but so did Italy once, now the virus has overwhelmed their health system, and hundreds of people are dying every day. Today, get your neighbors phone number, set up a community group chat, get your gear to work from home, cancel social gatherings of any size or shape, prepare to walk around the block while keeping a two-meter [6.5 feet] distance between you. If in doubt, dont go out.

After Arderns announcement, New Zealand witnessed panic buying at grocery and liquor stores, while phone lines were overwhelmed.

New Zealands stock market plunged 8.65% on Monday.

Ardern also noted that police officers and even the military will enforce the lockdown.

We dont want to get to a place where we need to enforce these instructions, but we will if required, said Commissioner of Police Mike Bush.

It is an unprecedented scenario for the country.

We are all as a nation preparing to go into self-isolation, in the same way we have seen many other nations do, Ardern added. These measures will place the most significant restrictions on New Zealanders movements in modern history, this is not a decision taken lightly but it is our best chance to slow the virus and save lives. I know what I am asking for is significant, but I ask New Zealanders to move through this next phase in an orderly way.

Simon Bridges, the opposition leader, as well as scientists and public health experts had been calling for shutdown.

Finance minister Grant Robertson said he might introduce a universal basic income for all New Zealanders. Otherwise, New Zealanders might be able to access their superannuation accounts early, like Australians already can. Robertson also said the shutdown has the support of the business community.

Robertson also said the government will inject NZ$4 billion [$2.3 billion] into the economy over the next eleven weeks. He also unveiled support for mortgage holders, a business finance guarantee scheme and a freeze on all rent hikes.

We cannot guarantee to stop all job losses, but we are doing our best to cushion the blow, Robertson said.

Australia, which has reported thousands of virus, cases, started some lockdown measures on Monday, but has not imposed self-isolation.

More:

New Zealand Orders Month-Long Lockdown To Halt Spread Of Coronavirus - International Business Times

This article originally appeared on VICE UK.

You sit at home, desperately trying to video call your colleagues from your badly lit bedroom. Your housemate watches Yoga with Adriene next door on YouTube, and your mum tries to FaceTime you for the third time today. Somewhere outside, a child screams. As you stare out your window, making eye contact with the man in the house across the road, you start to realise that this coronavirus thing is making people act... weird.

Who would have thought it would take a mere global pandemic to get us behaving like this? Downloading episodes of Friends onto a hard drive in case the internet goes down or stockpiling a dry roasted peanuts, Chardonnay, and tins of pineapple because it felt like the right thing to do at the time?

We have officially as a nation lost it. Of course, this a stressful time for many people, but this coronavirus outbreak is really showing the unique and deeply unsettling ways many respond in times of crisis. Here are some of the tribes youll encounter during this madness:

Your phone pings. Aunty Ruth has sent you a message. 'Weird,' you think. You didnt even know she had your number. Hi luv. Just wondering if youve seen the news about wuhans virology lab? Dont u think its strange. China def started it. Check out this link. Luv uxx

The link opens to a news site youve never heard of. You leave it.

Another ping. It's a forwarded image of a message from someone called "Daddy". Big news: not sure if the second half is 100% percent checking BUT 1. Whole country is going on Lockdown on Friday for 15 days. They expect the peak to hit in this period. All companies will have to Wfh. Army are being deployed to London for support. 2. Prince Philip has apparently passed away (albeit not from Coronavirus) and this will be announced in the next day or two. I believe my source is good in the Royal media office."

Just saw this and thought you should know. say hi to mum for me xx.

You block the number.

Really think gvmt need to make internet accessible to all as isolation takes hold, writes one lukewarm take merchant on Twitter.

Worried about layoffs a basic income for everyone could become necessity! No 10 needs to act, says another.

A disgrace that the NHS is so underfunded. Lack of ventilators will cost lives. Cash injection now!

This is what youre seeing as you idly scroll your Twitter timeline on Day Two of social distancing. Are you really reading this from the same people who spent the entire 2019 election campaign writing broadsheet op-eds titled things like Labours Socialist Plans Will Bring Pestilence on the UK, Rail and Utility Nationalisation Is For Idiots, and More Money For Schools? LOL?

Could it be that in a time of national crisis (and indeed at all times!), socialist policies are simply the most humane and most practical strategies to enact? Could it be that furnishing everyone with the dignity of a basic income, secure housing, and reliable utilities is actually good??

You are phoning your dad to make sure he is OK, what with the "everything" that has been going on. Youre expecting a bit of banter about there being no pasta in the shops (what the bloody hell are you going to eat then, thats all you can cook isnt it? etc. etc.), and some gentle chat about working from home. Instead this is what happens:

You: Alright dad, how are you? Staying safe?

Dad: Safe? What do you mean?

You: Well, with the virus and everything.

Dad: Oh bloody hell you dont believe all that do you?

You [realising now the magnitude of what you are dealing with, of the immensity of this mans belief that he is right in every situation this is, after all, the person who lost Trivial Pursuit screaming the answer is ALAN SHEARER; that fucking question card is WRONG and didnt speak to anyone for 12 hours afterwards]: Yes! Have you not been staying in?

Dad: No, are we supposed to? I was just on the way to the pub actually

Mind you, he is fuming that theres no bog roll in the Co-Op down the road, so its not like hes completely unbothered.

The preppers aren't always the ones you expect. Theyre not overly organised, but now you think about it they do have a sort of quiet, unhinged energy about them. Head round to theirs for a coffee, and you'll notice the UHT milk (Sorry its not fresh! Got loads of these though!), or the four packets of rice, 30 instant noodles, pasta, and jelly (weird flex but OK). Fine, you guess. Then you'll find out about the 6 AM trips to Sainsburys and the bag of cash under their bed, and you will be able to confirm that yes, indeed, you have found The Prepper.

You dont mock them though, because, ultimately, when youre subsisting off spoonfuls of mustard and rice, staring down the barren aisle in a Tesco Metro, you will need them more than ever.

"HEY GUYS, PLEASE JUST LET ME KNOW IF YOURE GOING OUT OR USING PUBLIC TRANSPORT. IVE PUT OUT SOME MORE HAND SANITISER AND DISINFECTANT WIPES AROUND THE HOUSE, SO PLEASE MAKE USE OF THEM AND ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS WHEN YOU GET IN. JAMES: I HEARD YOU COUGH AROUND 2PM YESTERDAY. PLEASE STAY IN YOUR ROOM AND LET US KNOW IF YOU COUGH AGAIN. ALSO NO BFS/GFS AT THE MOMENT. SORRY GUYS JUST A BIT STRESSED HERE SURE IT WILL BE FINE DONT USE MY TOWELS OR MUGS."

Everyone who rents knows that renting in most cases is shit. You pay half your monthly wages to a shadowy and malevolent letting agent to live in a damp box in a "desirable location" (above a chippy in Clapton, 20 minutes from the nearest station) that you aren't even allowed to decorate with a measly Blu-tacked photo on the wall. This is, at best, financially destabilising and at worst actually degrading.

Everyone who rents knows this. Usually, it hums along in your brain as a sort of general background awareness, sometimes peaking with a red wash of anger when the oven breaks and it takes the landlord or agency three weeks to respond to your email, let alone fix it.

But right now, as the economy collapses in on itself, and all those most likely to rent (i.e. younger and lower income workers) are let go from their precarious jobs with no guarantee theyll be able to keep the roofs over their heads your resentment has been sharpened. Youve started a WhatsApp group called "RENT STRIKE FUCK THEM" and youve been reading up on property law while you self-isolate with a cough that is being made worse by the damp in your room. It goes without saying that you are a legend and I love you.

@RubyJLL @hiyalauren

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All the Coronavirus Tribes You've Met During the Outbreak - VICE

This blog is part of a special series on the response to the coronavirus.

By Vitor Gaspar and Paolo Mauro

A key role of government is to protect the well-being of its peoplemost crucially and visibly during emergencies such as the recent outbreak of the coronavirus. The IMF has $50 billion available in rapid-disbursing emergency financing to help countries suffering from the virus. As Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said, what we want is to guarantee that people are not going to die because of a lack of money.

Saving Lives

The priority for governments and the global community is to prevent people from contracting the disease and to cure those who do. More health spending can save lives both at home and globally.

Given the virus rapid contagion, action can help ensure that countries health systemsincluding those that have limited capacitydo not become overwhelmed.

The health spending must occur regardless of how much room in the budget a country may have. Low-income countries urgently need grants or zero-interest loans to finance the health spending they might not otherwise be able to afford. Experience with past epidemics, such as Ebola, shows that speed in deploying concessional finance is essential to contain the spread of the disease.

Developing an effective vaccine also requires public money.

More health spending will save lives.

A plan to protect people and firms

Governments should protect people from the economic impact of this global health crisis. Those who are hit the hardest should not go bankrupt and lose their livelihood through no fault of their own. A family-operated restaurant in a tourism-reliant country, or the employees of a factory shut down because of a local quarantine will need support to weather the crisis.

Depending on their administrative capacity, governments can help people and firms right now in several ways:

1. Spend money to prevent, detect, control, treat, and contain the virus, and to provide basic services to people that have to be quarantined and to the businesses affected. For example, national governments can allocate money for local governments to spend in these areas or mobilize clinics and medical personnel to affected places, as China and Korea have done.

2. Provide timely, targeted, and temporary cash flow relief to the people and firms that are most affected, until the emergency abates.

Give wage subsidies to people and firms to help curb contagion. For example, France, Japan, and Korea are providing subsidies to firms and individuals for leave taken to stay home to care for children during school closings. France is offering sick leave to people directly affected by the virus who have to self-quarantine.

Expand and extend transfersboth cash and in-kind, especially for vulnerable groups. China is accelerating payments of unemployment insurance benefits and expanding social safety nets. Korea is increasing job seekers allowances for young adults and expanding them for low-income households.

Provide tax relief for people and businesses who cant afford to pay. China is easing the tax burden for firms in the most vulnerable regions and sectors, including transportation, tourism, and hotels. Korea is providing income and VAT tax extensions to businesses in the affected industries. China, Italy, and Vietnam are offering tax extensions to cash-strapped businesses. Iran is simplifying taxation for corporations and businesses. China is allowing for a temporary suspension of social security contributions for firms.

3.Create a business continuity plan. Whether you are a ministry of finance or a tax or customs administration, you need to provide services to citizens, taxpayers, and importers in case of widespread contagion, relying as much as possible on electronic means. For example, in the United States, the Federal Emergency Management Agency coordinates the continuity of operations and activities in the federal government.

Some of these measures can occur through administrative means and others would require an emergency budget, which would also take stock of the overall fiscal cost.

It is also important to communicate to the public how emergency action and changes to original budgets are compatible with stability and sustainability. IMF capacity development can help countries to strengthen their administrative emergency response capacities in public financial management and revenue administration.

To support governments requiring financial assistance, several facilities are available from the IMF and the global community, as highlighted by the IMFC.

Right now, the most effective fiscal support measures to the economy are the ones we discuss above. These will prevent or limit the spread of the disease and protect the people and firms most affected. Countries so-called automatic stabilizersthe fall in taxes and rise in unemployment and other benefits for those whose incomes and profits declinewould also kick in.

The next IMF Fiscal Monitor in April 2020 will return to these issues and provide further details on policies undertaken until then by our member countries.

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Fiscal Policies to Protect People During the Coronavirus Outbreak - International Monetary Fund

The Democratic Partys tightening embrace of socialist proposals and politicians is real cause for alarm, especially in a country whose very foundation is liberty. Indeed, the precious freedoms that exist here in America have always set us apart. Just think about how many people still want to come to the United States to have a share in the America dream. That should say a lot about just how precious our freedoms are and why we must never take them for granted.

Because of the freedoms secured by brave patriots long ago and preserved time and again for generations, our land is one of endless opportunity where hard work, determination and innovation are rewarded, and the American dream can be achieved regardless of where youve come from. And its because of the underlying foundation of freedom, opportunity and the rule of law. With socialisms popularity dangerously rising, dont be deceived. Our framers trusted free people, free speech and free markets for a reason, and we should continue to do so.

In the course of the current presidential campaign, several Democratic presidential candidates have either rolled out or voiced their support for socialist proposals. Even more disconcerting, self-proclaimed socialist Senator Bernie Sanders recently went so far as to offer a measure of praise for communist dictator Fidel Castro of Cuba, yet the regime Castro founded still mistreats and oppresses its own citizens and still associates with other oppressive and corrupt governments. Its worth remembering that many Cubans have embarked on journeys to flee this oppression and live freely in America revealing the true state of their oppressed homeland and the dangers posed by communism.

But the Democratic embrace of socialism extends beyond the presidential debate stage. Throughout this Congress, House Democrats have put forward numerous legislative proposals that are alarmingly radical and, quite simply, socialist in nature. Widely talked about are bills like the so-called Medicare for All and Green New Deal, as well as budget busting proposals for free college tuition and universal basic income.

While it might be appealing to pursue what sounds like the be all end all with Medicare for All, Democrats promised that less than a decade ago with the so-called Affordable Care Act. Back then, Americans were promised they could keep their doctors, that they could stay on their current plans and that their premiums would go down. None of those things turned out to be true, yet Democrats have pushed for a total government takeover of the industry with their Medicare for All proposal. Aside from its staggering cost, estimated at more than $32 trillion over 10 years, Medicare for All would cause more than 158 million Americans to lose their current coverage. In fact, private health insurance would be completely banned. That means anyone with private, employer-based or union-based health insurance would lose their plans in place of the governments one-size-fits-all coverage. Even if you like your plan, theres no question you really wouldnt be able to keep it. Moreover, the Medicare system, which millions of recipients have paid taxes into for a lifetime, would be flooded by people who have paid little or nothing into the system.

When it comes to the Green New Deal, Republican opposition to it does not mean Republicans dont care about the environment. Certainly, there is an abundance of ideas about how we can be better stewards of the earth and good stewards of taxpayer dollars as well. Unfortunately, the Green New Deal is really socialism masking as environmentalism. Even though the plan was presented as the means to save the earth from destruction, only a small part of the plan actually addresses environmental policy. In fact, much of the proposals cost would go toward purely socialist policies like a federal job guarantee and economic security for all who are unable or unwilling to work.

Several Democratic presidential candidates have echoed the idea of a universal basic income program, providing a regular, taxpayer-funded paycheck to cover basic living expenses, eliminating the value and necessity of work. At a cost of at least $2.8 trillion annually, such a program would not only demolish the federal budget, but it would also discourage people from working at all. The consequences would be disastrous for the nations economy and job creators who want to hire more not less.

America is not a country that thrives because of big government. It thrives because its citizens know that hard work is rewarded, freedom is protected, and individuals can enjoy the fruits of their labor as they see fit. It is that dream of personal freedom and individual property that has defined America as the land of opportunity. It is that opportunity that has and will continue to draw people to our land while making America the envy of the world.

To contact Congressman Cole, call 202-225-6165 or 580-357-2131.

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Column: Socialism is not the American way | Opinion - Duncan Banner

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I.

One issue that was on the minds of Island residents this year, as well as a hot topic around the world in 2019, is climate change.

And the most notable climate story in P.E.I. was the effects of post-tropical storm Dorian.

P.E.I. Premier Dennis King told The Guardians political reporter Stu Neatby in a year-end interview that the storm provided a learning opportunity for the new government.

Part 1 of the interview appeared online and in the Dec. 30 edition of The Guardian. The following is Part 2, which has been edited for brevity and clarity.

The Guardian: Looking at the impacts on the Island, what lessons did we learn in terms of how to manage emergencies, climate storms like that?

Dennis King: This was a big one. It impacted a broader area than we had first anticipated.

On Sunday, Monday morning (after the storm) we thought, "oh, well we seem like we've missed the brunt of this." But if you've ventured outside the city of Charlottetown and you drove all the way to Tignish, to Souris and you knew the impact of the Trees.

The one thing I would say I hope we learned from this is, as much as you possibly can be, you have to be extremely flexible in this. You have to be able to pivot quickly. But you also have to keep the Islanders informed to the best extent that you can because we live in an age where everything is immediate.

But I do think we did an amazing job as a province with the first responders getting done what we needed to get done in a short time. It was a horrible mess. Luckily, we didn't have any lives lost, we didn't have any major infrastructure or buildings that fell down. We'll just learn from it and try to take from it what we need to and prepare for the next storm, which we know is coming.

TG: You're likely to start negotiations on carbon pricing with the federal government in 2020. Do you imagine Prince Edward Island will see a similar backstop from what you've seen for provinces like Ontario or Manitoba or will we continue on with a drop in excise taxes?

DK: The agreement we inherited from the previous government was probably an ease into the process of the carbon levy and how that will be applied going forward. I would probably suggest that we will evolve a little bit from that current one.

I would like us to continue to make investments to incentivize Islanders to make sure that we work to become more environmentally friendly on carbon reduction. But I think Islanders are in a better position to be open to accepting a greater responsibility when it comes to carbon reduction.

But also, I think there's a greater opportunity for Prince Edward Island to find the economic opportunities connected to the changing environment. Probably early in the new year I will be wanting to put together some kind of a task force to be a little more aggressive when it comes to finding the new economic opportunities wrapped within the environment.

All of that, I think, will be included in that carbon discussion going forward. I think there is probably a fair expectation from the federal government that we be a little more open to carrying more of that burden going forward.

TG: The economy is humming, job growth is up, but still people feel there's a disconnect. Why do you think some people feel they've been left behind by the strong economic performance of P.E.I.?

DK: I think it's a phenomenon that you see on the national scene as well.

But if you spend time, as I do, walking around, talking to people, there's a sense and a feeling that people at the upper middle part of that are doing very well. But there's a sense that there's people under that who don't feel that they're getting as big a piece of it.

You'll probably see in the weeks ahead that we'll do some more sharing of some of the revenues with some people at the lower end and social services. You're going to see another increase in the minimum wage.

I do think we have to find a way to make sure that more of our economy is shared.

TG: It almost sounds like you're talking yourself into a scheme like a basic income guarantee. Do you think that's the sort of thing we need to address some of the challenges out there?

DK: I've been very impressed in the premise of a basic income guarantee. I've been doing a lot of studying on papers from the U.S. about a job guarantee. Is there a hybrid model for P.E.I. that we can follow or chart the course for? I don't know.

I would like to find a made-in-P.E.I. way to do this. I think we're small enough to be able to do that. There is a flicker of interest at the federal level to be open to seeing what we could do. I'm hoping to exploit that a little further in the new year.

TG: Recently, your minister of agriculture introduced changes to the Land Protection Act. There will be more transparency around shareholders, an increase in fines for people who violate the provisions of the LPA. Do you think these changes were enough to close what some people have called the loopholes in the LPA?

DK: I think they're a positive first start. I think we've been committed since the beginning that this is an issue that successive governments have kicked down the road for a long time. So, I think these are important first steps that we're taking to close some of the most glaring loopholes, if that's what we want to call them. But there's much more to be done.

Look, agriculture's our biggest economic contributor. It's a huge, huge boost to the tax purse. That's how we're able to fund social programs, all the things that we've been doing. So, we have to be very careful in how we proceed with this. But it is evident to me and it has been for a long time that Islanders want to see some changes here.

TG: In 2019, you became premier, you became head of your political party. What's been the highs and lows?

DK: At my very root I'm a political junky as well. That I went to the lieutenant-governor and she asked me to form a government, that was pretty exciting for me. I would have never thought a year before that was even possible.

In terms of lows, the pace at which government works makes it difficult to do things quickly. There's lots of things I'd like to do more quickly, but I'm finding (with) a bureaucracy of thousands of people spread out across P.E.I., it's difficult.

But I love the fact that we have a minority government. I think it's the greatest gift I've been given. I love the way we're operating. I'm very, very proud of that and I'm really excited to see what it brings.

It's (a) minority, so I don't know if we'll be here in a year or if you'll be with somebody else. I have no idea. But I'm going to just take every day as it comes and just try to do the very best I can for Prince Edward Islanders and to make their lives a little bit better.

Due to technical issues, the online portion of Stu Neatby's interview with Premier Dennis King will not be available until later in January. Watch The Guardian for confirmation of the date.

Twitter.com/stu_neatby

RELATED:Dennis King reflects on year one of P.E.I.'s 'grand experiment'

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P.E.I. Premier Dennis King talks climate, economy and highs and lows in Part 2 of his year-end interview with The Guardian - The Journal Pioneer