Republicans like it all ways. Having gotten into the CARES Act items like a $170 billion tax windfall for real estate developers, they are ready to fight to the death to protect their plutocratic benefactors from liabilities pursuant to the COVID-19 epidemic.

It may be an oversimplification to say that “the business of America is business,” but it is certainly the business of the Republican Party.

At the same time, Republicans are great celebrators of America’s dedicated and responsible working people, if with at least one caveat: That there are among the virtuous throng enough potential layabouts to justify “incentivizing” the recipients of unemployment benefits by cutting the federal supplement by two-thirds and eventually to 70% of previous wages.

That this will compound an already inevitable disruption of needed funds to many families, caused by waiting until close to expiration to address the problem, may be regrettable, as will be the administrative nightmare also likely to occur. Nevertheless, that someone, somewhere, mostly among the lower orders, may be gaming the system has to be guarded against at all costs.

There are those who might reflect that there is something repugnant about the members of a millionaires’ club disciplining those closer to the margins of society to do the right thing. Never fear, though; Republicans will keep people’s taxes low, particularly those who are making seven figures and up.

Where, one wonders, is Sen. Susan Collins on all this?

Ed McCarthy, Vienna


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