Opinion : Letter to the Editor: Speaker Pelosi's bill in response to Covid-19

Editor:

These items were in Speaker Pelosi's house bill on funding American workers who are not now employed or soon will be because of "shelter in place" rules required by most if not all State Governors.  Note that not one item helps any worker who has rent, food, or other items that need attention-  it takes cash.  This plague is not their fault, they need our help, not the junk listed below.

The 11 Democratic demands include:

    $300 million in funding for public broadcasting;

    Expansive new tax credits for solar and wind energy;

    New emissions standards for airlines and a requirement for full carbon offset by 2025;  (How can this possibly work?  The Jet engine technology this requires is not available!!!)

    Required same-day voter registration and early voting;

    Bailouts for the U.S. Postal Service, the union pension fund and student loans;

    Retirement plans for community newspaper employees;

    Publication of corporate pay statistics by race, and race statistics for all corporate boards;

    A $1 billion "Cash for Clunkers"-style program where the government buys planes from airlines;

    $1.5 million to study climate change mitigation efforts in civil aviation and aerospace industries;

    New and burdensome OSHA requirements on hospitals; and,

    $1 billion to build on a program expanded by President Barack Obama that provides discounted phone service for low-income consumers.

This is shameful.  The 1,000 page bill passed by the Senate will take some time to realize what is in it.  As Art Laffer has said when Congress passes an economic package it is generally a mistake.  We shall see.

Art Laffer is an American economist and author who first gained prominence during the Reagan administration as a member of Reagan's Economic Policy Advisory Board (1981-89).

Regards,

John Stiegelmeyer