Last week, Jake LaTurner, candidate for Congress, said he thought the additional $600 in unemployment benefits to help those who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic are a bad idea.
LaTurner gave two reasons:
1. They pull down the economy by depleting U.S. coffers, and,
2. They keep the unemployed from looking for work because the expanded benefits add up to more than they can make out in the labor market.
“I’ve talked to business owners where they say the benefits are making it difficult for them to find employees because they are sometimes receiving a lot more in aid than they would working for them.
“We have to figure that out,” he said.
LaTurner, Kansas State Treasurer, stopped in Iola in his quest to win the Republican nomination to represent our 4th District in Congress. Also on the Aug. 4 primary ballot are incumbent Rep. Steve Watkins and Steve Taylor of Topeka, who teaches business law at Washburn University.
CONGRESS extended unemployment benefits when it passed the $2 trillion CARES Act on March 6 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The legislation was passed for the specific purpose of combating the deadly virus by asking industries and businesses to shut down and people to stay home.
The additional unemployment benefits run out July 31.
With unemployment still in the double digits, something tells me it’s not because those newly unemployed are living high on the hog. Rather, it’s going to take awhile for the economy to get back into gear and until then many businesses will hold off getting back to their previous staffing levels.
In Kansas, residents typically are limited to 16 weeks of unemployment each year. Benefits average about $400 a week. Because of the pandemic, eligibility has been extended by 10 weeks, or a total of six months, for a grand total of about $10,400.
No one would opt for that instead of a steady-paying job.
And lest we forget, there’s still a pandemic swirling around with no vaccine.
Labor economists say the $600 benefit is making the difference between being able to make ends meet or sacrificing essential items such as food, rent, or medicines during these difficult times.
