US Stimulus Approved! Discussion thread

[Sarra]

Just now, Mooshi said:

For those that actually need it, $600 is a god damned joke.

Sadly, this was my first thought.

 

Most countries are doing actual payments per month, some even 80% of your pre-pandemic income, while in the US... Nothing for most of a year? Then just a paltry $600?

 

I, personally, don't need a stimulus. I'm working the same hours, with a tiny bump in pay (hazard pay), but I'm an essential worker, so it's a bit different for me.

 

That said, I see people on a daily basis that are struggling, and it would be nice for our government to actually care.

[Letgomyleghoe]

23 hours ago, piratemonkey said:

goodies in it, for stuff like transit and schools iirc. 

500 billion for Iraq... only about 300 billion is actually going to u.s citizens, most of it’s going to other countries.

 

I’m gonna put it towards my savings for a Subaru BRZ

[PianoPlayer88Key]

I'll probably end up putting some toward some repairs / maintenance my car needs, maybe some toward a headset (or at least a headset mic for streams), or it might go toward my "rainy day" / "just in case" fund.

 

That $600 figure got me thinking, though.  I won't personally be spending it on this specifically, but....

I wonder how good of an all-round PC setup (not just gaming, but balanced for all tasks - school, office, content creation, rendering/editing, games, etc) could someone get today, using ONLY new parts? By "setup" I mean the WHOLE shebang - tower, display, peripherals, desk, chair, lights, etc.

[piratemonkey]

23 minutes ago, Letgomyleghoe said:

500 billion for Iraq... only about 300 billion is actually going to u.s citizens, most of it’s going to other countries

Really? Like foreign aid? Or what

[Evolution.]

2 hours ago, CircleTech said:

Tagging @PonyBoyZ_ for some reason.

 

I know what i'm gonna do with the money...

 

Go to the scrapyard and use it to buy PC parts. 

 

Take the PC parts and sell them. 

 

Turn my $600 into $3000.

 

Then take the $3000 and use it to buy more PC parts.

 

Sell the PC parts and turn my $3000 into $15,000.

 

To anyone getting a stimulus check: Try to use the new stimulus check for investing in yourself provided you don't actually need the money (If you do then use it obviously). Use it to start an emergency fund, pay down debt, or just buy something that will end up bringing you a ROI. I'm sure some people on the forum will disagree with me since the government wants you to spend it, but that's at least what I plan to use it for. I'm going to use it to buy some PC parts from the scrapyard, then take those PC parts and bring them with me to college in illinois. That way I can sell things on eBay over the course of the semester to pay my bills and avoid getting a part-time job. I did this last semester with the first stimulus check and it worked out flawlessly. I worked probably 5 hours a week and made the same amount as my friends driving for uber and delivering Pizzas.

 

Plus, a lot of scrap metal yards are suffering right now because of supply chain restrictions and they can't get their metal to China. I also end up helping a small business in the process.

Easier said than done ofc but sounds like the dream lol. No doubt about it I'd be doing something similar.

 

 

What I'm going to use it for? New tires. 

[Zodiark1593]

Well, maybe it’s enough for a video card and Power Supply. Don’t care what brand as Blender supports both pretty equally now. Whichever can deliver first gets the monies. 

[SpaceGhostC2C]

7 hours ago, Mooshi said:

For those that actually need it, $600 is a god damned joke.

7 hours ago, Sarra said:

Sadly, this was my first thought.

 

Most countries are doing actual payments per month, some even 80% of your pre-pandemic income, while in the US... Nothing for most of a year? Then just a paltry $600?

On one hand, $1200 + $600 a year is not a lot. On the other hand, when in need, the first dollar has infinite value to you, so while not that much, it's something. Other countries have deeper social security systems in place that they can leverage in these circumstances.

 

However, regarding

 

7 hours ago, Sarra said:

I, personally, don't need a stimulus.

it works in two ways, a direct and indirect one. The direct effect is: you are need, you get some relief. If you aren't, then  The second effect is: regardless of your situation, you decide to spend some(all of the additional income. That's additional demand that needs to be met by supply, more supply requires more workers, who get and spend wages, creating more demand, and so on. Hence, for those most in need it may be not just $600 today, but $600 today plus a job three months from now, or something like that.

The challenge, compared to other recessions, is that the indirect effect is broken and somewhat of a mystery during the pandemic: many businesses that would hire currently unemployed workers are either legally restricted in their operations, or facing lower demand regardless because people don't want to risk using their services. It's unclear whether this time the stimulus will operate more "normally", but the original check from earlier this year was not a stimulus at all, just pure relief effect.

 

[Sarra]

3 hours ago, SpaceGhostC2C said:

On one hand, $1200 + $600 a year is not a lot. On the other hand, when in need, the first dollar has infinite value to you, so while not that much, it's something. Other countries have deeper social security systems in place that they can leverage in these circumstances.

yeah, that's true... It's just... If you're unemployed, $1800 a year is enough money for food for one person for 2-3 months, forget electricity, rent, and any other supplies you would need (toiletries, clothing, etc.).

 

I did not realize but the stimulus package just approved (it still has to be signed by the Cheeto in Chief) actually has extra allotment for unemployed people, to the tune of $300 a week, which in reality, WILL make a huge difference to persons unemployed, and is very much a step in the correct direction.

3 hours ago, SpaceGhostC2C said:

it works in two ways, a direct and indirect one. The direct effect is: you are need, you get some relief. If you aren't, then  The second effect is: regardless of your situation, you decide to spend some(all of the additional income. That's additional demand that needs to be met by supply, more supply requires more workers, who get and spend wages, creating more demand, and so on. Hence, for those most in need it may be not just $600 today, but $600 today plus a job three months from now, or something like that.

The challenge, compared to other recessions, is that the indirect effect is broken and somewhat of a mystery during the pandemic: many businesses that would hire currently unemployed workers are either legally restricted in their operations, or facing lower demand regardless because people don't want to risk using their services. It's unclear whether this time the stimulus will operate more "normally", but the original check from earlier this year was not a stimulus at all, just pure relief effect.

At least locally, I've noted that there are a large number of businesses hiring right now. It's not glamorous, mostly shelf stockers, shopping cart wranglers, and janitors, but right now, money is money.

[TetraSky]

On 12/21/2020 at 12:36 AM, Zusafek said:

Simple.  Put it in the bank and forget about it like the first stimulus check. My job has not slowed down at all.  I don't have any debt nor any need to upgrade my home computer. 

Wait, how are you even eligible to receive this "stimulus" money if you're still working?

 

Does the US just hand out that check to everybody ? If so, no wonder they only gave a single $1000 check before, instead of sending one every month.

At least in Canada, we had to be unemployed because of Covid or unable to find a job because of it. If you were working, you weren't eligible, unless you made under a certain amount.

[SpaceGhostC2C]

1 hour ago, Sarra said:

At least locally, I've noted that there are a large number of businesses hiring right now. It's not glamorous, mostly shelf stockers, shopping cart wranglers, and janitors, but right now, money is money.

Those jobs are typically the first to let go in the downturn, so it's good that they get hired again.

 

1 hour ago, TetraSky said:

Wait, how are you even eligible to receive this "stimulus" money if you're still working?

I haven't seen the details of this one yet, but if previous packages are anything to go by, the direct payments to individuals take the form of tax credits. The one earlier this year had requirements like having filed taxes in the previous year, or be social security recipients who don't earn enough to file taxes. That's also why the propensity to spend across recipients is key for the overall impact.

 

[Zusafek]

6 hours ago, TetraSky said:

Wait, how are you even eligible to receive this "stimulus" money if you're still working?

 

Does the US just hand out that check to everybody ? If so, no wonder they only gave a single $1000 check before, instead of sending one every month.

At least in Canada, we had to be unemployed because of Covid or unable to find a job because of it. If you were working, you weren't eligible, unless you made under a certain amount.

You have to make under a certain amount of money. Which both my wife and I do.  So they direct deposited the money to myself, my wife, and for my kids.  We took the first round and used it to pay off my son's prepaid college and a decent chunk of my daughters. 

[PhantomJaguarr]

600 usd... hmm.. maybe buy another ssd.

 

Or finally tint my car’s windows. 

[TetraSky]

So trump basically pseudo veto'ed the bill, saying it was disgraceful the people were only getting $600. (He's not wrong on that one... For once)

Or more like, he didn't say he wouldn't sign it, but might just leave it up to the next administration, if they don't want to change anything.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/22/trump-calls-covid-relief-bill-unsuitable-and-demands-congress-add-higher-stimulus-payments.html

 

I'm thinking that's good. The democrats are on board with him as well. Which is almost a miracle. Remains to be seen if the rest of the Republicans will be, though. This bill also seemed to have a LOT tacked on to it, like funding going oversea (wasn't this entire administration's point, to put America First and basically cut off the funding from other countries?) and other shit that frankly had nothing to do with stimulus.

Like this shit right here : Where there's something about copyright in it for some reason.

 

[PlayStation 2]

9 minutes ago, TetraSky said:

So trump basically pseudo veto'ed the bill, saying it was disgraceful the people were only getting $600. Or more like, he didn't say he wouldn't sign it, but might just leave it up to the next administration, if they don't want to change anything.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/22/trump-calls-covid-relief-bill-unsuitable-and-demands-congress-add-higher-stimulus-payments.html

I'm thinking that's good ? It seemed to had have a LOT tacked on to it, that frankly had nothing to do with 

Like this shit right here : Where there's something about copyright in it for some reason.

President Trump wants to aim to get $2000 for eligible people in an updated version of the bill (although, just to note, he doesn't have much skin in the game outside of potentially influencing what Republicans could do with the bill). Speaker of the House Pelosi actually agreed about wanting to push more money out for the checks, in a change of tone for American politics. 

And this is where, after sitting on it for a few days, feel like Americans were finally united in something: they really don't like when Congress fucks them. And let's remove party from it, because I can blab about how Democrats fucked up or how Republicans fucked up, but honestly, Congress as a whole fucking failed America with this. You mean to tell me that they're gonna blow almost a trillion dollars on a "stimulus" bill and all the average Joe gets is a $600 check that says "this is what you're worth, go fuck yourself"? No, that shit wasn't gonna sit well with anyone, no matter where the fuck anyone here stands on politics. I'm actually insulted by the bill itself. Here's to fucking hoping that Congress can actually agree on something that isn't sending billions in aid to Israel.

[rcmaehl]

9 minutes ago, TetraSky said:

 Where there's something about copyright in it for some reason.

 

Check my post history. People will be fine streaming, just not businesses. The CASE act on this other hand.

[Andreas Lilja]

8 hours ago, TetraSky said:

Wait, how are you even eligible to receive this "stimulus" money if you're still working?

Bread and circuses. 

[Sarra]

9 hours ago, TetraSky said:

Wait, how are you even eligible to receive this "stimulus" money if you're still working?

Even people still working need assistance. Most people that still are working are either on horribly reduced hours, reduced pay, both, or had multiple jobs, and had to leave one of them.

 

As I said, my hours got cut, but at the same time, we're getting hazard pay, which basically evens it out. The down side is that the 'reduced hours' part has been eating my PTO up, and as of right now, I have enough vacation time saved up to get a starbucks, and that's about it. I might be making roughly the same amount of money I was before, but it is costing me in other ways, so a stimulus would actually be reasonable.

 

I'm also taking a personal risk by working. My job requires me to go into public, to assisted living facilities, dialysis facilities, the local hospitals, and people's homes. I'm using PPE to minimize my personal risk, but it is still there, and if I get sick, it's not entirely clear to me what would happen to me, other than being quarantined for 2 weeks.

[TetraSky]

31 minutes ago, Sarra said:

The down side is that the 'reduced hours' part has been eating my PTO up,

Wait, because they reduced your hours, they are taking away your PTO ?

I knew the US was shit on that side of things as far as employee benefits go, but that's just ridiculous.

In Canada, we're still getting our vacation time, even if your hours were cut. We got labor laws for a reason.

 

For example:

https://www.cnt.gouv.qc.ca/en/leaves-and-absences/vacation/index.html

Quote

PART-TIME EMPLOYEES AND THEIR VACATION

An employer cannot reduce the length of a part-time employee’s vacation or modify the method of calculation of his indemnity in relation to that of the other employees who perform the same work in the same establishment simply because he works fewer hours per week.

This would apply to reduced hours as well. Doesn't matter how many hours you work in a week, as long as you've worked for over a year, you're entitled to vacation.

[Sarra]

8 minutes ago, TetraSky said:

Wait, because they reduced your hours, they are taking away your PTO ?

I knew the US was shit on that side of things as far as employee benefits go, but that's just ridiculous.

In Canada, we're still getting our vacation time, even if your hours were cut. We got labor laws for a reason.

 

For example:

https://www.cnt.gouv.qc.ca/en/leaves-and-absences/vacation/index.html

This would apply to reduced hours as well. Doesn't matter how many hours you work in a week, as long as you've worked for over a year, you're entitled to vacation.

Well, first off, I'm a full time employee, not part time.

 

Second off, the decision to use PTO to cover days I am unable to be scheduled is technically mine. Just, until recently, we weren't able to choose... The choice is between spending 8 hours of your PTO to cover a day when you aren't scheduled, or having the day off without pay, but keeping your PTO.

 

Third off, my company has been playing 'fast and loose' with PTO hours, usually giving us a really generous amount of extra PTO hours to cover unscheduled days.

 

But, yes... It sucks. on the flip side, I actually get hours. Our part time drivers have all gone elsewhere, because we went from being able to schedule 9 part time shifts per day to... Well, 3 on a good day, 1 on a bad day.

 

Edit: Actually, I think until just last year, the US had no national law at all about providing ANY kind of PTO for part time employees... Part Time Employees are now guaranteed something like 20 hours of sick leave... If you get fired for using your sick time, the company can get fined. Not sure that a company like McDonalds would even care if they got fined, but I'm sure that some localities can make even a multi-national chain like that hurt with a fine for this.

[Andreas Lilja]

https://thehill.com/homenews/news/531389-pelosi-responds-to-trump-lets-push-for-2k-checks-this-week?fbclid=IwAR0f1ErjBRT6C8V0YW6Zr989DqVccjbOQTWzC1S1XXC6bMT7_hDWleGaqKY

 

Goddamned Americans, I want free cash too.

[handymanshandle]

4 hours ago, Sarra said:

Even people still working need assistance. Most people that still are working are either on horribly reduced hours, reduced pay, both, or had multiple jobs, and had to leave one of them.

 

As I said, my hours got cut, but at the same time, we're getting hazard pay, which basically evens it out. The down side is that the 'reduced hours' part has been eating my PTO up, and as of right now, I have enough vacation time saved up to get a starbucks, and that's about it. I might be making roughly the same amount of money I was before, but it is costing me in other ways, so a stimulus would actually be reasonable.

 

I'm also taking a personal risk by working. My job requires me to go into public, to assisted living facilities, dialysis facilities, the local hospitals, and people's homes. I'm using PPE to minimize my personal risk, but it is still there, and if I get sick, it's not entirely clear to me what would happen to me, other than being quarantined for 2 weeks.

I'd have to go full time at my new job to meet and surpass my previous monthly income before the pandemic so yep.
Because my normal job relies on the schools being opened and when the students were in school my hours were far far lower than last school year.

 

[Sarra]

25 minutes ago, pinksnowbirdie said:

I'd have to go full time at my new job to meet and surpass my previous monthly income before the pandemic so yep.
Because my normal job relies on the schools being opened and when the students were in school my hours were far far lower than last school year.

 

Yeah, that's effecting me as well, but not as much as businesses being closed in general.

 

Still taking people to the grocery stores, though. That's good, at least.

[handymanshandle]

1 minute ago, Sarra said:

Yeah, that's effecting me as well, but not as much as businesses being closed in general.

 

Still taking people to the grocery stores, though. That's good, at least.

I work at Fedex which I'd think is more secure than the schools since they were able to shut down the schools lmfao

[Sarra]

2 minutes ago, pinksnowbirdie said:

I work at Fedex which I'd think is more secure than the schools since they were able to shut down the schools lmfao

Hahaha... I was super happy, since I ordered my new PC's parts, and everything was delivered undamaged, on time, and the tracking numbers actually worked. Greatful for Fedex, UPS, and USPS employees of late.  

[GreatnessRD]

It amazes me that these folks making well over 100K a year, spent the last year fighting each other just to say "Look at us, we're giving you folks in dire need $600". Fuckin' trash all the way around. With that out of the way, I'll put $600 in my savings. Can never have enough "Free" money!