Divisions on The New Stimulus Bill

Negotiations over the past couple of days have revealed stark divisions on how to lead our nation forward through this pandemic. This is an obviously emotional issue for all sides, with no one really having a clear idea on what to do next.
 
They are so divided at this point that they don’t even have a starting point for negotiations. Sticking points on both sides include but are not limited to…
 
– The amount of additional unemployment money to include in the new bill. Many are saying that the $600 weekly figure should be reduced in order for unemployed workers to have an incentive to go back to work.
 
– The White House is pushing for a moratorium on payroll tax collection. Many Congressmen are saying that this will not give the economy the boost that it needs. Their reasoning is that if you don’t have the money for payroll or need workers in the first place, then how does a reduction in payroll tax help?
 
– The White House is also trying to tie additional school funding to reopening the schools. Many Congressmen are saying that parents are still too afraid to send their children to school, so this should not be a requirement. A major Chicago Newspaper recently reported that only 2 out of 5 parents surveyed were comfortable sending their kids back to a physical school.
 
– Many Congressmen are also concerned about the overall price tag of the bill. We are now running deficits that are unprecedented in the annals of American History. Sooner or later, all unpaid bills become due.
 
– Many are also talking about a second round of forgivable loans for business owners. The PPP Loan Program has come under fire in recent weeks. Many are saying that it doesn’t actually do what it was designed to do. Others are saying that given the fact that over $100B is yet to be claimed, it is not the success that many tout it as being. Further, many are concerned about the amount of fraud which would be all-pervasive, if smaller loans are just forgiven.
 
– The issue about liability protection for businesses is yet another issue. Given the fact that lawmakers are mostly lawyers, the concept of giving blanket immunity to businesses, goes against the very fiber of their being.
 
Of course, this is all just on one side of the aisle. The Democrats have already passed a $3 Trillion Stimulus package that was dead on arrival in the Republican controlled Senate over a month ago.
 
Congressional leaders are confident that they will introduce a bill shortly that will begin the negotiation process. Hopefully they will get something passed before Congress goes on it’s August hiatus.
 
Let me leave you with this one thought…
 
About thirty years ago, when I was in my early twenties, I used to go bowling with my Uncle Archie. He wasn’t my real uncle. Arch was more of a third cousin on my Mother’s side.
 
Since my Father had died on Inauguration Day when I was four, it was decided that I should spend more time with the male members of my family. Archie was a full-blooded Choctaw Indian that had fought with General Patton’s Third Army throughout Europe. Archie retired from the Army a full Master Sergeant with two Purple Hearts and forty-seven confirmed kills.
 
Stop. Take a minute, and think about what I just said about the forty-seven confirmed kills. Only whatever God you pray to has any idea what the real number actually was. They were only able to confirm forty-seven. Whatever the real number was, it was a lot.
 
So Archie and I went bowling one Wednesday night at a joint on Milwaukee Avenue that was up on the second floor near six corners. I was still in college, so I couldn’t have been more than twenty-one or twenty-two. I stood 6’2″ at 142 lbs. He was a hobbled over sixty-five year old that probably weighed 170 lbs. soaking wet.
 
When we were done bowling we stopped off at a local bar for beer. While we were there, a truck driver started being belligerent to Arch. The driver was about 35 years old and outweighed both of us by at least 100 lbs. This thing got ugly fast. I was basically getting ready to get my butt kicked when Archie calmed the situation down and bought the guy a beer.
 
A while later we left. As we were walking down Milwaukee back to the car, I looked at him and said, “Uncle Archie, weren’t you afraid?”
 
He looked at me without batting an eye and said, “Of course not C. Do you know how many guys that size that I have killed?” And that was it. We never spoke about it again.
 
It was just a simple matter of fact.
 
When we buried Arch, seven of the guys from his old unit came to pay their respects. As it turned out, four of them were alive because of the valor of an amazing Choctaw from the Northwest Side of Chicago.
 
I tell you this story to try to put things into some sort of perspective. Things are bad. They may get worse. But at least you aren’t in France freezing your toes off in a fox hole getting shelled.
 
You’re going to get through this. We will all get through this together. Keep looking up.
 
Accounting Solutions Ltd. stands ready to complete our mission and purpose of protecting you, your family, and your business. If there is ever anything that you need, whether you are a current client or not, you have but to ask. I’m here and I remain,
 
Sincerely yours,
 
Chris Amundson
President
Accounting Solutions Ltd.
773-267-7500
 
www.AccountingSolutionsLtd.com
 
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