A GUARANTEED INCOME FOR PEOPLE / A WATCHDOG OVER BUSINESS
ACTION ONE: CALL YOUR SENATORS
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR WYDEN AND MERKLEY:
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because…
I imagine that you are as [disappointed/heartbroken/outraged] as I am that $750million — and counting — of the Paycheck Protection Program went to publicly traded companies and businesses that no one would ever call “small.”
Businesses need loans, but businesses won’t save everyone. People also need money going directly to them. So while I support helping businesses – with strong congressional oversight – I ask the Senator to support a guaranteed monthly income. The pandemic may last a long time, and people need direct, consistent help to weather this storm. Thank you.
CALL SENATOR MERKLEY
CALL SENATOR WYDEN
ACTION TWO: CALL YOUR HOUSE REPS
Not sure who your U.S. Representative is? Find out here.
SAMPLE SCRIPTS FOR REPRESENTATIVES:
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because…
All but Walden:
I imagine that you are as [disappointed/heartbroken/outraged] as I am that $870 million – and counting –– of the Paycheck Protection Program went to publicly traded companies and businesses that no one would ever call “small.”
Small businesses need loans, but businesses won’t save everyone. People also need money going directly to them. So while I support helping businesses – with strong congressional oversight – I ask the Senator to support a guaranteed monthly income. The pandemic may last a long time, and people need direct, consistent help to weather this storm. Thank you.
Walden:
Republicans are doing what they always do in an economic crisis – throw money at business and hope they solve the problem. Now we watch while big businesses take $750 million and counting from a lifeline meant for small businesses, the Paycheck Protection Program.
To truly protect the economy, we need a guaranteed monthly income that goes directly to people. The pandemic will last too long to weather by trying to sustain only businesses, and then expecting them to protect workers.
CALL SUZANNE BONAMICI (OR-01)
CALL GREG WALDEN (OR-02)
CALL BLUMENAUER (OR-03)
CALL PETER DEFAZIO (OR-04)
CALL KURT SCHRADER (OR-05)
ACTION THREE: HELP REGISTER VOTERS FROM YOUR HOME
Organizing for the 2020 Election is going VIRTUAL!
- Find virtual events at http://swingleft.org/
- Host a virtual letter-writing party! Get started here: http://swingleft.org/p/virtual-letter-writing-party
- You can still call voters in Wisconsin about their April 7th election. Sign up for training and call info here. http://www.mobilize.us/swingleft/event/263614/
Stay tuned — more activities to come!
BACKGROUND:
We need one another to weather this pandemic. We also need to trust our government. That trust was shaken by news that $870 million – or nearly $1 billion — in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)loans meant for small businesses went to big businesses instead.
- Three luxury hotel companies controlled by one Trump donor: $126S million.
- Auto Nation, worth $3 billion: $77 million for separate dealerships.
- The LA Lakers, worth $4.4 billion: $4.6 million.
- Several restaurant chains, a $100 million Kentucky coal company, a cruise line, a holding company whose former board member is now Ambassador to Ireland, and a biotech firm that had just paid a multimillion settlement to the Justice Department all received loans between $2 and $10 million.
Yes, we need oversight. But the mechanisms are slow to be established. And PPP loans aren’t going to fix workers’ problems, even if 100% went to the right businesses.
We need to pass a guaranteed monthly income. The pandemic will last probably into 2021. Unemployment is at 20%. Many jobs will not come back quickly. Congress needs to stop banking on businesses and put money directly into the hands of people. It’s time to pass a monthly guaranteed income bill.
SOURCES:
$750 million went to big businesses: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/26/business/ppp-small-business-loans.html
Other broad coverage:
Specific companies: