It was once said by an American novelist that "Adversity does not build character, it defines it". As of today, 40 million Americans are currently seeking unemployment benefits. An estimated 27 million Americans have lost their employment-based health insurance. The website designed for Floridians to claim unemployment benefits is a system designed to fail and as a result; many are left wondering when they will receive the benefits that they desperately need.
Renters across America plea for grace as they struggle to choose between shelter or food. Meanwhile, President Trump downplayed the coronavirus by calling it a "Democratic hoax." He praised President Xi Jinping of China for his containment of the virus.
President Trump lost an entire month in January of this year when his advisors urged him on the seriousness of this virus and prepare the country. He refused to use the Federal Government to lead a collective response, leaving the states to deal with the pandemic in their way. With over 90 thousand Americans dead, President Trump has declared his response to the virus a success. The ideals of a nation are best represented by the actions of its leader. Faced with adversity, the actions taken define our nation as heartless, careless, selfish, and incompetent.
$77 million taxpayer dollars were spent to build Connect, the website Floridians use to file for unemployment. The Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) came under heavy criticism when millions of Floridians were unable to file for unemployment. The website crashed repeatedly and or would kick the user back to the previous page whenever the claimant attempted to submit their application. A Republican lawmaker described the FL's unemployment website as a "sh—sandwich." Governor DeSantis of FL professed that the website was designed to fail. How can a state that pulls millions each year from tourism leave unemployed Floridians with zero benefits? In moments of crisis, we are defined by how we treat the underprivileged. The broken state of the FL unemployment system and the helplessness in action by the FL DEO highlights the gross ineptitude of our leaders. Floridians are in desperate need of help, and when posed with questions about FL's broken benefits system; the Governor resorted to blaming its victims.
As many parts of the country went into lockdown, renters across America emailed their landlords seeking relief and or understanding of why they would not be able to afford their next month's rent. While some states extended a moratorium on rent, renters are being evicted by their landlords. No American should be forced to live on the streets due to circumstances beyond their control. The stimulus check was not enough to prevent eviction for many Americans. The median rent in this country is $1000 and a one-time check of $1200 did little to ease the financial burden felt by the working class. While leaders urged Americans to stay indoors, they did little to help Americans remain indoors. In their efforts to flatten the curve and defeat the spread of viruses, countries like New Zealand suspended the payment of rent nationwide. In the United States, instead of bailing out working-class renters, President Trump opted to give millions to the cruise line industry.
The Pandemic Response Unit, created by the Obama administration, should have never been fired by the current administration. This unit would have given the country an advantage in tackling this pandemic from the start. President Trump's lost month in January could have been used to mass manufacture testing kits and prepare a nationwide free-testing of the virus. Like Canada and New Zealand, America has the means to pay each American two thousand dollars to stay home so we may collectively defeat the virus. Florida's broken unemployment system needed the attention of the federal government to ensure every Floridian received their unemployment benefits in time. Other developed nations managed to contain the spread of the virus by paying its citizens to stay home, suspending mortgage & rental payments, giving loans to small businesses to help keep them afloat, and conducting nationwide testing. What about American exceptionalism prevented us from replicating the policies enacted by other nations?
With the credible threat of the second spike of coronavirus cases this fall, President Trump demands that the country be opened up. As many are being convinced that reopening the country matters more than their lives, President Trump is using the American people as the canary in the coal mine.
