There are two kinds of ignorance: the innocent kind, where someone doesn't know something, and the willful, intellectually dishonest kind, where someone is aware of the truth but pretends not to be if it in some way benefits him or her.
I'm honestly not sure which kind New York Times liberal Jamelle Bouie is employing in his latest column, but it's one or the other.
Bouie wrote on Tuesday that the 10 Republican senators who drew up a COVID-19 relief proposal for the White House to consider, which is much less costly than President Biden's own plan, was irrationally tight on the money it would spend. "There’s no rhyme or reason to these cuts," he wrote, "it’s just stinginess for stinginess’s sake."
Biden is seeking a $2 trillion spending bill, which comes: A) after the federal government has already spent $4 trillion on relief and "stimulus" packages; and B) with absolutely no indication as to when Democratic-run states will relax their draconian economic restrictions and allow people back to normal life.
Some Republicans, it turns out, think that just maybe throwing another $2 trillion at the problem isn't the answer, even if they're willing, as the 10 Republican senators are, to throw some money at it. Their proposal is closer to $600 billion, and it takes care of the most important things, such as extending unemployment insurance, providing funding for public schools, and adding money to the small-business loan program. Yes, the GOP's bill doesn't spend as much money as Biden's, but it covers what needs covering.
Stinginess isn't in itself a bad reason to oppose giving out hundreds of billions of dollars in free money, but it's certainly not the only reason Republicans have.
Democrats have enjoyed the pandemic because it gives them a really big excuse to push for a wish list that includes zeroing out student debt, canceling rents, and giving everyone a check from the government every month for no reason other than that they're alive. Biden's proposal inexplicably includes raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, which would make many closed businesses stay that way.
Democrats don't view the relief packages as emergency government action to keep us afloat while we deal with the spread of a new virus. They view them as opportunities to get people hooked on government handouts permanently.
It would be one thing to pass one more big COVID-19 relief bill if Republicans could say with certainty that Democratic mayors and governors would accept that it's the last one and realize that life has to go on, even with a virus that the strongest 99% of us will survive. But as we've seen, these people see no urgency in that. They would just as soon see all businesses hang a "closed" sign on the door and have people wait at home until there isn't a single infection occurring.
Well, that's not going to happen. And they shouldn't be rewarded with more "relief" money for behaving as if it will.
