Enterprise Dispatch

Serving the communities of Dassel, Cokato, Darwin, MN, and the surrounding area

Ivan Raconteur Column – 07/17/20



There’s no limit to the things government can screw up.

This has been demonstrated once again by the handling of unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The $600 per week federal bonus created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was paid in addition to applicants’ state benefits, was a prime example of this.

Some people who were laid off during this crisis actually got paid more for not working than they earned on the job. In fact, it has been reported that two-thirds of laid-off workers received more for not working. Only the government could engineer something as stupid as that.

One obvious problem with this situation was that even when businesses started to re-open, there was no incentive for workers to go back to work. The government effectively created an incentive for people to not work, which made things more difficult for companies that were already struggling

The situation was a boon to certain retailers. According to anecdotal observations, inventory of products such as boats, televisions, and other electronic devices was depleted as people used their unemployment benefits to purchase luxury items.

Meanwhile, there are people who have had their hours (and income) cut due to the pandemic who can’t get any benefits.

I am among those people.

My hours have been cut from 40 to 24 per week, This represents a 40 percent pay cut, and yet the State of Minnesota says I don’t qualify for any unemployment benefits at all, because I work too many hours. According to the state, I would need to work 22 or fewer hours per week to qualify for any benefits.

I have been paying into the system for more than 40 years, and until the current pandemic, I had never applied for any benefits.

When I finally reluctantly applied, the state said “tough luck.”

As a result, I’m left trying to survive on 40 percent less money than I was making before this crisis, while others are out living it up and buying expensive toys after being rewarded by the government for not working.

Our elected representatives seem to enjoy arbitrarily picking winners and losers when it comes to dispensing public funds.

Sadly, I predict things are going to get worse.

Once the benefits run out, I fully expect the people who used these government payments to live the high life, instead of saving and paying for essentials, will find themselves in a worse predicament and go crying to the government for more handouts to reward them for being irresponsible.

Once again, the taxpayers will be left holding the bag.





































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