COVID Economy

[jesmu84]

What a crazy set of numbers ..

https://www.vox.com/2020/5/29/21274416/household-income-surge-april-cares-act-coronavirus-stimulus

Consumer Spending down 13.6% .. Unemployment at record highs ..

But .. Personal Income rose 10% in April. 

That is bonkers. -- This is due to the stimulus checks + unemployment checks + $600 weekly bonus.    Those numbers would indicate that at a macro level, financial pain for the labor force isn't bad at all.  Of course, that's a sugar high from federal $$ to end in a few months.

Strange data.

Still haven't received ours. IRS website continues to say "Payment status not available". So frustrating.

[warriorchick]

Please please do it - if only to get rid of tipping.

Any server who works in a reasonably busy, non-diner restaurant makes way more in tips that any restaurant owner would be willing to pay as an hourly wage.

[jesmu84]

Any server who works in a reasonably busy, non-diner restaurant makes way more in tips that any restaurant owner would be willing to pay as an hourly wage.

Sure.

But I still hate the whole system - "grouping" tips for the entire staff, expectation of tips, etc

[Pakuni]

Any server who works in a reasonably busy, non-diner restaurant makes way more in tips that any restaurant owner would be willing to pay as an hourly wage.

I'm not sure this is accurate.
According to this study (from 2015, so fairly recent), bartenders and servers in the best-tipping markets earned a whopping median of $13 an hour in tips. Those in worse-tipping markets earned as little as $7 an hour.

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/02/how-much-do-waiters-really-earn-in-tips/385515/

And then there's the problem that tipping is often discriminatory, encourages sexual harassment and leads to billions of dollars on unreported income, costing the rest of us taxpayers.

https://www.eater.com/a/case-against-tipping

[MU82]

The good news is that our ever-diligent, ever-caring Education Czar, Betsy DeVos, is now funneling federal stimulus money into rich, private schools.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/15/us/politics/betsy-devos-coronavirus-religious-schools.html

WASHINGTON — Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is using the $2 trillion coronavirus stabilization law to throw a lifeline to education sectors she has long championed, directing millions of federal dollars intended primarily for public schools and colleges to private and religious schools.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, signed in late March, included $30 billion for education institutions turned upside down by the pandemic shutdowns, about $14 billion for higher education, $13.5 billion to elementary and secondary schools, and the rest for state governments.

Ms. DeVos has used $180 million of those dollars to encourage states to create "microgrants" that parents of elementary and secondary school students can use to pay for educational services, including private school tuition. She has directed school districts to share millions of dollars designated for low-income students with wealthy private schools.

And she has nearly depleted the 2.5 percent of higher education funding, about $350 million, set aside for struggling colleges to bolster small colleges — many of them private, religious or on the margins of higher education — regardless of need.

[Hards Alumni]

What a crazy set of numbers ..

https://www.vox.com/2020/5/29/21274416/household-income-surge-april-cares-act-coronavirus-stimulus

Consumer Spending down 13.6% .. Unemployment at record highs ..

But .. Personal Income rose 10% in April. 

That is bonkers. -- This is due to the stimulus checks + unemployment checks + $600 weekly bonus.    Those numbers would indicate that at a macro level, financial pain for the labor force isn't bad at all.  Of course, that's a sugar high from federal $$ to end in a few months.

Strange data.

To me, all we have done is pushed the cliff a couple of weeks later.  We're really good at that.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

The good news is that our ever-diligent, ever-caring Education Czar, Betsy DeVos, is now funneling federal stimulus money into rich, private schools.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/15/us/politics/betsy-devos-coronavirus-religious-schools.html

WASHINGTON — Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is using the $2 trillion coronavirus stabilization law to throw a lifeline to education sectors she has long championed, directing millions of federal dollars intended primarily for public schools and colleges to private and religious schools.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, signed in late March, included $30 billion for education institutions turned upside down by the pandemic shutdowns, about $14 billion for higher education, $13.5 billion to elementary and secondary schools, and the rest for state governments.

Ms. DeVos has used $180 million of those dollars to encourage states to create "microgrants" that parents of elementary and secondary school students can use to pay for educational services, including private school tuition. She has directed school districts to share millions of dollars designated for low-income students with wealthy private schools.

And she has nearly depleted the 2.5 percent of higher education funding, about $350 million, set aside for struggling colleges to bolster small colleges — many of them private, religious or on the margins of higher education — regardless of need.

Poor kids getting access to choice or charter schools to give them a chance to escape horrid public schools is DeVos catering to "rich schools?"

[Hards Alumni]

Poor kids getting access to choice or charter schools to give them a chance to escape horrid public schools is DeVos catering to "rich schools?"

THEIF!

[Pakuni]

Poor kids getting access to choice or charter schools to give them a chance to escape horrid public schools is DeVos catering to "rich schools?"

Charter schools are swell. Funding them by taking money away from already underfunded schools in low-income neighborhoods, thereby making them more "horrid," is not so swell.
Using federal money to fund religious schools, also not so swell.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Charter schools are swell. Funding them by taking money away from already underfunded schools in low-income neighborhoods, thereby making them more "horrid," is not so swell.
Using federal money to fund religious schools, also not so swell.

Why dont you want poor kids to have the same opportunity as white kids? 

[Hards Alumni]

Why dont you want poor kids to have the same opportunity as white kids?

Now you want a fair world?  You're a socialist now? 

[tower912]

Charter schools around here have no better results than public schools.   Feel good symbolism, but not better education.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Now you want a fair world?  You're a socialist now? 

You libbies should all be in favor of choice, aina?   

[Hards Alumni]

You libbies should all be in favor of choice, aina?   

"depends on the socialism" I guess.

[MarquetteDano]

Charter schools are swell. Funding them by taking money away from already underfunded schools in low-income neighborhoods, thereby making them more "horrid," is not so swell.
Using federal money to fund religious schools, also not so swell.

Pakuni, forget if you live in Chicago but Chicago is a good example that spending and quality of education is not really aligned. Cook county taxpayers shell out huge dollars per high school student, sometimes more than private schools and the results are not good.

Not saying we just strip them of funding but funding at the high school level is quite high with crap results.

[Galway Eagle]

Pakuni, forget if you live in Chicago but Chicago is a good example that spending and quality of education is not really aligned. Cook county taxpayers shell out huge dollars per high school student, sometimes more than private schools and the results are not good.

Not saying we just strip them of funding but funding at the high school level is quite high with crap results.

Tell that to young, northside, Peyton, Jones, lane, and Lincoln park. Also spending goes toward security, social work, spec Ed, meal programs, etc that are not as needed or are privately funded when you go to a lot of the burbs or charters.

[Pakuni]

Why dont you want poor kids to have the same opportunity as white kids?

Why don't you want poor kids to have the same opportunity as white kids?
If that's your goal - and no doubt it is - take money from the wealthy suburban districts to fund schools (charter or otherwise) in low-income areas. Sure a man who believes in equity as strongly as you do would agree that's fairer than taking money from schools in poor areas to fund other schools in poor areas.

[Pakuni]

Pakuni, forget if you live in Chicago but Chicago is a good example that spending and quality of education is not really aligned. Cook county taxpayers shell out huge dollars per high school student, sometimes more than private schools and the results are not good.

Not saying we just strip them of funding but funding at the high school level is quite high with crap results.

Most of the best schools in the state, and several of the best schools in the country, are in Cook County.
18 of the top 25 high schools in the US News rankings are in Cook.
15 of the top 30 "traditional" (i.e. not magnet) high schools are in Cook.

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/illinois/rankings

And, fwiw, median property taxes in Cook County are lower than in the collar counties.

[MU82]

Some apparently missed the part in which she is directing stimulus money to rich, secular, private schools - think Chicago Latin or Charlotte Country Day.

Also, this:

And she has nearly depleted the 2.5 percent of higher education funding, about $350 million, set aside for struggling colleges to bolster small colleges — many of them private, religious or on the margins of higher education — regardless of need.

This is NOT the same as including charter schools in public-funding plans.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Why don't you want poor kids to have the same opportunity as white kids?
If that's your goal - and no doubt it is - take money from the wealthy suburban districts to fund schools (charter or otherwise) in low-income areas. Sure a man who believes in equity as strongly as you do would agree that's fairer than taking money from schools in poor areas to fund other schools in poor areas.

I'm surprised that someone as smart as you wouldnt recognize a quote from the Democratic presidential nominee.

But keep on keepin on, keyboard hero.

[MarquetteDano]

Most of the best schools in the state, and several of the best schools in the country, are in Cook County.
18 of the top 25 high schools in the US News rankings are in Cook.
15 of the top 30 "traditional" (i.e. not magnet) high schools are in Cook.

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/illinois/rankings

And, fwiw, median property taxes in Cook County are lower than in the collar counties.

I am not anti charter schools. But a lot is spent at the poor result schools as well.  So clearly just throwing money at it is the only answer.

[Pakuni]

I'm surprised that someone as smart as you wouldnt recognize a quote from the Democratic presidential nominee.

But keep on keepin on, keyboard hero.

[warriorchick]

I'm not sure this is accurate.
According to this study (from 2015, so fairly recent), bartenders and servers in the best-tipping markets earned a whopping median of $13 an hour in tips. Those in worse-tipping markets earned as little as $7 an hour.

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/02/how-much-do-waiters-really-earn-in-tips/385515/

And then there's the problem that tipping is often discriminatory, encourages sexual harassment and leads to billions of dollars on unreported income, costing the rest of us taxpayers.

https://www.eater.com/a/case-against-tipping

You will never get accurate aggregated information on tips because most servers and bartenders don't report all of their tips for tax purposes, and very few people in general would admit that to anyone who is writing it down..

[WarriorDad]

What a crazy set of numbers ..

https://www.vox.com/2020/5/29/21274416/household-income-surge-april-cares-act-coronavirus-stimulus

Consumer Spending down 13.6% .. Unemployment at record highs ..

But .. Personal Income rose 10% in April. 

That is bonkers. -- This is due to the stimulus checks + unemployment checks + $600 weekly bonus.    Those numbers would indicate that at a macro level, financial pain for the labor force isn't bad at all.  Of course, that's a sugar high from federal $$ to end in a few months.

Strange data.

There are some people making more
Money right now laid off than when they were working.  Asked if they want to return to work the answer was, "why?". 

Overpaid people probably to prevent rioting and social unrest.

[warriorchick]

Why don't you want poor kids to have the same opportunity as white kids?
If that's your goal - and no doubt it is - take money from the wealthy suburban districts to fund schools (charter or otherwise) in low-income areas. Sure a man who believes in equity as strongly as you do would agree that's fairer than taking money from schools in poor areas to fund other schools in poor areas.

Because it has been clearly demonstrated that throwing money at bad school systems improves them.