Feds Decide to Stop Paying People to Stay Home

It was fitting that on Labor Day Weekend the federal government decided it was a good idea to stop paying people to stay home. Fox Business moaned, "More than seven million out-of-work Americans are poised to lose all of their unemployment benefits this week as three federal programs put in place in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic expired on Monday."

That seven million number appears to be exaggerated for effect. It’s seven million in the opening paragraph of the story and then further down we find there are only "some 5.5 million unemployed Americans."

Where did the other two million or so go?

We’re pretty sure they weren’t out looking for work.

Currently, there are an unprecedented 10.1 million jobs waiting to be filled.

Going by the lower 5.5 million figure, that’s almost two open jobs for each unemployed applicant seeking work.

These numbers in aggregate start coming home to us in particular when we recall the number of businesses, we’ve seen recently that a closed due to "lack of staff" sign on the door.

This is true for restaurants and local retail and service businesses.

Last Labor Day Weekend, a planned dinner at the best Italian restaurant in the vicinity of half of this column’s byline had to be canceled when the restaurant closed due to, you guessed it, lack of staff.

That was a punishing revenue blow to the restaurant owner and the family’s empty stomachs.

Fox Business appears concerned about the "dismal August jobs report."

"Experts" had predicted the economy would add 728,000 new jobs, when the real number was less than half that amount: 235,000.

The Biden administration and the pandemic experts at Fox blame the shortfall on COVID-19. We blame it on a lack of motivation to find work.

Employers can’t add jobs if no one shows up to fill the position.

To give you an idea of how lavish virus unemployment benefits were, here are some numbers:

"The average state unemployment benefit is about $330 per week. With the federal supplement, Americans were receiving about $630 in weekly unemployment benefits (for comparison, that's about $32,000 annually, or roughly double the nation's minimum wage)."

Why look for work when it makes more sense for Uncle Sam to pay you to stay home?

Getting a real job for many might represent a pay cut from the sitting-at-home paycheck from Uncle Sam.

That's why it was time for the payments to end.

Naturally leftists with a press pass are appalled that able-bodied men and women might have to return to work.

The truth is keeping millions of people dependent on government handouts is bad for the economy and is even worse for the dignity and self-worth of the individual.

Holding a job makes a person independent and responsible.

There is value in working for the individual and the people who benefit from the service or the product. And the paycheck the worker receives is not valued only for the money it brings. It is also valued for what it represents.

It’s time for America to go back to work. A virus with a survival rate of 99.8% for individuals should not be allowed to permanently infect the economy.

Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Michael is an in-demand speaker with Premiere Speaker's Bureau. Read Michael Reagan's Reports — More Here.