Nothing really, that's why it's important to have healthy regulations and safety nets before shit hits the fan.

Which is why we have a, you know, society, to make sure we soften the blow when someone draws a short straw. But the answer will be what it always is - corporate tax cuts and trickle down voodoo.

But, why would we pay for the lazy poor people? /s

This current emergency only strengthens the argument for universal healthcare imo.

California has had this in place for a few weeks now: https://www.edd.ca.gov/about_edd/coronavirus-2019.htm

That's beyond weak.

Laid off service workers don't need job training or resume assistance.

> Reduced Work Hours

> If your employer has reduced your hours or shut down operations due to COVID-19, you can file an Unemployment Insurance (UI) claim. UI provides partial wage replacement benefit payments to workers who lose their job or have their hours reduced, through no fault of their own. Workers who are temporarily unemployed due to COVID-19 and expected to return to work with their employer within a few weeks are not required to actively seek work each week. However, they must remain able and available and ready to work during their unemployment for each week of benefits claimed and meet all other eligibility criteria. Eligible individuals can receive benefits that range from $40-$450 per week.

> The Governor’s Executive Order waives the one-week unpaid waiting period, so you can collect UI benefits for the first week you are out of work. If you are eligible, the EDD processes and issues payments within a few weeks of receiving a claim.

Resume assistance in this situation; that's just insulting.

This seems to be for employees only. Are there benefits that are accessible to independent contractors like gig economy workers?

No. That's one of the key ways to differentiate between employees and contractors. Keep this in mind the next time you or anyone else cries bloody murder that the state was overreaching in requiring "gig economy" workers to be classified as employees.

One of the most common arguments against treating "gig economy" workers as employees that I see is that none of these "gigs" are not supposed to be primary sources of income. Unemployment insurance (in California at least) is funded by (and total payout is determined by) paycheck deductions on W-2 employees.

While I certainly support providing financial support for everyone, everyone should be paying into the system. Just like with health insurance.

What about gig economy workers/contractors who don't get unemployment?

Gig workers in California are hurting for other reasons: A lot of them can't adequately support themselves because of recent legislation impacting gig workers in California. This was true before we had a pandemic on our hands.

Nothing. A lot of experts have been saying for years that millions of Americans lack a safety net, and politicians didn't care even the slightest bit. Now we're seeing real time millions of Americans becoming homeless.

If you are a service worker and your hours have been cut you need to file for unemployment immediately. You should be able to receive partial unemployment for the missed hours.

Can independent contractors (e.g. gig workers) apply for unemployment benefits?

Do they get the unemployment insurance tax line item on their paycheck?

Call your representative and Senators. There's a bill being discussed in DC right now. You might want to see how it relates to you and make your voice heard.

ASAP? Nothing, really. The American government operates at a glacial speed for various reasons and local governments are strapped for resources.

What we needed to do was improve our safety nets approximately 10-15 years ago. Now we're seeing the end result when an actual crisis hits. The best we'll be able to get is some bandaids that'll mostly just be a way of appeasing businesses rather than helping individuals.

Send big checks to everyone who filed a tax form, give employers money conditional on not laying everyone off.

Emergency UBI

> What can the government do to get aid to these individuals ASAP?

Here is something the government could do: basically suspend for 60 days, everything having to do with owing money to people who don't produce anything.

That means: for 60 days, no interest is charged on any loans, and no rent can be collected, and no taxes of any kind can be collected on anything.

The only way to combat this is to get checks into the hands of individuals.

The government will most likely be providing a subsidy to the airline industry, they are already requesting $50B.

Will the government step in to get 2 months pay to every individual, that is the big question.

Given that the democratic debate yesterday was primarily focused on paying for the tests and care of coronavirus rather than the larger societal economic impact it will have, it's seems like a stretch.

However, the one thing that Trump has proven is that he has definitely not done things like the establishment and given the poor handling of the crisis as well as it being an election year, a President sponsored bill to provide 2 months salary to every tax payer who is affected by this and under a certain level of income would certainly be one way to reclaim victory over this debacle.

If you have to go outside please keep your distance and wear a shirt like this one (https://socialdistanceshirt.com/products/social-distance-shi...) or a sign or something, there's zero need to spread this thing (accidentally or not) any more than absolutely necessary.