The problem would be defining “capacity”.
When the health authorities said “you can only operate at 50% capacity”, that means a movie theater or bar has to look at that “maximum capacity” sign that the fire department put up, multiply by .5, and that is how many people they can let in.
In real life, most movies I’ve gone to only had butts in 15-20 of the 200 seats in the auditorium. Most showings run way way below that maximum capacity. So, the government buying up 50% would be a huge windfall for the theater, much larger than it’s normal daily take-in. Restaurants and bars, same situation. They may fill up on Valentines day, but on an ordinary Tuesday afternoon, they are mostly empty anyway, and never reached that 50% level even before the pandemic.
So any equitable solution would require proof of the normal amount of business they had pre-pandemic, and compare it to the amount of business they get now.
At 100% shut, it’s relatively easy. At some percentage, it’s all much harder to determine in the mechanics.
Which, if we’re talking mechanics of making payments, like that $1,200 one sent to individuals earlier. They should just pay everyone. No means testing, no restrictions, not qualifications. If you exist, or a business exists that we’re closing, send it a check. Sure, that’s going to send out more than is required to people who don’t need it. But, it’s fast and easy to do, and it doesn’t skip people who need it now but were fine a year or two ago. Then, tax it all (or some progressively) back as part of the 2020 taxes. We already know how to process taxes.
Instead of determining who made to much in 2018 to not pay in 2020, determine who made to much in 2020 and collect it back from them.
Yeah, I heard the interview yesterday with the authr and plan to add it to my book list for x-mas. Looking forward to reading it, as she seems to have similar thoughts about capitalism as I have.
I’m not talking Allied Universal, Garda, Guardsmark or any of the other mass-market guard force companies. They’re OK but don’t have enough expertise in ongoing high-wealth executive and family protection. I know some people in the specialized high-end security and protection business. They are often individually and collectively the smartest people in the room. They also have the ability to survive and flourish in the most adverse circumstances.
this is what most of the european countries did – but rather than fund businesses for lost capacity they funded the workers instead. that allowed companies to keep people employed even though the companies didn’t have the revenue to pay them. and as workplaces opened back up, people are just going back to work rather than looking for new jobs
it’s simpler, and seems like it probably avoids having to radically expand unemployment benefits, food stamps, and things like the us loans to businesses – but republicans really hate “bailing out” workers, they’d rather bail out business owners.
