The Devil is in the Details! Here are some basics that may help you understand some important issues in 2020: 1. Worker protections: The protection of workers’ health and safety and the right to have some say in working conditions has been opposed by Republicans since at least Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. The U.S. Department of Labor is the basic government agency originally set up to help workers. Two parts of the Labor Department have been used by Trump to undermine worker protections:
3. Payroll tax holiday: Trump and the Republicans have used the pandemic as the newest excuse to attack Social Security, which gets its funds through the payroll tax that on average is about 7 percent. The current payroll tax holiday idea is simply a delayed collection of the tax that all regular workers would be required to pay back in 2021. But the big threat of the tax holiday is to start undermining the funding for Social Security and Medicare-- the devil is in the details. Democrats focus on protecting Social Security, not stealing from it! Take a close look at Joe Biden’s Social Security proposals here. 4. Health care: Trump and the Republicans have waged a relentless war against Democratic efforts to control the cost of health care, expand health coverage, and protect health care workers. They have also dramatically diminished the leadership of U.S. medical science in the world. Through lawsuits they are trying to end protections for young adults who can currently stay on their parents’ health insurance coverage until age 26, and they are threatening to end access to health insurance by those with pre-existing conditions. Trump and Republicans use words like choice and freedom to gloss over changes that will undermine protections of access for working families to affordable, state of the art care – the devil is in the details. Dems want health care access protected and support science-based health policy -- especially related to COVID. See a detailed comparison of where the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates stand on health care here. 5. Essential workers: Trump and the Republicans repeatedly have shown disregard for the safety and family needs of workers in health care, public safety, commerce and education. They failed to give priority to procuring or producing the massive amounts of personal protective equipment that were needed to protect frontline workers. They have not supported wage enhancements to guarantee essential workers have help for child care when schools have closed, nor have they provided support for teachers – especially for teachers who happen to be parents of school-aged children to meet the burdens from remote teaching and schooling. Once again, they talk big about our “heroes” but the devil is in the details, and Trump and Republicans have proven they do not support these workers. Democrats, in contrast, are prepared with a four-point plan to protect and support esse ![]()
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