The safety net is working. Why are you complaining? Essential workers should complain about getting screwed out of that $600

Three different people I know used the money for car repair and maintenance, something they'd been putting off because they had no extra money. And as has been proven repeatedly by states that required clean drug screens before getting any kind of welfare or unemployment, poor people are not using illegal drugs...and certainly no where near the levels of the middle and upper classes.

Clean drug screens? I'm specifically referring to unemployment, which means people who were working before this happened, and unemployment does not require a drug screen. You are clearly conflating unemployment with other forms of welfare.
Car repairs is a good use of the extra part of unemployment (because it is extra), but I'll bet those friends still paid their regular bills first.
Ideally people would make enough that they wouldn't have to put repairs off. But framing that as a COVID19 issue dooms it to failure. Once the pandemic ends any help ushered in to help with COVID19 will expire. In fact, many existing programs are likely to be gutted after this emergency because the government overspent on it.
So if COVID19 wasn't/isn't the reason, people shouldn't try to use it as the excuse. It dooms them to long term failure, wont solve the underlying problem, and will ultimately make their position worse.

I wasn't talking you kid.

It wasn't enough before to meet folks needs

Then it's not due to loss of work or covid19, and framing it as such makes it a temporary issue (money now for the short term) of unemployment rather than a long term issue of inadequate wages. So any "solution" reached under that framework would expire with the pandemic.

Quit buying crap - a new car, new TV, etc and spend less.

problem is doc the only skill they had before was voting and its the only skill they will ever have.

Alas I wish more poor people could list voting as a skill, but you have to practice to develop a skill...

like all things in life the Democrat party is there to do it for them god bless the zombies

If you are stilled mired down in the manufactured "libtard v conservatard" reindeer game, McConnell & Pelosi applaud you, but you and I got nothing to discuss. Slaves gonna slave.

Until they take a beginners job at McDonald's and learn to work, take direction, complete tasks & of coarse show up for work.

Well that is certainly a narrow and simple perspective. You might add "never have health issues" to that.

No. Stop buying things you don’t need and have no cash to pay for. Or worse, spending your medicine money and rent money on things you can live without.

I am not talking about me. I am talking about what I see in the inner-city community where I teach, and I many good people I have become acquainted with over the past 6 years while here. Granted, we do a terrible job in the schools teaching kids anything about money. Nevertheless, there are so many good folks I know who have nothing after rent and utilities--not the fictionalized caricatures of the poor you carry around so you can judge everyone. When over 60% of the nation is living paycheck to paycheck, it is a problem that goes far beyond the superficial "I'm buying rims and $200 shoes" narrative you keep trotting out.

Sorry jay but I have also worked in the inner city for 20 years running a warehouse. Your right there are lots of good people that need a hand unfortunately there is also a very large population who do piss their checks away on spinners, beats and sneaks that want us to subsidize them. I never hired laborers for minimum wage $11 buck to start while in high school. minimum wage never shows up on Monday morning or comes back from lunch on Friday. how about this if you have a job for more than a year you qualify for a federal bonus more than 5 years a bigger bonus, no legitimate kids another bonus. give them incentive to show up on Monday morning.

Just researched. 80% of Americans prior to this pandemic were living paycheck to paycheck. Your personal refusal to recognize this as the societal problem it is means nothing to me. It merely shows the slave mentality that is MAGA.

Save the MAGA bullshit for somebody that actually voted for Trump and as for your slave mentality bullshit stick it up your ass. I believe in helping anyone that's willing to help themselves if not life sucks to be you and if your determined to drown don't grab me. 80% of all people live paycheck to paycheck because they are idiots. people that give 100% when making minimum wage don't make minimum wage for long and don't live paycheck to paycheck. Those that give minimum effort for minimum wage are destined for Shittown no matter how much the government try's to make everyone else carry them.

While we slept, he studied the blade

People don't live paycheck to paycheck because they are stupid, they live paycheck to paycheck because that's life.
But that's what unemployment is for. It's a short term safety net between jobs, or for when jobs disappear or shut down.
But here's the thing, I'm not sure what certain people want "fixed". Unemployment is still paying out now. So the safety net is working exactly as designed. (In fact it's actually benefiting people who were displaced compared what they were making before, due to the $600 a week extra covid bonus).
The people who are still working are getting screwed (and I say this as someone getting that extra $600. And even though I don't deserve it, I'm still going to accept it).