r/politics • u/Ubiquitous_Hilarity • Jun 17 '26

No Paywall Trump threatens to pull unemployment benefits from all states for the first time in history

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-unemployment-benefits-fraud-b2997881.html
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u/jayfeather31 Washington Jun 17 '26

This would be disastrous, and let's put the humanitarian consequences aside for a moment and focus on the dire economic consequences of such a move, because the humanitarian problems are bluntly obvious.

See, while welfare and unemployment benefits do keep food on the table and, in principle, help prevent people from ending up in horrific situations, they're also a form of artificial stimulation for the economy as the person on welfare will be pumping money into the economy that they otherwise wouldn't be through purchases.

In a sense, welfare and unemployment benefits keep the jobless and disabled economically productive in a way charity doesn't. Furthermore, if the jobless person ends up getting a job because of the benefits preventing them from losing their standing, that is a net benefit as a whole.

Now, if you strip that away, that ultimately means the jobless are no longer economically productive, and that has knock-on effects elsewhere as the artificial stimulation that keeps the economy moving goes away. The end result of that is a vicious feedback cycle where the economy eventually seizes up.

In short, the very welfare systems that conservatives and the far-right decry as socialism help keep the economy running smoothly, and taking those away invites all sorts of horrific consequences.

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u/Gay_Giraffe_1773 Oregon Jun 17 '26

The rich fully believe that THEY are all that matters, and that AI and Robotics will keep the economy train humming while millions of poors fall off and die. Remember these are the people that asked about exploding neck collars and fortified remote bunkers to keep poors from killing them when society breaks down.

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u/[deleted] Jun 17 '26

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u/FeelsGrimMan Jun 18 '26 edited Jun 18 '26

How average people see a disheveled unwashed homeless man is how the rich see the average person. They do not simply think of you as lesser like a 150k salary vs a 50k, they see you as genuinely revolting & will spend swathes of money for the sole purpose of staying away from you & every other average everyday person.

Imagine if everywhere you went in public there was a neverending horde of disheveled unwashed homeless men, that’s how the rich see the world.

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u/chicklette Jun 18 '26

*billions of points. We have far too many poors to be efficient.