Lars Thoughts: Small Business owners don’t usually get unemployment and neither do independent contractors, make a temporary change to that

When I’m up against a tough situation, I make a list…most important items up top.  Least at the bottom. And I do my best to use the tools I already have to fix what’s broken. Governors Kate Brown and Jay Inslee should immediately do a shelter-in-place as California and many other places have.  It’s late but could still do some good. For those laid off in the last two weeks, waive the waiting period for unemployment and waive the requirement to search for a job in person right now. Work with businesses to keep those who can KEEP working on the job.  Can we safely let some highway construction work go on while the traffic’s light? As for the congress and its “a thousand dollar check for everyone” IT’S foolish and not targeted. People who are still working don’t need thousand dollar checks. Instead, let’s use the unemployment system with a couple of add ons.  If you lost your job, bigger UNEMPLOYMENT from that congressional cash but spread it out over the next couple of months. Small Business owners don’t usually get unemployment and neither do independent contractors. Make a temporary change to that. It won’t matter if we get workers to the other side of this emergency if they don’t have jobs at businesses to go BACK to. Postpone Oregon’s April 15th tax deadline.   And please tell police agencies DON’T stop arresting criminals and announcing the “arrest free” crimes…that’s an open invitation for the criminal class to exploit this emergency.

-Lars Larson