ON THIS DAY MARCH 27

The 1964 Great Alaskan earthquake, occurred on Good Friday, March 27 1964. 
Across south-central Alaska, ground fissures, collapsing structures, and tsunamis resulting from the earthquake caused about 131 deaths.

The magnitude 9.2 megathrust earthquake remains the most powerful earthquake recorded in North American history, and the second most powerful earthquake recorded in world history. Six hundred miles (970 km) of fault ruptured at once and moved up to 60 ft (18 m), releasing about 500 years of stress buildup. Soil liquefaction, fissures, landslides, and other ground failures caused major structural damage in several communities and much damage to property. Two hundred miles (320 km) southwest, some areas near Kodiak were permanently raised by 30 feet (9 m). Southeast of Anchorage, areas dropped as much as 8 feet (2.4 m), requiring reconstruction and fill to raise the Seward Highway above the new high tide mark.

Post-quake tsunamis severely affected Alaskan, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California states. Tsunamis also caused damage in Hawaii and Japan.

Earthquakes today

https://earthquakestoday.info

The number of magnitude 5+ earthquakes today. The colors indicate normal activity (green), above normal (yellow) or way above normal (red). Normal daily average is around 5 (5+) earthquakes per day (decade 2007 - 2017).

CANADA VS COVID-19
New report to outline potential fiscal, economic cost of coronavirus in Canada
BY STAFF THE CANADIAN PRESS March 27, 2020

WATCH: Nearly 1 million Canadians have applied for EI

 as coronavirus takes toll on economy

Canadians will get an idea today of what the coronavirus pandemic could mean for Canada’s economy and the federal government’s balance sheet, with the release of a new report from the parliamentary budget officer.

Yves Giroux is planning to post on his website this morning a “scenario analysis” that is intended to help parliamentarians gauge the potential economic and fiscal implications from the combined health crisis and the collapse of oil prices.

Such analyses typically involve a variety of projected outcomes based on a number of possible, alternative scenarios.

The federal government has already poured $107 billion into fighting the pandemic –$52 billion in financial assistance to individuals and businesses and $55 billion in deferred taxes — and billions more are expected to flow in the days to come.

Indeed, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expecting to announce more support today for businesses and entrepreneurs.

A fiscal update issued by Finance Minister Bill Morneau in December showed the Liberal government on track to run a deficit of $26.6 billion in the current fiscal year, which ends on March 30, and $28.1 billion next year.
But those projections have been blown up by the pandemic, which has coincided with a price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia that has driven already-depressed oil prices into the cellar and the economy in oil-producing Alberta into the ditch.

Canada’s economy had been sluggish before the pandemic but Morneau was still predicting modest growth. Now, economists are predicting a global recession as countries shut down non-essential businesses and lock down their citizens.

On Wednesday, Morneau promised the federal help is on the way within hours or days for the energy sector.

The federal government is also looking at help for other sectors particularly hard hit by the pandemic, such as tourism and airlines.

© 2020 The Canadian Press

CANADA VS USA 


Trudeau’s $82B coronavirus support package gets royal assent, officially passes

BY AMANDA CONNOLLY GLOBAL NEWS March 27, 2020


WATCH: Ottawa's $107-billion Canada Emergency Response Benefit package has finally passed through Parliament after much debate, bringing individuals and businesses impacted by COVID-19 one step closer to receiving financial aid. But as Mike Le Couteur explains, it will still take weeks before people get money.

The Trudeau government’s $82-billion emergency coronavirus support package has officially passed.

The fast-tracked legislation received royal assent from Governor General Julie Payette at roughly 1:30 PM on Wednesday following its rapid introduction in the House of Commons around 3:30 AM and passage by the Senate several hours later around noon.

2:30 Coronavirus outbreak: Trudeau addresses 
sweeping new powers proposed in COVID-19 bill 

It contains broad new measures to help blunt the impact of the pandemic on Canadian workers and businesses.

Rideau Hall is closed except for the fulfillment of constitutional duties required during challenging times. Royal Assent was granted today to #COVID19 emergency legislation while respecting #socialdistancing. The fight is ON! pic.twitter.com/tmbDOHBqNh
— GGJuliePayette (@GGJuliePayette) March 25, 2020


While the House of Commons suspended for five weeks on March 13, all parties agreed to return on Tuesday to pass a package of proposals and sent a small number of their MPs to do so.

Those plans hit a snag though after Global News first reported on Monday that the draft legislation included sweeping new powers for the federal cabinet to spend, tax and borrow money without needing to get the consent of Parliament for upwards of 18 months.


READ MORE: Trudeau says sweeping coronavirus bill powers needed given ‘exceptional situation’

Although the bill was supposed to be debated in the House of Commons around noon on Tuesday, it wasn’t tabled until roughly 3 AM on Wednesday because of last-minute negotiations between the parties aimed at getting the government to walk back some of the new powers it wanted.

3:00 around the world: March 25, 2020 

Sources close to both the NDP and Conservative negotiating teams said both parties were in lockstep until the very end of negotiations in trying to get those powers narrowed.

Ultimately, the government did agree to scale back enough of the measures to get both parties on board and managed to secure the unanimous consent it needed to fast-track the bill.


READ MORE: Trudeau unveils $82B in aid for families, business amid coronavirus uncertainty

Those concessions include getting rid of a proposal that would have let the finance minister raise taxes without parliamentary approval, requiring biweekly reports from the finance minister on all actions taken under the measures, and mandatory review of the legislation within six months.


And while cabinet ministers will still be allowed to spend any amount of money they deem needed in a public health emergency, that new power will expire on Sept. 30, 2020

In the draft version of the legislation, that proposed power had been without an end date.


READ MORE: Coronavirus aid bill negotiations continue, agreement in principle reached: sources

The biweekly reporting by the finance minister will begin in the week of March 30 with discussions set to take place on April 20 after the House of Commons is scheduled to return — although the current suspension could be pushed back further.

The House of Commons finance committee review of the coronavirus support legislation will need to begin within six months from the day it receives royal assent, which happened on Wednesday.

The Senate began its fast-tracked review of the support package at 10 AM on Wednesday.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau appeared before senators as those morning deliberations got underway.

He defended the legislation and the new powers it grants to the federal cabinet when questioned by Conservative senators, saying the government needs to be able to act quickly to get aid to Canadians.

READ MORE: Amid coronavirus pandemic, air travellers raise questions about health screening at airports

Morneau added he expects the payments authorized in the legislation for Canadians who have lost their jobs because of the pandemic or are stuck at home will begin going out on April 6.

The billions of dollars in measures in the bill include tax deferrals, deferring repayments and freezing interest on student loans for six months, creating a new emergency benefit for workers who lose their income as a result of the coronavirus, and expanding eligibility for Employment Insurance.

The new emergency benefit combines two benefits the government had announced last week.

It will give $2,000 per month to those who have lost their income because of the pandemic for four months, including those who are self-employed or have to take care of ill dependents, among others.

Coronavirus outbreak: Scheer says Conservatives would like to see measures allow for parliamentary oversight while House is on break Coronavirus outbreak: Scheer says Conservatives would like to see measures allow for parliamentary oversight while House is on break

Trudeau promises 75% wage subsidy for businesses hit by coronavirus

BY AMANDA CONNOLLY GLOBAL NEWS  March 27, 2020 

The federal wage subsidy for small and medium-sized businesses hit by the coronavirus pandemic is jumping up to 75 per cent, the prime minister announced on Friday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with reporters at his daily update from Rideau Cottage, where he remains in isolation as cases of coronavirus continue to spread across the country.

Last week, Trudeau announced a 10 per cent wage subsidy but admitted Friday it’s not enough.

“It’s becoming clear that we need to do more – much more – so we’re bringing that percentage up to 75 per cent for qualifying businesses,” he said. “This means people will continue to be paid even though their employers have to slow down or stop their businesses.”


That wage subsidy will be backdated to March 15.

Anyone entering Canada mandated self-isolate for 14 days 

COVID-19 IN CANADA 

© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Influencer who licked a toilet as a 'coronavirus challenge' has just been hospitalised with coronavirus

USUALLY A BATHROOM IS THE CLEANEST ROOM IN ANY BUILDING
USUALLY, TAKE IT FROM ME I AM A PROFESSIONAL IN THIS FIELD


Posted by Moya Lothian-McLean 3/26/2020

Life comes at you fast.

Especially if you lick the seat of a toilet for internet clout.

Like the internet prankster known as Larz, who claims he has coronavirus – just days after uploading a clip showing him licking a toilet seat.

Apparently it was for the “Coronavirus challenge”, a viral craze on TikTok – although just how many people are engaging in it is unclear.

But just days after initially posting the clip of him getting close and personal with the toilet (he really licks it), Larz uploaded another picture for fans.

This time he’s in a hospital bed and the caption reads “I got diagnosed with coronavirus”.


A disturbing turn of events.

Larz also tweeted the picture but his Twitter account – where he posts under the handle @gayshawnmendes – has been suspended.

It’s unknown if the suspension – or the diagnosis – is linked to the toilet seat incident.

People aren't being that sympathetic though.

And with Larz’s day job being the pulling of pranks, some may be questioning how geniune his latest revelation is.

Please though, don’t go around licking toilets.

Global pandemic or not.

Show comments

1 comment

EarthCitizen1 day ago
"It’s unknown if ... diagnosis ... is linked to the toilet seat incident." No, it’s Karma.

Coronavirus: Hobby Lobby billionaire keeps stores open after ‘God spoke to him’ – but won’t pay sick leave
Billionaire CEO told employees to ‘tighten their belts’


Andrew Naughtie @andrewnaughtie THE INDEPENDENT 3/25/2020


The US arts-and-crafts chain Hobby Lobby has said it will remain open during the coronavirus epidemic – but has also refused sick pay for workers who fall ill, including from Covid-19.

The chain is keeping some stores open in states that have not ordered non-essential retailers to shut down. In a letter to all employees on 19 March, founder and CEO David Green warned that times would be tough: “To help ensure our company remains strong and prepared to prosper once again when this passes, we may all have to ‘tighten our belts’ over the near future.”

Mr Green, a devout conservative Christian whose net worth is in the region of $6bn, also wrote that “I cannot adequately express how much I appreciate each one of you.”

However, in a March 23 memo to store managers seen by Business Insider, store operations vice president Randy Betts wrote that the business would “make every effort to continue working the employees”, and that sick workers will be expected to use their personal paid leave or take an unpaid leave of absence.

Much of the reaction to the revelations focused on the discrepancy between the Christian values expressed in the letter and the hardline payroll policies in the memo. Left-wing blog DailyKos, for instance, headlined its story “Hobby Lobby founder tells workers that God spoke to his wife and forgot to mention paid sick leave”.

Sure enough, in the 19 March letter to employees, Mr Green wrote that when his wife Barbara prayed for guidance the week before, “God put on [her] heart three profound words to remind us that he’s in control: Guide, Guard and Groom.

“While we do not know for certain what the future holds, or how long this disruption will last, we can all rest in knowing that God is in control.”

The Independent has approached Hobby Lobby for comment.

Hobby Lobby has been involved in controversy on more than one occasion. In 2014, it won a politically polarising case in the Supreme Court, Burwell v Hobby Lobby, which freed family-owned employers from the obligation to provide employees with health insurance coverage that included contraception access. The case was won on the grounds of religious freedom.
A dissenting justice called the majority opinion in the case “a decision of startling breadth”, saying it could open the door to cases brought by businesses citing religious freedom to challenge anti-discrimination laws.

GRAVE ROBBERS AND CULTURAL GENOCIDE
In 2017, meanwhile, Hobby Lobby was fined $3m for smuggling deliberately mislabelled thousands of Iraqi artefacts out of the Middle East to be sold in the US, violating a 2004 law banning the import of Iraqi cultural property into the US.

Yemen war: Third of all Gulf airstrikes hitting civilian targets, new data reveals, as country marks fifth anniversary of ruinous conflict


More than 18,400 civilians have been killed or wounded in Gulf air raids
Bel Trew Beirut @beltrew THE INDEPENDENT 3/26/2020

Nearly a third of all Gulf coalition air raids on Yemen have hit civilian targets including hospitals, schools and food stores, new data has revealed, as the war-ravaged country marks the fifth anniversary of the conflict amid the coronavirus crisis.

According to the Yemen Data Project, more than 18,400 civilians have been killed or injured by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies since they launched a bombing campaign in 2015 to oust the Iran-backed Houthis and restore the government.


Over 8,600, a quarter of them women and children, were killed across tens of thousands of raids, marking 70 per cent of the total civilian death toll documented by rights groups.


The same report said over the last five years coalition aircraft have bombed medical facilities including hospitals and clinics 83 times, killing 95 civilians and injuring a further 116.

Over 60 food stores have also been hit, alongside 134 water and electricity facilities.

Watch more

Western powers are protracting the war in Yemen for profit

The Gulf coalition has repeatedly denied it targets civilians and maintains its Joint Incident Assessment Team (JIAT) investigates the impact of its raids to check violations.

However, the JIAT has been accused by rights groups of mostly absolving the coalition.

In its latest statement two weeks ago the JIAT cleared the coalition of any wrongdoing after United Nations agencies alleged it of carrying out a deadly attack on a North Yemen market in November killing 10 civilians and 18 inured more.

“The data clearly shows that over the five years [the coalition] has been consistently hitting civilian targets. That’s indisputable,” said the Yemen Data Project’s Iona Craig, adding that on average the alliance causes 10 civilian casualties a day.
Read more

Saudi-led coalition starts first trials of own forces over Yemen war

UK, US and Turkey asked to arrest UAE officials for Yemen ‘war crimes’

Truss cleared over breaches of ban on arms sales linked to Yemen war

At least 73 soldiers killed in missile attack ‘on mosque’ in Yemen

“It’s not just hospitals and medical facilities you have to take into account. It’s the bombing of water and electricity infrastructure, the impact on food supply lines with food storage facilities and crucial road bridges being hit too,” she added.

Craig said that while the data shows there had been a steady decline in the rate of bombings, one of the deadliest ever bombings for civilians took place on 31 August 2019.

That day over 150 civilians were killed in an air-raid on a prison complex in Dhamar, southwest of the country.

“Mass civilian casualty events are still happening even when there are fewer airstrikes,” she added.

The data comes as the country marks the fifth anniversary of the devastating conflict which according to the United Nations has sparked the world’s worst humanitarian crisis in terms of numbers.



The conflict erupted in late 2014 when the Houthis swept control of the country ousting recognised president, and Gulf ally, Abedrabbou Mansour Hadi.


Fearing the encroachment of Iranian influence in the region in March 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Sunni allies including the United Arab Emirates, Sudan and Egypt launched a bombing campaign. The alliance later sent in ground troops.

Five years on an estimated 80 per cent of the population - or 24 million people - require some form of humanitarian assistance to survive.

Two-thirds of the country is one step from famine.

So far, the country has yet to record a novel coronavirus case but there are fears that when the deadly disease arrives it will quickly spread through the country, as the fighting has decimated the health care system.

Only half of all hospitals and medical centres are functioning, according to the United Nations.

Even those that are open are facing severe shortages of medicines, equipment and staff.

According to Oxfam, 17 million people – more than half the population – have no access to clean water.

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and the Yemeni human rights group Mwatana released an extensive report last week saying in total between 2015 and 2018 there were 120 attacks on the health care sector committed by all sides of the conflict.

It said the Gulf coalition, its affiliated forces, the Houthis and their allies have all damaged or destroyed health facilities through airstrikes and shelling, occupying medical facilities and excluding civilian use as well as assaulting medical professionals.


On the fifth anniversary of the conflict, Mwatana spokesperson Osamah al-Fakih said it was not just bombing campaigns and artillery fire which had destroyed the country.

“All sides have committed violations including enforced disappearances, torture, as well as child recruitment,” he told The Independent.

“The Gulf coalition has also restricted humanitarian access to Yemen through a blockade and closure of Sanaa international airport."

“It has also established arms groups in different parts of the country, a huge long-term problem, undermining the future of Yemen. “

Human Rights Watch warned the training of proxy groups was behind a new crisis brewing in the east of the country, Mahra, a province which until now has escaped most of the conflict.

In a report on Wednesday it said Saudi military and Yemeni forces it was affiliated to, have carried serious abuses arbitrary arrests, torture, enforced disappearances, and illegal transfer of detainees to Saudi Arabia.

Former detainees said that they were accused of supporting Saudi Arabia’s opponents and had been interrogated, and tortured at an informal detention facility at the city’s airport.

“Saudi forces and their Yemeni allies’ serious abuses against local-Mahra residents is another horror to add to the list of the Saudi-led coalition’s unlawful conduct in Yemen,” said Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.

“Saudi Arabia is severely harming its reputation with Yemenis when it carries out these abusive practices and holds no one accountable for them.”

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Coronavirus: Trump planning to deploy troops to Canada border, prompting backlash from Trudeau

‘Canada is strongly opposed to this US proposal and we’ve made that very clear to our US counterparts’

LONGEST UNDEFENDED BORDER IN THE WORLD TILL TRUMP

Oliver O'Connell New York THE INDEPENDENT 3/27/2020

White House officials are discussing the possible deployment of troops to the Canadian border.

The potential move is driven by US fears about the integrity of the border during the coronavirus pandemic and fears that people carrying the virus may enter the country illegally.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed that he is aware of the discussions during his daily briefing.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters that Canadian ministers and diplomats have made it clear that this is not a plan Canada supports.

“Canada is strongly opposed to this US proposal and we’ve made that very clear to our US counterparts,” she said. Ms Freeland confirmed that Canadian officials learned of the proposal a few days ago.

American government officials inside Donald Trump’s White House are actively discussing putting troops near the Canadian borders in light of U.S. border security concerns around the coronavirus pandemic, sources tell Global News. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed the news while giving his daily briefing to reporters from Rideau Cottage, acknowledging that conversations are taking place. “Canada and the United States have the longest un-militarized border in the world and it is very much in both of our interests for it to remain that way,” he said. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland also weighed in during a briefing shortly afterwards with reporters, saying that Canadian cabinet ministers and diplomats have been working to try to make it clear to the Americans that this is not a plan Canada supports. “Canada is strongly opposed to this U.S. proposal and we’ve made that very clear to our U.S. counterparts,” she said, noting Canadian officials first learned of the proposal “a couple of days ago.”

In his press conference, Mr Trudeau said “Canada and the US have the longest unmilitarised border in the world, and it is very much in both of our interests for it to remain that way.”

The possibility of troops being stationed along the US side of the border was first reported by Canada's Global News, which cited sources as saying that they would be based approximately 15-20 miles from the border and would rely on remote sensors to pick up on border crossings.

Information would then be shared with Customs and Border Patrol agents who would take appropriate action. It is thought there would be no more than 1,000 troops involved.

The border beween the US and Canada has been closed to all but essential traffic since midnight on 21 March. 

MICHAEL MOORE'S CANADIAN BACON HIS ONLY NON DOCUMENTARY

Deep-sea fish seasonal migration discovered for first time

AS ABOVE SO BELOW
Movement of fish across sea bed ‘potentially mirrors great migrations of Africa’, say researchers

Harry Cockburn THE INDEPENDENT 3/26/2020

Ocean ecosystems are largely understood as being predominantly static. Is this about to change? ( Getty )

Something fishy is going on.

Thousands of feet deep down in the oceans off the coast of Angola in southern Africa, scientists have recorded mass movements of various fish species across the sea bed.

Using cameras at observatory platforms, they believe they have recorded the seasonal migrations of deep-sea fish for what is said to be the first time.

The scientists said the work reveals an “important insight that will further scientific understanding of the nature of our planet”.

The study has analysed more than seven years of African deep-sea photographic data, linking seasonal patterns in surface-ocean productivity with observed behavioural patterns of fish at depths of 1,500m.

6 Tropical fish found in Canadian waters

1 Spot fin butterfly fish

2 Short fin bigeye

3 Flying gurnard

4 Rudder fish

5 Band tail puffer

6 Scrawled filefish

The deep sea – areas with a greater depth than 200m – covers most of the world’s surface, however much remains unknown, with current assumptions being that deep-sea habitats are predominantly stable and unchanging.

This study now provides evidence of cycles of movement across the sea floor in deep-sea fish, with the study’s authors believing these movements are happening in other locations across the world’s sea floor.

Read more
Nearly 90% of dolphins in Indian Ocean ‘wiped out by fishing’

Fish may hold key to stopping ageing in humans

Lead author Rosanna Milligan, assistant professor at Nova Southeastern University, who started the work at the University of Glasgow, said: “We are extremely excited about our findings. They demonstrate a previously unobserved level of dynamism in the deep sea, potentially mirroring the great migrations of Africa which are so well characterised in animal systems on land.

“The work greatly enhances our understanding of how animals move across the deep sea, and the varying abundance of fish we observed from our sea floor observatories, compared to our previous satellite-derived estimates, as well as the patterns, point to the fact that what we’re seeing must be explained by fish behaviour.”

Dr David Bailey, senior lecturer in marine biology at the University of Glasgow’s Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, said: “Animal migrations are really important in nature because when animals move from place to place they transport energy, carbon and nutrients.

“If these animals are impacted in one part of their range, this effect is spread by the migration and they don’t arrive where they should be later.”

The study, “Evidence for seasonal cycles in deep-sea fish abundances: a great migration in the deep SE Atlantic?”, is published in the Journal of Animal Ecology.

The ozone layer is healing, new study finds
It heralds a rare success in the reversal of environmental damage and shows that global action can make a difference

Louise Boyle New York THE INDEPENDENT 3/26/2020

The ozone layer is continuing to heal and has the potential to fully recover, according to a new study.

A scientific paper, published in Nature, heralds a rare success in the reversal of environmental damage and shows that orchestrated global action can make a difference.

The ozone layer is a protective shield in the Earth’s stratosphere which absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation reaching us from the sun.

Without the ozone layer it would be nearly impossible for anything to survive on the planet.

In the past, human use of substances – chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) – caused such life-threatening damage to the ozone layer that in 1987, an international treaty called the “Montreal Protocol” was adopted to ban them.

Read more
Air pollution drops in cities as UK begins coronavirus lockdown
Coronavirus: Air pollution and CO2 fall rapidly as virus spreads
Air pollution over Italy plummets as factories close and travel halted
Everyday domestic fuels to be phased out to combat air pollution
Pet dog becomes first canine in the UK to help combat air pollution

Antara Banerjee, a CIRES Visiting Fellow at the University of Colorado Boulder who also works at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is lead author of the study.

She told The Independent: “We found signs of climate changes in the southern hemisphere, specifically in the air circulation patterns.


“The challenge was showing that these changing air circulation patterns were due to the shrinking ozone hole following the implementation of the Montreal Protocol.

“The jet stream in the southern hemisphere was gradually shifting towards the south pole in the last decades of the 20th century due to ozone depletion.

“Our study found that movement has stopped since 2000 and might even be reversing. The pause in movement began around the same time that the ozone hole started to recover.

“The emissions of ozone-depleting substances that were responsible for the ozone hole - the CFCs from spray cans and refrigerants – started to decline around 2000, thanks to the Montreal Protocol.”

She added: “It’s not just ozone that affects the jet stream – CO2 also has an effect. What we are seeing is that there is a ‘tug-of-war’ between ozone recovery, which pulls the jet stream one way (to the North), and rising CO2, which pulls the other way (to the South).

“We are seeing the pause in the shifting jet stream because these two forces are currently in balance. That might change in the future when ozone has fully recovered and CO2 carries on pushing it south.”

The impacts of this “pause” in shifting wind patterns varies, meaning parts of the world will be affected differently.

She said: “In Australia, for example, before 2000 in the ozone-depletion era, it was suggested that winters were drying because the jet stream was moving further south and taking rain-bearing storms away from that region. Those changes might now stabilise which could be good news for Australia.

“For other regions like South America, ozone-depletion had caused an expansion of the tropics and led to more rainfall. Bands of agricultural production widened which was good for them but might now stabilise. That has implications for their economies and food security.”

Overall, it is good news for the fight against climate change.

She added: “The second most important point of the study, which I would say is a very good finding, is further evidence that the ozone hole is shrinking and that is thanks to the Montreal Protocol.

“It shows that this international treaty has worked and we can reverse the damage that we’ve already done to our planet. That’s a lesson to us all that can hopefully be applied to our greenhouse gas emissions to tackle climate change.

“If we keep adhering to this protocol then the ozone hole is projected to recover – at different times, in different parts of the atmosphere. In some regions, we think it might happen in the next couple of decades and in others much later in the century.”

ALWAYS READ THE FINE PRINT
House Democrats urged to remove ‘insidious attack’ on Social Security hidden within senate coronavirus bill

March 26, 2020 By Jake Johnson, Common Dreams


“The only way to escape this trap is to avoid stepping into it in the first place. That’s why the House must remove the cut to Social Security’s dedicated funding before this bill passes.”

Progressives are demanding that the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives prioritize removing a little-noticed provision in the massive Senate-passed coronavirus stimulus bill that would allow employers to stop paying into Social Security for at least the rest of the year—potentially threatening the program’s long-term financial health.

“If Trump and Republicans retain power after November’s elections, they will make sure that corporations never repay Social Security.”
—Michael Phelan, Social Security Works

Section 2302 of the nearly 900-page legislation would let companies defer until next year their payment of the employer payroll tax, one of the primary funding mechanisms for Social Security. The bill would require that companies pay 50% of their owed 2020 payroll taxes by December 31, 2021.

While the section has thus far received little media attention, advocacy group Social Security Works said the language authorizes an “insidious attack” on the New Deal-era program and must be stripped out before final passage.

The House is expected to vote on the bill as early as Friday.

“The Democrats are walking right into the trap,” Michael Phelan, deputy director of Social Security Works, warned in an email Wednesday night ahead of the Senate vote. “If Trump and Republicans retain power after November’s elections, they will make sure that corporations never repay Social Security. Then, Republicans will use the reduced trust fund as an excuse to destroy our Social Security system.”

“The only way to escape this trap is to avoid stepping into it in the first place,” said Phelan. “That’s why the House must remove the cut to Social Security’s dedicated funding before this bill passes.”

Social Security Works urged the public to call their representatives and pressure them to remove the employer payroll tax deferral:

The Senate bill would let corporations stop paying into Social Security for the rest of the year. But the House can still fix it.

Call your Rep. at 202-224-3121 TODAY. Tell them:
1. Remove the cut to Social Security’s funding
2. Increase Social Security benefits by $200/month
— SocialSecurityWorks (@SSWorks) March 25, 2020

In a letter to senators last week, Max Richtman, president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, denounced the proposal to defer employer payroll taxes as a serious threat to “Social Security’s ability to pay future benefits to 64 million Americans.”

“Social Security is an earned benefit fully funded by the contributions of workers throughout their working lives,” said Richtman. “A payroll tax suspension or deferral chips away at that fundamental idea, making it easier each time it is enacted to turn to it again to meet some future crisis, until the payroll tax is permanently eliminated.”

Linda Benesch, communications director for Social Security Works, told Common Dreams Thursday that whether or not the attack on Social Security is stripped from the Senate bill, the group plans to fight alongside its allies in the Congressional Progressive Caucus to ensure that an expansion of Social Security benefits is included in an expected fourth stimulus package.

Social Security Works president Nancy Altman last week called on Congress to adopt a proposal introduced by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) that would increase by $200 the monthly Social Security benefit for all recipients through the end of 2021.

“This will help beneficiaries afford housing, food, medicines, and other vital needs during this challenging time,” said Altman. “As a byproduct, it showcases Social Security’s efficiency and reach, which are so needed in this moment.”

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