You gotta dance with the one that brung ya*

Unanimous corporatism in Congress. After a day of performative fussing and fighting over partisan particulars in the COVID-19 relief bill, U.S. senators last night passed—96 to 0—the $2 trillion spending measure largely unchanged.

The part getting the most attention is the direct payments: $1,200 each for single Americans who made under $75,000, dual-income married couples who made under $150,000, or single-income heads of household who made under $112,500 in annual adjusted gross income in 2019. Pro-rated amounts will go to single filers making up to $99,000 and couples making up to $198,000. Families get an additional $500 for each child age 16 and under. (More details here.)

  Reason

What happens to people who don't file a tax return (or didn't file one last year)? The don't exist?

But the 880-page bill is brimming with bailouts for government-favored corporations, too.

Of course it is.

"Neither Congress nor the Treasury secretary should be picking winners and losers," [Libertarian-leaning Rep. Justin Amash (I–Mich.)] tweeted on Tuesday. "Corporate welfare is not only unjust but also reflects government conceit. Only consumers, not politicians, can appropriately determine which companies deserve to succeed."

Not in this country, Justin.

If Democrats and Republicans are going to spend $2 trillion, "then the best way to do it, by far, is a direct cash transfer that otherwise keeps government out of the way," he wrote yesterday.

It was never going to happen.

The Libertarian Party has been appealing to the House to fix the Senate's mess.

They won't. Most Democrats are corporate-owned, too. And they wouldn't want the backlash of being blamed for holding up the relief package. Still, it's imperative that we flip the Senate in November and that Kentucky ditch Mitch McConnell regardless.

*I miss you, Molly Ivins.  These are the times you were made for.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.