Radio host Steve Cortes spoke to his audience on March 20 with a message of hope about the current COVID-19 pandemic and the recovery to come, but he urged listeners and lawmakers to act big as they respond to the current medical and economic crisis.
“We are not sunshine patriots,” he said, referring to Thomas Paine’s pamphlet “The Crisis.”
Cortes' reference points to a quote from Paine about individuals whose patriotism shines when things are easy.
“We need to remember and act as if we are not summer soldiers, sunshine patriots,” said Cortes. “We are here to weather the storm, to persevere and persist through it. We will figure out what we need to do to get through this present crisis as quickly as possible.”
Cortes said that it is possible to get back on the trajectory of increasing prosperity and security that America was on before the COVID-19 crisis began, but that without bold action, the economy is in massive trouble.
“I’m very confident that we are weeks away (not months, not years) from reasserting that trend,” Cortes said.
This is despite his vision of an economic inferno beginning, with millions losing jobs and tens of millions locked in place.
“We can’t fight an inferno with a garden hose,” said Cortes. “We need a tsunami.”
That tsunami, he said, looks like massive fiscal stimulus, and federal assistance directly to working Americans.
“We are at a historic juncture. Need is intense and widespread” he said
Cortes called for the government to take several actions, including:
- Take the tax rate to zero for low- and middle-income workers. This would give them an immediate pay raise and money directly into their pockets. It would also give them the confidence to spend money right now.
- To double the unemployment insurance benefits for those who are out of work.
When it comes to the medical issues with COVID-19, Cortes is optimistic, saying that he believes we’ll be on the other side of this in weeks, because scientists are making big discoveries and advancements in treatments.