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I was very surprised at the beginning of the year that our government was handing out sizable amounts of money to almost everyone. It made me wonder, could the government afford to do this all along--and was just holding out on us?

After all, the U.S. Government spends an astronomical amount of money on weapons designated for use against the human beings of other countries. The defense budget in 2019 was over 700 billion. Some of the fighter and/or bomber planes cost up to a hundred million per unit. The government spends approximately a third of a trillion on law enforcement every year. Why then, with all this spending that doesn't go to regular poor people, can't the government shell out a little more to us, people with disabilities, now and then?  

With the government handing out a trillion dollars or more to 'regular people' and to the poor, one would guess it would affect the economy. Inflation has risen. If the government puts too much money into circulation, I wonder if this could risk the stability of the government and the entire economy. If the money was first obtained through taxes on the rich, I think it would be less of a risk compared to borrowing it or just printing up more. Money has to come from somewhere, even if it comes from a print machine. 

By reading the above, you can guess that I'm not an economics expert. My reasoning is based only on common sense. 

However, for people at the bottom of the economic structure, those who are accustomed to living on tiny amounts, the money was very convenient and good when we had it. It allowed me to live temporarily under better conditions. Some of the purchases continue to help my living conditions, ongoing. 

Now that the stimulus money is used up, we poor people must readjust to being miserably poor, and this is difficult. We can no longer enjoy many of the necessities and conveniences that middle class people and rich people take for granted. And if we fail to revert to the restricted pre-stimulus household budget rapidly enough, we are at risk. 

There are those who could not pay rent. They were not evicted because of emergency government measures. They have to get on the ball as soon as possible and get the money that the government has made available to pay off their unpaid rent. If they didn't pay rent and they could readily have done so, and if they instead enjoyed a free ride, it is a misuse of something that was put in place to help desperate people. Either way, many will owe back rent, and this must be produced. The net effect is the likelihood of a massive surge in unhoused populations. The impact of this on society could be devastating. We could end up with a severe economic depression, resembling the Great Depression, or worse. 

The above text contains merely my thoughts on the subject and some quick research. I do not have any exclusive sources of information. However, it seems to me that we ought to make the multibillionaires pay some taxes and give some of that to the poor and/or disabled people who are struggling, some of whom could die due to lack of their basic needs being met. 

For me, not having the stimulus money means that I need to have a very strict budget and must watch every dollar. Once again, I cannot buy things that I was glad to be able to get when the money was available. An example: I can't get laundry quarters unless I first get my wife to give me some cash. And she also isn't getting stimulus money anymore. 

Of course, it will be nice if I can sell some fiction to magazines, or sell a lot of copies of my books, but I can't count on that. The amount the government gives to Social Security recipients (if you are careful never to become overdrawn with the associated devastating fees) is enough to pay rent if you live in a subsidized unit. Beyond that, you can't pay for housing in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

You might think I'm grumbling. However, it is not as though I can just get a job and earn as much as I want. That doesn't work for people on Social Security, unless, through someone's magic wand, you instantly become able to handle full-time professional employment. 

To sum it up, if you have any kind of disability and must live on SSDI and/or SSI, you could be feeling the crunch by now of the stimulus money being used up. 

Jack Bragen's books, such as "Schizophrenia: My 35-Year Battle…" are currently available in the U.S. on LULU.COM, and in the U.K. and other countries through various outlets.