Other businesses take their place? I thought Americans prided themselves on filling gaps with entrepreneurial innovation?
I'm not sure what point you're trying to make with your question. Am I supposed to say "Well, in order to maintain the precious economy, businesses have to survive, and for businesses to survive, they have to maximize profits, even if that means paying lower wages"?
If that's the nonsense you're looking for, you're talking to the wrong person.
Yeah during good times, not at the beginning of potentially a recession/depression depending on how this plays out.
And maybe you have a skewed vision of businesses with this talk of maximizing profits.
Your average business isn't Microsoft or Amazon and some other multi billion dollar corporations worried about getting new private jets. It's tiny small businesses all over the country doing everything they can to survive. I mean this pandemic hasn't even peaked yet and look what has happened to restaurants. Imagine if this continues for another 8 months.
And if that not enough for you think of it from a humanitarian perspective. If only select people are going to be supported from the government during these times. Do you think that should be determined based on need? As in elderly, immunosuppresed, vulnerable, taking care of sick/elderly etc?
Or should it be determined simply by opportunistic people wanting to take advantage of the government during a crisis deciding they should be entitled to government money while others who actually need it are out working everyday?