Episode description
Episode description
The economy is complicated enough to understand as it is. Learn about it through stories from real people.
Nancy Wu talks with Isaac Miller about his experiences through work and layoffs during the coronavirus pandemic, and his experiences with unemployment insurance, the enhanced unemployment assistance benefits of the CARES act, how COVID-19 has impacted the economy, and how a pandemic has changed how we think about work-life balance. Isaac Miller works as a photographer, teacher, Uber driver, and at an LA juicery.
(1:30) - Isaac's Intro
(2:45) - Savings rate and spending from unemployment relief. Unemployment insurance and spending patterns since COVID.
(4:10) - Adjustment period between layoffs and unemployment insurance and CARES Act $600/week.
(4:30) - Isaac's Uber driving, after school teaching, photography jobs layoff story and employment on pause stories.
(9:10) - Unemployment insurance and enhanced unemployment assistance benefits.
(11:30) - Life after unemployment assistance and starting a savings account.
(16:00) - Will relief bills really make people not want to work?!
(21:00) - Isaac's method for reforming the CARES Act and stimulus bill reform calculation and implementation.
(23:00) - Where is all the money in this rich ass country going if not to stimulus bills!?
(24:15) - Andrew Yang's universal basic income.
(25:30) - What COVID made us realize about work, burnout, spending patterns, and mental health. Isaac's FIVE job!
(35:20) - The worst thing about interacting with people in person at work!
(38:00) - Brick and mortar stores, the service and hospitality economies, starting a business. How plans change post pandemic.
(39:00) - Thoughts on what life will be like after the pandemic.
(41:00) - Anti-vax community and Life after the pandemic for the Immunocompromised.
(46:00) - Isaac speaking MANDARIN!
(47:00) - Wuhan's response vs. Trump's response to coronavirus.
Contact Nancy at:
interpellasian@gmail.com
LinkedIn
Instagram
Isaac's Instagram
Welcome to Progressive Opinions of Color (POC), a podcast that seeks to create space for more people of color in politics and economics. With the 2020 presidential election coming up and the state of the economy during COVID-19, it is more important than ever to think about who we include in the conversations about politics and economics. I am Nancy Wu, your host. I’m also an Asian American woman, an economist, and a huge politics and policy nerd. I triple majored in Economics, Government (Political Science) and Gender Studies at Dartmouth and have a Master’s in Development Economics from Oxford. I work as an Economist full time and have previously worked in economic policy at the White House (under Obama, of course) and progressive think tanks. The goal of this podcast is to engage the Asian American community and other POC and BIPOC voices in an industry that is so heavily represented by old white men. The POC Podcast will host conversations on the 2020 Presidential Election, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, the coronavirus pandemic, the state of the economy, and other pressing topics in politics, economics, and culture, all through perspectives inclusive of the lived experiences of people of color. Whether you're new to politics or already a huge politics nerd, I hope this podcast inspires community and conversation among us. Join me in reimagining politics and economics with underrepresented voices.