Last week the United States Supreme Court ended what they determined to be an illegal eviction moratorium.  The US Supreme Court ruled that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) exceeded its authority in issuing a moratorium order on evictions in counties with heightened levels of community transmission.  They ruled that only the first moratorium order and a December extension directly issued by Congress were legal.  

The U.S. Treasury has paid out approximately $25 billion to states and local governments through a program called COVID Emergency Rental Assistance (CERA).  According to the Michigan State Housing Development Authority over $181 million dollars has been paid out to residents from May to August of this year.

In July, The Michigan Supreme Court ruled:

In cases filed pursuant to MCL 600.5714(1)(a) for nonpayment of rent, a court must stay further proceedings after the pretrial hearing is conducted and not proceed to judgment if a defendant applies for COVID Emergency Rental Assistance (CERA) and notifies the court of the application. The stay is contingent upon the following events:

(1) An eligibility determination is made by the appropriate HARA within 30 days of the pretrial hearing;

(2) The defendant is eligible to receive rental assistance for all rent owed; and

(3) The plaintiff receives full payment from the CERA program within 45 days of the pretrial hearing.

There have been more stimulus and welfare payments given to people living in America and Michigan over the last year and a half than ever before in the history of our country.  Some families received more than $35,000 in stimulus/welfare money. 

The three stimulus checks included the following:

  • CARES Act payments: $1,200 per adult and $500 for dependent children under age 17
  • December 2020 stimulus payments: $600 per adult and $600 per dependent child under 17
  • American Rescue Plan Act payments: $1,400 per adult and $1,400 per dependent including adult dependents

And the expanded Child Tax Credit resulted in payments of:

  • $3,600 per qualifying child under 6
  • $3,000 per qualifying child between the ages of 6 and 17

How were these people not able to pay their rent?

Where did all the money they receive go to?

There are many jobs available.  Jobs with skill sets ranging from very little to advanced degrees.  Job's that pay more than they did prior to the Pandemic, jobs in which they would be able to pay rent.

What is different today than prior to the pandemic?  The only difference I can see is people were given a lot more stimulus/welfare during the pandemic to not work than ever before?

That leads us to the obvious although non politically correct question; what happened to all that money?  What did they spend all of that money on?

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