© Washington Post
After the Senate narrowly passed a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill on Saturday, and President Joe Biden promised that eligible Americans will start receiving their $1,400 stimulus checks from this month onwards, the Washington Post tried to explain that the massive rescue package is more than just about this modest handout.
However, titled 'Biden stimulus showers money on Americans, sharply cutting poverty in defining move of presidency,' the story was criticized for the poor choice of wording that some called "creepy" and "worthy of North Korea."
"Jeff Bezos' Washington Post letting us know all is well — keep taking your Soma, watching Netflix, and ordering from Amazon, because Biden is 'showering' us with money!" quipped Senator Rand Paul's wife Kelley.
While the majority of Americans have for months been awaiting any direct cash aid, WaPo praised the new relief bill as one of the "most generous expansions of aid to the poor in recent history," and cited estimates by economists that the bill will boost growth this year "to the highest level in decades" and "reduce the number of Americans living in poverty by a third."
Some sensed a strong 'Dear Leader' vibe, while others jokingly warned each other not to spend the check, which for many can hardly cover a month's rent, in one place.
Comment: "It appeared that there had even been demonstrations to thank Big Brother for raising the chocolate ration to twenty grams a week. And only yesterday [...] it had been announced that the ration was to be reduced to twenty grams a week. Was it possible that they could swallow that, after only twenty-four hours? Yes, they swallowed it." - George Orwell, 1984