PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon, as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

I hadn’t thought about this approach before reading a Wall Street Journal editorial last week.

Here is what it said:

“As the coronavirus threatens to stall the U.S. economy, a relatively easy countermeasure is to hit the emergency 401(k) button: Congress should allow people to take a certain sum, say $10,000, from their retirement accounts without facing penalties or taxes.

“This is a way to tap liquidity that already exists. Among non-retired adults, 54 per cent have some kind of defined-contribution plan, such as a 401(k) or 403(b), according to a Federal Reserve report last year. Also, 33 per cent hold an individual retirement account. For Americans overall, it represents a huge pool of money, estimated by one survey at roughly $17 trillion.

“Early withdrawals generally face automatic tax withholding. Plus there’s a 10 per cent penalty, with narrow exceptions. Congress created a new exception in December when it passed the Secure Act: Up to $5,000 can be taken out, penalty free, ‘in case of birth of child or adoption.’ In hindsight, lawmakers should have added a provision “in case of global coronavirus pandemic.

“In the past, Washington has given increased withdrawal flexibility to victims of hurricanes and California’s wildfires. What’s needed this time is bigger, since the coronavirus pandemic is nationwide and economic idling will affect millions. But the mechanics appear relatively straightforward. Lawmakers could pass legislation saying that early distributions during a defined period won’t incur the 10 per cent penalty. Maybe they could waive the usual income tax and withholding, too.

“This idea has many advantages, compared with the talk of giving every American a federal check for $1,000—or is it up to $2,000? It provides an option for people who need the cash, without blanketing everyone. Under Washington’s current plan for a Coronavirus Basic Income, the government would take out debt to pay everyone. Further, each dollar pulled from a retirement account would cost the Treasury only a fraction of that in forgone revenue, for a multiplier effect.

“Not everybody has a retirement plan, but a limited period of allowing free-and-clear withdrawals would encourage parents, brothers, uncles and so forth to act as a financial backstop to younger and less-fortunate family. That’s a much healthier dynamic than simply telling Americans to sit tight, crank up “Ride of the Valkyries,” and wait for the government helicopters dropping $100 bills.”

As I write this, Congress is battling over what to do in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Agreement has been hard to reach despite the incredible urgency of doing something.

The proposal above would be worth including in anything that has a chance to pass. It represents a solid combination of federal action combined with private resources.

And this from the current stalemate:

“Impasse turned on Democratic concerns that the legislation would help businesses more than the public.”

I suppose that concern could be considered to be valid in the age of Trump, when he perverts everything to support himself and, thus, could use resources for business to help his cronies as he done time and time again.

But, given the extremity of our circumstance, it is time for political figures to rise above petty politics and take action to protect America – despite Trump.