The COVID-19 pandemic has stratified all different groups of people in terms of who gets sick; however, the most privileged are the most prepared. Many people are fortunate enough to be able to work from home, or even have homes to go back to while others face a lack of job security, resources and/or a home to quarantine in. Job loss and business closures have created economic uncertainty during the public health crisis. In response, the federal government created a two trillion dollar stimulus package. A hallmark feature of the bill is bailout checks that will be distributed based on socioeconomic status and annual household income; however, not all families will receive one as there is a maximum annual household income for recipients. This bailout system may temporarily alleviate economic uncertainty, but in order to address COVID-19 in the long run, we need to rely on the strength of civil society. People who are fortunate enough to be in a financial situation that has allowed them to adequately prepare for the pandemic and who do not run the risk of losing their job should help uplift those in less advantaged situations. That is why I created donateyourbailout.org
I created this website because I believe that privilege should be used to help people who are not as fortunate as I am. The mission of my website is “to provide Americans fortunate enough to not need the bailout check with the ability to donate some or all of it — or an equivalent amount — to help combat COVID-19.” I believe that if a person is receiving a bailout check and does not need all of the money, then he or she should donate some of it to a nonprofit dedicated to combating COVID-19. Similarly, if a person earns more than the maximum eligibility for a bailout check then he or she should donate to an organization also committed to fighting this pandemic. I researched many organizations that are tirelessly working to combat this pandemic, and I selected six nonprofits that will maximize the use of the money donated and do the most amount of good in order to use the donations most efficiently. This website is predicated on three values: transparency, philanthropy, and loyalty. I provide detailed information on each nonprofit to strive for transparency, I allow people to donate through my website and I have created an online pledge that people can sign to show their loyalty to combatting COVID-19.
This website builds off of John Rawl’s theory of distributive justice. Distributive justice means that everybody should have access to equal rights, liberties, and opportunities. In society today, there are large schisms between different social classes, and this pandemic highlights the differing level of access to resources and opportunities amongst social classes. I believe that people who are fortunate enough to not face major financial losses due to COVID-19 should work to ensure stability for those who have or will face a lack of access to jobs and resources. My website provides a space for everybody to demonstrate his or her commitment to public health by acknowledging the responsibility of the privileged in public health crises, a responsibility to better society as a whole.
