Appreciate the Offer, But No Thanks, Dan… I’ll Pass On Dying
The State of Texas is having a rough go of it lately. After a while of feeling pretty good about itself regarding the virus, the pendulum swung their way and the numbers skyrocketed. Hospitals in Houston and Dallas appear to be filling up, and Governor Abbot has re-shut the bars in an effort to contain the spread.
In the midst of this surge, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick echoed a controversial statement that he’d made back in March, during the early days of the pandemic, and said to Tucker Carlson on Fox:
“…and what I said when I was with you that night, there are more important things than living. And that’s saving this country for my children and my grandchildren and saving this country for all of us,” He went on to say that he didn’t want to die but that “we’ve got to take some risks and get back in the game and get this country back up and running.”
It’s worth examining the levels of stupidity and contrived drama in this statement, and the implications that it came from a high ranking government official.
Mr. Patrick, let’s have a chat.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am firmly in the category of virus fodder that you’re referring to. When Covid-19 comes looking for an easy kill, my picture is in it’s iPhone. And yes, just like you, I would gladly take one to save any of my children or grandchild. So we’re clear on that. That said, I’m happy here right now, and those kids are a pretty good reason to keep hanging around.
So, Dan, what is this bargain you’re suggesting? Is one of my kids on a ventilator, and they need my lungs? Gotcha, get the IV ready. Is there an army forming to fight the virus, and they’re taking one person from each family? I’m your huckleberry.
You want us to die so that the economy opens a few weeks earlier? While the infections are still spreading? Before there’s a vaccine, or a treatment, or even a reasonable system for tracing everyone that’s going to get infected by that opening, including my kids?
Are you freaking kidding?
Look, I get it. The economy is in the toilet, and the virus has a grip on the flusher. That’s badly hurting a whole lot of people, so we have to get that dealt with, and now. But hey, our fearless leader just said that we’re doing great there, setting records. Our vice president just said that all fifty states are on target. The stock market is booming, and Kudlow just said that we’re golden again, all’s good. Seems like overkill (pun fully intended, Dan) to put us vulnerable sorts in the line of fire just to rush things.
And why is this economic crisis going to take my kids and grandkid, or anyone else’s, anyway? Hunger is a huge problem, housing is entering a crisis, everyone’s looking for work… but that’s temporary. You said so, and frankly, that’s what history tells us. We just have to work together and get through it. We’re lucky though, because we’re a rich country. We can just throw some more money out there and take care of everyone. If you’re that worried about the people, and you are not just exploiting our precious families in a shameless, pathetic ploy to get agreement on some policies, then tell your people in Washington to wind up the printing presses again, but this time, give it to American families instead of to the multi-national corporations and banks. Easy.
I mean the last time, you guys made a huge deal about the $1,200 checks that you (eventually) sent out. That was a couple of months ago, and while the $180 billion that got sent out seems like a lot, that was only 6% of the CARES Act. Pretty much a rounding error there, Dan. Another $250 billion went to “small” businesses, and the rest basically went to making the stock market go up quickly.
So, obviously, money is no object… that Mnuchin fellow said that deficits don’t matter, and that we shouldn’t worry about them. The guy Powell from the Fed said that he could create as many trillions as he needs to in order to make things go smoothly. If you guys don’t think giving my grandkids a $30 trillion debt to deal with is a problem, I’m pretty sure that a $31 or $32 trillion debt should be just fine. If you guys have been telling us the truth, and money doesn’t matter, a couple of trillion spread around just to the people — say, about $12 — $15,000 a head — should be more than enough to buy another month or three.
Certainly, nothing worth people dying for. You can save those kids and grandkids with some more money instead of their grandparent’s lives. I’m pretty sure I know how all of them would vote on that. So, pay out everyone to help them wait a little bit more, and leave us grandpa’s around to spoil our kids. Get your act together and make the real opening work, with policies and preparations and testing and tracing and all those good things in place by then. Buy us some more time to get closer to real medical solutions.
Or is there something else that I’m missing? Are you worried that if the economy doesn’t come back fast enough on its own, this Administration might lose in November? That can’t be it… even you wouldn’t suggest that a generation needed to be put at risk, that thousands needed to die unnecessarily, just because of an election, would you Dan? I mean, the whole reason for the sloppy rush and panicked rhetoric couldn’t be for the President’s political benefit… for gosh sakes, you re-opened Texas when you were still a far sight from meeting the President’s own guidelines, and against the begging of his very own scientists and agencies… you obviously didn’t put your entire state at risk just to help re-elect Trump, did you?
Nah, I don’t believe that. Even you wouldn’t trade lives for votes… would you Dan?
