Well, now it seems the lieutenant governor of Texas (I mean, wouldn’t you know this idea would come from Texas?), Dan Patrick, age 69, suggests that many grandparents — and he includes himself — would be willing to die in the pandemic so that their children and grandchildren can “keep the America that all America loves,” i.e., the America with the booming economy. Note that this would not be dying for a religious faith or a moral principle or to save a life. He is calling on older Americans to sacrifice their lives, if necessary, in order that the economy can get back to normal.
I too worry about the future for younger generations. I have for decades. But I am convinced that the longstanding economic and corporate rape of nature, including unscrupulous pollution and flagrant mining of water and soil, using everything up as fast as possible with no regard future generations, is a much greater danger to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren's future han a few months of a stagnant economy — and that’s not to minimize the disruption and consequences from it that we will feel perhaps for the rest of our lives. It is a big deal, this shutdown. Perhaps, though, it is Nature’s way of telling us to slow down. We have been overdriving our headlines for as long as I've been alive.
And on that note --
Full disclosure/recommendations: I will be 72 years old in a matter of days and am not ready to be sacrificed on the altar of "the Economy." If Dan Patrick and Donald Trump -- and Mitch McConnell! -- are so willing to sacrifice themselves for future generations, I am willing to see them go to the head of the line. But let the first step not be contracting the virus. Let the first step be resigning from office.
1 comment:
I like what you wrote and how you presented it. I share many of your thoughts particularly about our future and more so about our children and grand children's future. Our culture has really evolved from when I was a kid 70 to 80 years ago.
I think of all the creature comforts we have today vs. my parents. We have become "soft" in many ways. Especially when it comes to critical thinking. Aside from the oil we ares lowly depleting, I find it bizarre that a business could make billions in profit pumping our collectively owned body of water from the various aquifers, sometimes to the degradation of local wells, paying almost nothing for it and then sell it back to us in a bottle (made from oil). It is the same water available at the tap in every house. Sometimes treated to get various minerals out and enhance the flavor, but water never the less. Our various crops demand in some cases a disproportionate amount of water for the size and need of the crop. Again reducing the amount available for human need. The west, so often on the brink of a drought, has learned nothing from the "dust bowl" days of the 30's, and appears about to repeat it again in about 10 years based on the water left in the aquifer supplying Oklahoma and surrounding state. I fear grim days are ahead for our heirs and with the strong hold business has on our elected representatives , I told see how this will change.
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