The Expendables 4: Granny Dies So Dow Jones Lives

Yo Adrienne!

Death Wish aside, there is this more recent American movie franchise The Expendables starring the aging action star Sylvester Stallone. Apparently, Trump's America has real-life elderly expendables too--they go by the name of "senior citizens." In the calculations of Trump and his administration's officials, the almighty economy cannot be sacrificed in the name of preventing COVID-19's spread in retirement communities or probably anywhere else. The administration's gospel according to Treasury Secretary Steven "The Munchkin Man" Mnuchin goes like this:

Mnuchin said Thursday that the US economy will not be shut down again, despite a continued rise in coronavirus cases -- more than 2 million in the US -- and a key model projecting a steep increase this fall. "We can't shut down the economy again. I think we've learned that if you shut down the economy, you're going to create more damage, and not just economic damage, but there are other areas," he said during an appearance on CNBC, calling President Donald Trump's initial decision "very prudent" but saying "we've learned a lot" since then.

Now, his boss Trump has made no bones about wanting to quickly open up the United States despite COVID-19 ravaging the nation. Trump acts as if he could wish COVID-19 away. Witness his request for this year's Republican convention be held without social distancing, masks, or any substantive visual indicator that things are different nowadays. Trump's rush to open up America leaves those most vulnerable to COVID-19--especially seniors with their weaker immune systems--susceptible. Apparently, their gullibility is not infinite. They've taken notice in retirement communities like Florida:

The roots of senior discontent aren’t hard to find. Nora Patterson, a longtime Republican county commissioner and former mayor of Sarasota, told me that the “old people are all hidden away, fearing for their lives.” Florida has so far been spared the ravages of coronavirus compared to New York or New Jersey, two states that tend to feed Florida’s population, but concern remains high: According to the same Quinnipiac poll, 77% of seniors fear hospitalization for themselves or their family members. And seniors aren’t giving Trump high marks for his erratic handling of coronavirus. 

The simple fact is that the national government is profoundly indifferent to seniors with regard to COVID-19. Reporting requirements concerning the disease are lax despite nursing homes being frequent sites for the disease's spread:

Three months after the coronavirus began rampaging through U.S. nursing homes, the federal government has released the first nationwide data on the virus' impact on long-term care facilities, showing nearly 26,000 resident deaths and 449 staff deaths to date.

But the figures released Monday are significantly lower than other estimates, as they capture only a part of total coronavirus deaths associated with nursing homes. The federal government is not requiring facilities to report data on cases or deaths that happened before May, and the administration said nearly 3,000 nursing homes have yet to submit data to the government.

According to the latest NBC News tally, nearly 40,000 coronavirus deaths are associated with nursing homes, assisted living and other long-term care facilities since the beginning of the pandemic — representing almost 40 percent of all coronavirus deaths in the U.S. The NBC News tally is also likely to be an undercount, as a handful of states have still not released their nursing home death tolls.

They are not counting all nursing homes with coronavirus infections--much less their number of deaths. It makes Trump look better like not letting infected people off cruise ships, right? To add insult to injury, Trump is looking into defunding Social Security payments that seniors rely on by reducing payroll tax contributions from working-age persons:

Large majorities across party lines continue to support Social Security while opposing benefit cuts. They also recognize the financial lifeline that their earned benefits supply at a time of gross income inequality and diminished retirement savings -- and now, during a global pandemic, 40% of seniors rely on Social Security for all of their retirement income. That's how vital this program is.

Social Security may be vital to seniors--as is keeping unnecessary movement to a minimum like masses staying away from Republican conventions. But Trump and his administration will have none of it since he obviously prioritizes his re-election over the well-being of seniors. If pumping up a moribund economy requires their sacrifice, well, so be it. Nevermind that people--seniors included--would probably be more persuaded to engage in economic activity if they knew COVID-19 was on the wane in their country due to national government action--which it isn't, really. Not by a long shot.

The post's title says it all. Congratulations on your overwhelming 2016 voting choice, American seniors. Maybe you'll make a more sensible choice next time around--if you'll get one.