{"id":16214,"date":"2020-03-24T12:05:07","date_gmt":"2020-03-24T16:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/2020\/03\/24\/trump-to-seniors-sick-and-disabled-drop-dead\/"},"modified":"2020-03-24T12:05:07","modified_gmt":"2020-03-24T16:05:07","slug":"trump-to-seniors-sick-and-disabled-drop-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/workersvoiceus.org\/es\/2020\/03\/24\/trump-to-seniors-sick-and-disabled-drop-dead\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump to seniors, sick, and disabled \u2014 \u2018drop dead!\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TrumpBy JOHN LESLIE\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even as deaths were soaring in the United States, Trump declared that he wanted to lift restrictive public health measures as soon as possible, and would re-open the country for business in \u201cweeks,\u201d not months. During his March 23 press conference and on Twitter, Trump signaled his desire to cut short the protocols on physical distancing and to get the economy rolling again, saying, \u201c… at the same time, at a certain point, we have to get open and we have to get moving. We don\u2019t want to lose these companies. We don\u2019t want to lose these workers.\u201d Faced with a record-breaking number of unemployment claims, 3.2 million so far, Trump is clearly under pressure to keep the economy going despite the dangers such a course of action presents to the public.<\/p>\n

He further stated that if \u201cyou look at automobile accidents, which are far greater than any numbers we\u2019re talking about. That doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re going to tell everybody no more driving of cars. So we have to do things to get our country open.\u201d On Twitter, Trump added, \u201cWE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO!\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking his cue from the White House, in an appearance on Fox News, the lieutenant governor of Texas, Dan Patrick, stated that grandparents should be willing to risk death to save the capitalist system: \u201cAs a senior citizen, are you willing to take a chance on your survival in exchange for keeping the America that America loves for its children and grandchildren? … And if that is the exchange, I’m all in …\u201d<\/p>\n

FOX News commentator Britt Hume joined the chorus by defending Patrick on the \u201cTucker Carlson Show,\u201d saying that it is \u201centirely reasonable\u201d that seniors \u201ctake a risk of getting the disease, if that\u2019s what it took to allow the economy to move forward.\u201d Right-wing pundits and politicians have been pushing the idea that the interests of capital take precedence over the health of the most vulnerable.<\/p>\n

Easter Rising<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

This week, Trump expressed his desire to reopen the economy by Easter (April 12), saying, \u201cSo, I think Easter Sunday, and you\u2019ll have packed churches all over our country. I think it would be a beautiful time.\u201d This contradicts the statements of the medical and public health experts on his team.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus cases continues to grow exponentially. When questioned during a news briefing about whether lifting restrictions is supported by the experts as scientifically sound, he lashed out at the mongers of \u201cfake news\u201d who want this crisis to continue in order to hurt his chances of reelection.<\/p>\n

A letter published by the Council of Medical Specialty Societies<\/a>, and signed by more than 800,000 doctors, urges Trump not to do away with physical distancing protocols prematurely, stating, \u201cSignificant COVID-19 transmission continues across the United States, and we need your leadership in supporting science-based recommendations on social distancing that can slow the virus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doing the math<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n