"In the choice between our way of life as Americans and the loss of life -- of American lives -- we have to always choose the latter." Rep. Trey Hollingworth, R-Ind.
Call me cynical, but I have serious doubts about the intestinal fortitude of those who stand next to General Pickett on the back line and blow "Charge!" on their bugles while everyone else marches up Cemetery Hill.
I've always wondered about "our way of life as Americans" as mentioned by Hollingsworth. Is that a real thing? Has somebody actually pinned it down? Is it a singular "way of life?" Or are there plural "ways of life" instead? Seems like the latter to me, but I'm strictly street-level cannon fodder. I'm not a one-percenter like General, I mean Representative, Hollingsworth.
The United States being primarily a service economy these days, I decided to tally up the folks most likely to charge up our COVID-19 version of Cemetery Hill. Somehow, I don't think one of the wealthiest men in Congress gets to experience "our American way of life" quite like our 10 most common professions. In descending order, they are retail salespersons, cashiers, food prep and servers, office clerks, registered nurses, waiters and waitresses, customer service reps, laborers, secretaries, and janitors. All exposed to dozens, if not hundreds, of different people each and every workday. Forced by their jobs into close interactions with folks whose virus statuses are unknown. The RNs, of course, are immersed in the riskiest environments of all. In reality, these 10 most common occupations are the people living "our American way of life."
Take the RNs out of the top 10 most common jobs, and you are looking at median income significantly below the American average. In fact, the bottom 40% of employed Americans have median incomes no higher than $20,000.
But let's put them back to work so the American economy can power back up and make their lives worthwhile, eh? Better to sacrifice 20,000 of the people earning $20,000 than to have the working class sitting safely at home. Does anyone really think that Hollingsworth and his ilk would put any of their immediate families on the front lines of this service economy right now? For $20,000 a year?
Trumpeting "Charge!" from the safety of a luxury box makes these super-capitalists nothing more than hypocrites and cowards.
April 15, 2020
Bob Dietz
