Direct Left

Share this post

‘Let the Children Suffer and Die’ is Bipartisan U.S. Policy

www.directleft.com

‘Let the Children Suffer and Die’ is Bipartisan U.S. Policy

The duopoly sacrifices children on the altar of capital.

Peter Daou
Jan 5, 2022
14
Share this post

‘Let the Children Suffer and Die’ is Bipartisan U.S. Policy

www.directleft.com
Photo by Spencer Platt via Getty Images

The most basic requirement of a civilized society is to protect and nurture children. By that measure, America is a colossal failure.  

School massacres. Drone strikes. Lack of healthcare (including mental health). Child homelessness and hunger. The climate emergency that threatens all future life. Systemic racism and police violence against Black and Brown youth. Caging migrant kids. Family separation and deportations — which is essentially child torture. These and other atrocities against children are accepted and perpetuated by both major parties. They are each complicit, notwithstanding the performative opposition of Democrats, who fundraise off promising to end them, yet never do.

The cruel and criminal child cages that Trump and Biden have used were built by Obama and Democrats. Deportations that wrecked asylum-seeking families have been undertaken and funded by both parties. Drone strikes that tear children to pieces have been ordered by Republican and Democratic presidents. Gun violence against schoolkids is met with thoughts and prayers but no meaningful action. Neither party has treated the climate crisis as an actual emergency. Simply put, along with bloated military spending and enriching the billionaire class, “let the children suffer and die” has bipartisan support.

Democrats crowed about “cutting child poverty in half,” as though leaving the other half in poverty was something to be proud of. Moreover, they spun and twisted the facts to omit that the child tax credits were temporary.

Twitter avatar for @ThiaBallerina
Thia is with … 😏✌️💋🔥 @ThiaBallerina
Cutting child poverty in half. For a few months. For some people. Maybe. And calling it the most progressive bill, since who fn knows, doesn’t exactly scream progress. But if the talking point is repeated enough, you’ll think it’s true. All in a day’s work. 😑
7:07 PM ∙ Mar 15, 2021
920Likes210Retweets

Most importantly, the “cutting child poverty in half,” talking point was an acknowledgement that child poverty is a policy choice.

Twitter avatar for @aronaya
Aronaya COVID IS AIRBORNE @aronaya
Wait, so if the Dems cut child poverty in half last year, does that mean they doubled it this year?
Image
2:45 PM ∙ Jan 3, 2022

Which is why it’s no surprise that the Biden administration and governors of both parties are hell-bent on sending America’s children into the mouth of the Omicron dragon. Parents, teachers, administrators, educators, and students deserve a remote schooling option, at least for January, with free and robust mental health support for children.

Twitter avatar for @missme1on
Ms. Melon @missme1on
It's easy to push for schools to reopen when you think of children as political entities, but to me they are people. Should i go to work w/ mild symptoms and risk infecting Ada, who lives with her grandma? Or Nikhil, who has asthma? Or Shay who just turned 5 n can't get vxed yet?
8:07 PM ∙ Jan 2, 2022
84Likes27Retweets
Twitter avatar for @quatoria
anna phylaxis @quatoria
Perhaps instead of sending "disease sniffer dogs" into our schools, as though covid were marijuana in a backpack, we should RETURN TO REMOTE EDUCATION.
Twitter avatar for @wbz
WBZ | CBS Boston News @wbz
COVID Detecting Dogs Begin Working In 3 Massachusetts School Districts https://t.co/vhX3JkiCXq
12:58 PM ∙ Jan 5, 2022
111Likes27Retweets
Twitter avatar for @sleepisocialist
Savvy☭ @sleepisocialist
A pack of KN95s that I got for $15 a month ago is now $50 on Amazon. Right before children are being forced back to school. During the covid peak. While hospitals are overflowing. What’s happening right now is a deeply immoral, profit driven humanitarian crisis.
12:07 AM ∙ Jan 4, 2022
99,507Likes16,443Retweets

The Democratic Party leadership is stubbornly forcing in-person learning and bullying anyone seeking a remote option. Why? To keep the working class enriching the 1% and to appease Republicans. It is a despicable cop-out and further evidence that Biden, Pelosi, and Democratic leaders have no coherent COVID-19 mitigation strategy other than pushing vaccines and having their supporters blame everything on Trump and anti-vaxxers. More on that here.

Bottom line: The pandemic has been a mask-off moment for the duopoly’s fascists.

Twitter avatar for @peterdaou
Peter Daou @peterdaou
America, where we coddle billionaires and bully teachers in a pandemic.
12:56 AM ∙ Jan 5, 2022
3,543Likes706Retweets
Share this post

‘Let the Children Suffer and Die’ is Bipartisan U.S. Policy

www.directleft.com
Comments
TopNewCommunity

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2023 Peter Daou
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing