Political Greed and $400K Gain: How Personal Wealth Breeds Apathy to Immigration Injustice
She got her $400K back in her stock account, so what this administration does to other people doesn’t matter.
Greed “Trumps” Humanity
I saw a comment on LinkedIn this morning that made my blood boil. The question posed was this.
“Is life better under the Trump administration?”
Overwhelmingly the response was an emphatic, “NO!”. But, to be honest, my feed is left leaning. I block those that comment with name calling or insults rather than well-documented or thoughtful discourse.
I blocked a new one today. She commented three separate times that her life was better and that she was sick of hearing from all of “us”. Why was her life better? Because during the pandemic she lost $400K in stocks, and since Trump took office, she’s gotten it back. Funny how people forget that the pandemic had a tremendous impact on all aspects of American life, including the stock market.
I was struck by her specificity —$400K lost and regained. I did not get the impression that this was her total investment portfolio. A $400K loss would be a blow—one I’ll never experience to be sure, and I’m not alone. The average median savings for households over 65 years old is around $200K. That means that 50% of the 65+ group have less than $200K in savings—total savings. So, she is already far ahead of the average American over 65.
She got her money back, and I’m happy for her. What I’m not happy about is the context. In this context, her getting her money was sufficient to block out all of the injustices incurred under the current administration. She is clearly comfortable and plans to stay that way regardless of the cost to others.
“I got mine!”
Isn’t that, after all, all that counts? Apparently for almost half this country personal greed outweighs atrocities visited upon their neighbors. Some of this is due to ignorance.
Due Process and Social Injustice: The True Facts on Immigration Crackdowns
The Supreme Court and the Erosion of Due Process
“They’re only detaining criminals. So what’s the big deal?”
That isn’t true. The Supreme Court now says it is okay to detain people simply because of their skin color (any skin color), their language, or type of work they do for the purpose of the immigration crackdown. Some of these arrests are brutal, with zero regard to the fact that some of these people are citizens. Yes. American citizens are being scooped up in raids and held until they can prove citizenship. They aren’t being held in Camp Cupcake.
“They’re just arresting criminals after all.”
Not true. Seventy percent of those detained do not have any kind of criminal record. Trump repeatedly stated that he is deporting the “worst of the worst”. I’m not sure that the mom changing sheets at a hotel can be considered the worst of the worst. Nor is the man, with no criminal record, who’s been in the country since he was eight years old and since married to a U.S. citizen. There are so many more examples. Feel free to Google away.
“But they are here illegally. That makes them a criminal!”
People arrested as they appear for their immigration meetings.
Being in the United States illegally does not make you a criminal, unless you’ve previously been removed from the country. Remember this when responding to this recurring theme. And, people are being arrested as they attend court for their immigration proceedings! This is illegal and deprives people of due process. Due process applies to everyone on U.S. soil. It’s the law.
Selfishness—Not Ignorance
Let’s face it. It isn’t always about ignorance. Many are just plain selfish. Their needs are always going to trump the needs of others. As long as they are comfortable, having people caged in overcrowded cells that according to the Kaiser Family Foundation leaves detainees exposed to inadequate sanitation, lack of food and extreme temperatures, is a price worth paying. This comfortable selfishness is the true epidemic in our politics, ensuring that the structures of human suffering will persist.