Texas Lt. Gov.: Don't 'Sacrifice the Country' to Save Us Seniors

It's unclear just how many seniors agree with Dan Patrick on his thoughts about saving US economy
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 24, 2020 8:14 AM CDT
Texas Lt. Gov.: Don't 'Sacrifice the Country' to Save Us Seniors
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, right, is seen after speaking at a news conference on Dec. 29, 2019, in White Settlement, Texas.   (Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

These are times in which we may all have to make some sacrifices, but in the Texas lieutenant governor's mind, senior citizens in the US should be ready to make the ultimate sacrifice. NBC News reports that Dan Patrick appeared on Tucker Carlson's Fox News show Monday night, not long after a presser in which President Trump signaled he wants businesses reopened sooner rather than later—which would flout the advice of health experts, per CBS DFW. The 69-year-old grandfather of six agrees with Trump, and apparently thinks older Americans should be OK with risking their lives in this effort. "No one reached out to me and said, 'As a senior citizen, are you willing to take a chance on your survival in exchange for keeping the America that all America loves for your children and grandchildren?'" he said to Carlson. "If that's the exchange, I'm all in."

Patrick added: "Let's get back to work. Let's get back to living. ... Those of us who are 70-plus, we'll take care of ourselves. But don't sacrifice the country." Tucker double-checked that he was understanding Patrick correctly, asking: "You're basically saying that this disease could take your life but that's not the scariest thing to you? There's something that would be worse than dying?" Patrick's reply: "Yeah. If I get sick, I'll go and try to get better, but if I don't, I don't." CBS News notes the immediate backlash that came Patrick's way, with the terms "death panel" and "Logan's Run" (a movie in which anyone over 30 is eliminated) getting a lot of traction. "I'm 73, pretty active, and I'm not willing to sacrifice myself for the economy," one commenter noted on Twitter. From another: "Sacrificing the elderly on the altar of the economy? This Texan will vote for someone with a moral compass next time." (More coronavirus stories.)

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