Excess Deaths Going Negative

Over at Powerline John Hinderaker observes that the death rate in the US and UK seems to be going negative. In other words that the "excess deaths" among oldsters like me during the COVID crisis of the last year were merely bringing normal deaths among oldsters forward a few months.

And for this we wrecked the economy and shut up the kidz?

OK, let's go with Ike, and make the problem bigger.

Speaking as a 74-year-old with two kids and six grandchildren, I say that once you have got grandchildren well on their way to adulthood, then you -- that is, "me" -- are surplus population. One fine day, you are going to die. Not because of a disease, but because ageing is part of Nature's program. There is a reason why old people have dry skin and dicky hearts. It is because Nature is planning to kill you off. Nothing personal, you understand.

But we in the West have erected the most obscene gubmint programs to throw money at the elderly. Social Security: hey, if you didn't save your nickels and your kids don't give a damn about you, well, good luck, chum. Medicare: why are we spending a fortune on old people in their last six months of life? 

Really, it is remarkable that the kidz haven't risen up in rebellion against us blood-sucking oldsters.

And, no doubt, when the kidz do rise up in rebellion they will attack the wrong fortress. Idiots.

But I get it. The only warrant for government power is to fight existential peril. And then reward the supporters after the fight with loot and plunder. In the good old days it was to the victor the spoils.

But today it doesn't make any sense to loot. Why loot Amazon? Because after you have looted it the looters don't have Amazon to serve them any more. And the same goes for all capitalistic enterprises.

Sure, you can prune and tap the capitalistic enterprises like they were maple trees and you want to tap the maple syrup. But it doesn't pay to kill the tree.

But the whole point of politics is to find something to fight. And right now we can see the end-point of this age-old instinct. The Biden Boys want to fight climate change with a multi-trillion dollar war -- just like FDR in WWII! Loot and plunder for all the producers of green boondoggles. And they want to fight systemic racism. Loot and plunder for all the "oppressed peoples."

Only the Green New Deal will be a net loss for ordinary people and for "oppressed peoples." And "systemic racism" logically leads to a war of all against all.

Something's got to give. And it will. The only question is the size of the butcher's bill before something "gives."

Meanwhile, we are going to find out that in 2021 the death rate is a lot lower than 2020, as the old geezers like me that might have died this year in 2021 actually died back in 2020.

What we need is a new moral calculus that makes it a moral horror to throw money at old geezers like me. And instead guts gubmint programs by 50 percent so that the young'uns have a chance.

As in, getting an education -- or more to the point, training -- without becoming a debt slave. As in, buying a house that's priced something short of astronomical. As in, keeping your wages out of the hands of politicians so you can save to start a business, to buy a house, to save for a rainy day, to help your kids get a good start in life.

But I don't expect this to happen soon. Not until our present rulers are sent packing.

And even then...

Meanwhile the funeral directors are not going to have a very good year. Sorry chaps.