I think it is somewhat amazing how most of us think the higher up you are on the economic pyramid, the smarter you must be. Fortunately in this time of pandemic, we are being shown this is a particular brand of magical thinking. For one thing, we have a president* who is not only stupid, non empathic and incurious, but who surrounds himself with those who share the same traits, starting with his son-in-law.
What tRump, his cabinet and many of the .01% share is the sheer luck of being born to wealthy parents or grandparents. Betsy De Vos is another example of this slide into kakistocracy. Barely able to string two sentences together, she brings a startling brand of stupidity to the department of Education. If she had been born to average middle class parents, she would probably be lucky to maintain that standard of living. However, being the heir of billionaires, she will never have to test her mental acuity against the rest of us. Being the scion of a brilliant or ruthless success is no guarantee you will be similarly gifted. It will, however proof against ever having to display the aforementioned talents. Assuming careful management, many generations of a billionaire's progeny will live comfortable lives insulated from contact with the other 99.9%.
Another pundit makes the point there were shuttered storefronts in some of NY City's most expensive neighborhoods even before the pandemic. He posited the landlords of these empty spaces decided in true Randian fashion they would rather let the stores stay empty than accept what the market was willing to pay. Is this fealty to ideology or just stupidity enabled by wealth and power.
The US response to the pandemic is possibly the worst in the world. We the people elected the most inept administration in history and we now have a perfect storm of incompetence as the nation suffers. Remember this the next time someone who was born with a silver spoon in their mouth lectures you on how we should deal with the current crisis.
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