Yesterday President Biden forcefully said that Americans who refuse to get Covid-19 shots are causing "a lot of damage," are "keeping us from turning the corner" and cannot be permitted to "stand in the way." It's about time. (See video.)
(Listen to the article)
Biden called on governors to require teachers and school administrators to be vaccinated and said he would "use my power" to get those who refuse "out of the way." Biden said companies with 100 or more employees must require that workers be vaccinated or tested regularly, and that medical facilities' employees must be vaccinated.
Biden said executive orders covering all federal workers and federal contractors now require they be vaccinated against COVID-19, and that 300,000 Head Start workers and staff members of federally operated schools under the Departments of Defense and Interior must meet vaccine requirements.
In addition, he asked large venues that hold entertainment events to require attendees to show proof of vaccination or proof of negative test results, as many are already doing. He asked parents of children 12 and older to get their kids vaccinated and make sure their children who are younger than 12 are surrounded with people who are vaccinated against the virus.
The president also got tough with those on commercial airline flights who refuse to wear masks, warning that federal fineCovid-s will be doubled. He said argumentative displays by passengers are "wrong" and often "ugly."
Some Republican governors, in typical GOP fashion in this post-Trump universe, have responded by claiming Biden is trampling on our Constitution and our personal freedoms. They are irresponsibly playing directly to the stubborn beliefs of the anti-vaxers who are the primary cause of the continued spread of Covid-19.
For example, South Carolina Gov. Henry "The Disaster" McMaster, who is seeking re-election and must have the support of Trump Republicans, said the following:
“The American Dream has turned into a nightmare under President Biden and the radical Democrats. They have declared war against capitalism, thumbed their noses at the Constitution and empowered our enemies abroad. Rest assured, we will fight them to the gates of hell to protect the liberty and livelihood of every South Carolinian.”
One must wonder who wrote that for McMaster, because to hear him talk, it seems unlikely he could put those words together in such forceful fashion.
I predict that McMaster one day will become intimately familiar with the gates of hell, given the fact that his actions are causing people to get sick and die as Covid-19 continues to spread in his state and as hospital admissions and deaths continue to climb.
A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released today said unvaccinated individuals were 11 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than fully vaccinated people. https://youtu.be/IA2SCoYl8_U
It's time for McMaster and other GOP governors to stop playing politics with peoples' lives. Today, when Biden was told that some GOP governors plan to sue the feds for this new, tough -- and overdue -- stand, Biden replied:
"Have at it."
It's about time.