Replacing “follow the science” as the most mind-numbing cliche of the left for the past year is an even dumber slogan: “Vaccine mandates work.”
This is what you hear now over and over again from the usual pandemic enthusiasts at CNN, the “experts,” Biden administration officials, and so on.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, CNN, Oct. 11: “We know that mandates work.”
NPR, Oct. 7: “In the quest to get more Americans vaccinated, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: Vaccine mandates work.”
Washington Post, Sep. 29: “The evidence is building: Vaccine mandates work — and well.”
This has got to be the most sinister line of the pandemic era. (Other than, “I’m going to shut down the virus.”)
It’s perfectly Orwellian. By “mandate,” they actually mean “coercion.” And by “work,” they actually mean, “You really have no choice but to do as we say.”
Some virus lovers are arguing that, no, in fact, everyone has a choice. They can choose to receive a vaccine — They’re even on “Buy One, Get One” special! — or you can find a new life. Those are the “mandates” that President Joe Biden is issuing with glee, ordering health care providers, full-time federal workers, and government contractors to get injected or potentially lose their jobs.
An order for private companies with more than 100 employees is expected soon. If workers haven’t gotten a shot in a number of days, employers will face penalties that could reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, which naturally means those who choose not to load up on vaccines are all but certain to be cut for costing the company.
So, there’s your choice. Get a vaccine or give up your livelihood.
Some companies, like major airlines, have gotten ahead of the government and already started mandating that their employees get a shot, which did lead to a surge of new vaccinations. What else would we expect? Of course most people would rather keep their income than watch their financial savings slip away while at the same time panicking about the current obscene levels of inflation.
Every indication is that the vaccines are safe and are effective in reducing severe illness. But plenty of people have legitimate reasons for simply deciding it’s not for them, whether it’s because they’ve already developed antibodies from natural COVID infection, or because they would feel more comfortable with more time, among other reasons.
That freedom is being enthusiastically snatched from them by the control freaks in the government and the media, high on their own supply of Moderna. They’re all very chipper as they repeat the creepy slogan that “vaccine mandates work,” but it’s more dishonesty. If these people were honest in talking about it, they would call a vaccine “mandate” what it really is: coercion.
