ABC NEWS, ALABAMA, ALTERNET, AMAZON, AMERICABLOG, ANTHONY FAUCI, AP, ASCENSION HEALTH, BABY BOOMER RESISTANCE, BBC, BEER, BLOOMBERG NEWS, BUZZFEED, CBS NEWS, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC), CNN, CORONAVIRUS, COVID-19, CROOKS AND LIARS, CVS PHARMACIES, DAILY KOZ, DAVID BROOKS, DELTA AIRLINES, DELTA VARIANT, DISNEY, DONALD TRUMP, DOORDASH, FACEBOOK, FIVETHIRTYEIGHT, FLORIDA, FRONTIER AIRLINES, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, GOOGLE, HARPER’S MAGAZINE, HUFFINGTON POST, JACKPOTS, JOHNSON & JOHNSON, JONATHAN CAPEHART, JOSEPH BIDEN, JOSH DAWSEY, KATHERINE WU, KAY IVEY, KROGER, LEANA WEN, LISA LERER, LYFT, MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, MARIJUANA, MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE, MASKS, MEDIA MATTERS, MODERNA, MORGAN STANLEY, MOTHER JONES, MOVEON, MSNBC, NANCY PELOSI, NBC NEWS, NETFLIX, NEW REPUBLIC, NEWSDAY, NEWSWEEK, NPR, PBS NEWSHOUR, PFIZER, POLITICO, POLITICUSUSA, RALPH NORMAN, RAW STORY, REUTERS, RON DESANTIS, SAKS FIFTH AVENUE, SALON, SCHOLARSHIPS, SEATTLE TIMES, SLATE, TALKING POINTS MEMO, TEXAS, THE ATLANTIC, THE CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE, THE DAILY BEAST, THE DAILY BLOG, THE GUARDIAN, THE HILL, THE HUFFINGTON POST, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES, THE NATION, THE NEW REPUBLIC, THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE NEW YORKER, THE VILLAGE VOICE, THE WASHINGTON POST, THINKPROGRESS, TIME, TRUTHDIG, TRUTHOUT, TWITTER, TWO POLITICAL JUNKIES, TYSON FOODS, U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT, UBER, UNITED AIRLINES, UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, UPI, USA TODAY, VACCINES, WALGREENS, WALMART, WASHINGTON WEEK, WONKETTE
In Bureaucracy, History, Medical, Politics, Social commentary on August 10, 2021 at 12:11 am
Since COVID-19 entered the United States in January, 2020, Republicans have turned it into a “culture war” issue.
President Donald Trump made wearing a mask a referendum on himself. If you were a “manly man”—and supported him-–you didn’t wear one. Even if it cost you your life.
He—and his followers—fiercely opposed “stay-at-home” orders by governors intent on suppressing rising COVID outbreaks in their states.
And when three vaccines appeared in early 2021, Republicans—again led by Trump—refused to say whether they were vaccinated. Some—like Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene—publicly celebrated low vaccination rates among their own constituents.
Others—like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis—threatened to withhold funds from public schools that required students to wear masks. (Only children 12 and older can be vaccinated.)
Ron DeSantis
So it was, ironically, a Republican who fired the first salvo at irresponsible public behavior.
“Folks are supposed to have common sense. But it’s time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks. It’s the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down. We’ve got to get folks to take the shot. It’s the greatest weapon we have to fight COVID,” Alabama Governor Kay Ivey told reporters in Birmingham on July 22.
Alabama is one of the least vaccinated states in the country, with roughly 34% of residents fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC had announced in May that fully vaccinated people no longer had to wear masks
But now the even more contagious Delta variant was spreading. Experts warned that vaccinated and unvaccinated people should wear masks indoors where COVID-19 cases were high but vaccination rates were low.
Meanwhile, some of the most prominent corporations in America weren’t waiting for them to do so.
- In May, Delta Airlines began requiring requiring newly-hired employees to show proof of vaccination.
- On August 6, United Airlines announced that it would require its 67,000 U.S. employees to get vaccinated by October 25—or risk termination.
- Hours later, Frontier Airlines announced that its employees must be vaccinated by October 1—or be frequently tested for COVID-19.
- On August 4, Facebook announced that all of its employees would have to prove that they had been vaccinated to return to the office.
- That same day, Google CEO Sundar Pichai sent a similar email to his staffers.
- Disney is requiring all its salaried and non-union hourly employees in America to be vaccinated.
- Uber announced that its U.S.-based office staff needs to be vaccinated to return to the office. It isn’t requiring the same for drivers.
- Walgreens is requiring vaccinations for all of its corporate employees in the United States.
- Netflix will require COVID-19 vaccinations for the casts of all its American productions, including those who come in contact with them.
- Saks Fifth Avenue is requiring that all employees be vaccinated.
- Walmart CEO Doug McMillon announced in a July 30 memo that all of its American-based corporate employees must be vaccinated by October 4.
- Tyson Foods will require that its 120,000 U.S. employees be fully vaccinated. According to the company, about 56,000 already are.
- Ascension Health will require Covid-19 vaccinations for all of its employees.
- On August 4, Twitter closed its offices in New York and San Francisco and paused further office reopenings. It was already requiring employees to show proof of vaccination.
- Lyft is requiring all employees working in its offices to be vaccinated.
- The Washington Post will require all current employees and new hires to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccinations.
- Morgan Stanley is barring all unvaccinated staff and clients from entering its New York headquarters office
More companies will undoubtedly follow suit.
There are two reasons for this:
First, across the country, hospitals are struggling to cope with the Delta variant—the most contagious strain of Coronavirus yet.
Second, it’s clear that simply offering incentives for behaving responsibly isn’t working.
This week, New York City became the first major city to require proof of vaccination to enter restaurants and gyms.
“I do think it may be time for this to happen,” said Katherine Wu, science writer for The Atlantic, on the August 6 edition of Washington Week.
Katherine Wu
“I’ve seen more and more experts come out in support of mandates and requirements like these. You know, it’s sort of a combination of carrot and stick. If you want to keep having these privileges going out into society and being able to lead a normal life, it is probably a really good idea to [get] vaccinated to ensure not only your health but the people that you’re interacting with.”
* * * * *
A policy only of incentives is a policy of bribery. And a policy only of deterrents is a policy of coercion.
Some people can’t be bought and some can’t be coerced. But history shows that a policy employing both carrots and sticks usually proves highly effective in motivating behavior.
As the school season begins in September, children will be increasingly exposed to the dangers of contracting COVID. Many of them will undoubtedly die.
And as their casualties mount, there will be increased demands for punitive measures against those who put their arrogance above the public good.
ABC NEWS, ALABAMA, ALTERNET, AMAZON, AMERICABLOG, ANTHONY FAUCI, AP, ASCENSION HEALTH, BABY BOOMER RESISTANCE, BBC, BEER, BLOOMBERG NEWS, BUZZFEED, CBS NEWS, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC), CNN, CORONAVIRUS, COVID-19, CROOKS AND LIARS, CVS PHARMACIES, DAILY KOZ, DAVID BROOKS, DELTA AIRLINES, DELTA VARIANT, DISNEY, DONALD TRUMP, DOORDASH, FACEBOOK, FIVETHIRTYEIGHT, FLORIDA, FRONTIER AIRLINES, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, GOOGLE, HARPER’S MAGAZINE, HUFFINGTON POST, JACKPOTS, JOHNSON & JOHNSON, JONATHAN CAPEHART, JOSEPH BIDEN, JOSH DAWSEY, KATHERINE WU, KAY IVEY, KROGER, LEANA WEN, LISA LERER, LYFT, MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, MARIJUANA, MASKS, MEDIA MATTERS, MODERNA, MORGAN STANLEY, MOTHER JONES, MOVEON, MSNBC, NANCY PELOSI, NBC NEWS, NETFLIX, NEW REPUBLIC, NEWSDAY, NEWSWEEK, NPR, PBS NEWSHOUR, PFIZER, POLITICO, POLITICUSUSA, RALPH NORMAN, RAW STORY, REUTERS, RON DESANTIS, SAKS FIFTH AVENUE, SALON, SCHOLARSHIPS, SEATTLE TIMES, SLATE, TALKING POINTS MEMO, TEXAS, THE ATLANTIC, THE CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE, THE DAILY BEAST, THE DAILY BLOG, THE GUARDIAN, THE HILL, THE HUFFINGTON POST, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES, THE NATION, THE NEW REPUBLIC, THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE NEW YORKER, THE VILLAGE VOICE, THE WASHINGTON POST, THINKPROGRESS, TIME, TRUTHDIG, TRUTHOUT, TWITTER, TWO POLITICAL JUNKIES, TYSON FOODS, U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT, UBER, UNITED AIRLINES, UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, UPI, USA TODAY, VACCINES, WALGREENS, WALMART, WASHINGTON WEEK, WONKETTE
In Bureaucracy, History, Law, Law Enforcement, Medical, Politics, Social commentary on August 9, 2021 at 12:10 am
When a deadly, air-borne plague is sweeping a nation, it’s medically smart to don a face mask until a vaccine is developed.
And, when it is, it’s just as medically smart to take that vaccine.
Yet, since March, 2020, millions of science-denying, government-hating Fascistic Republicans have refused to mask up in public against COVID-19. And now that not one but three vaccines have been developed, millions more have refused to get them.
Most of them are followers of former President Donald Trump. But many others have long believed that the Federal Government had a diabolical plan to enslave them.
Donald Trump
They distrust the scientists who developed the anti-COVID vaccines. They distrust the established news media, which has chronicled the destructive fury of COVID for more than a year.
Yet they put their faith in Trump, a man who
- Derided COVID as a hoax;
- Told 30,573 lies during his four years as President;
- Attacked reputable medical authorities such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s foremost expert on infectious disease;
- Promoted drinking bleach as a preventative or cure for COVID;
- Ordered his millions of fanatical followers to disobey the “shelter-in-place” orders of governors who were trying to stem the rising tide of COVID in their states; and
- Staged scores of super-spreader political rallies to promote his re-election in 2020, where tens of thousands of unmasked men and women stood shoulder-to-shoulder.
When Joseph Biden took office as President on January 20, 2021, he made eliminating COVID-19 his top priority. He publicized the launching of three new anti-COVID vaccines—by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. He encouraged Americans to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
And he set a deadline by which 70% of Americans would be at least partially vaccinated—by July 4: Independence Day.
At first, there was a mad rush as millions of Americans flocked to vaccination sites. But, by June, there was a marked increase in the numbers of those refusing to get vaccinated.
COVID-19
On June 7, the online edition of U.S. News & World Report published a story under the headline: “Declining Vaccination Rates Threaten Biden’s July 4 Goal.”
“Plunging vaccination rates are imperiling President Joe Biden’s goal of getting COVID shots into the arms of at least 70% of American adults by July 4, while public health experts worry that Southern states, where immunization numbers are the lowest, could see a spike in cases over the summer.”
That is exactly what has happened.
The story continued: “The steep decline began in mid-April, coinciding with the temporary suspension of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine while health officials investigated rare blood-clotting reactions. That drop has continued, with only 2.4 million adults getting their first shot last week. Officials must get a first dose to 4.2 million adults per week to meet Biden’s July 4 goal, the [Washington] Post reported.”
By August 2, 168.4 million Americans had been fully vaccinated, or 49.6% of the country’s population.
The population of the United States stands at 328.2 million.
Cities and states have offered a series of incentives to get vaccinated—as if doing so just to save your own life and the lives of those you love isn’t enough of an incentive.
Among those incentives:
- Free beer.
- Free marijuana joints.
- Free childcare coverage while getting shots or assistance while recovering from side effects.
- Extended hours for pharmacies in June.
- Thousands of pharmacies remaining open overnight on Fridays.
- Million-dollar jackpots.
- Full-ride scholarships.
- A $2 million commitment from DoorDash to provide gift cards to community health centers for those who get vaccinated.
- CVS Pharmacies launched a sweepstakes with prizes including free cruises and Super Bowl tickets.
- Major League Baseball hosting on-site vaccine clinics and ticket giveaways at games.
- Kroger gave $1 million to a vaccinated person each week in June and free groceries to dozens of people for the year.
Countless Americans were appalled at the selfishly irresponsible behavior of their fellow citizens.
One of these was President Biden: “All over the world people are desperate to get a shot that every American can get at their neighborhood drugstore.”
Another was Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University and former Baltimore health commissioner.
“It’s the height of American exceptionalism that we are having to beg people to get a life-saving vaccine, when healthcare workers and vulnerable people around the world are dying because they can’t get access to it,” said Wen.
Yet the time may be fast approaching when the juicy carrot is replaced by the big stick.
From the coming of the virus to the United States in January, 2020, Republicans have encouraged Americans to defy health warnings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
They have opposed wearing masks and stay-at-home orders. They have staged indoor political rallies of hundreds—or thousands—of unmasked men and women
So it’s ironic that it was a Republican who fired the first salvo at irresponsible public behavior.
“Folks are supposed to have common sense. But it’s time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks. It’s the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down,” Alabama Governor Kay Ivey told reporters in Birmingham on July 22.
Alabama is one of the least vaccinated states in the country, with roughly 34% of residents fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
ABC NEWS, ALEX ACOSTA, ALTERNET, AP, BUZZFEED, CASEY DESANTIS, CBS NEWS, CNN, CROOKS AND LIARS, DAILY KOZ, DONALD TRUMP, ELAINE CHAO, FACEBOOK, GEORGI MALENKOV, JEFF SESSIONS, JOSEPH STALIN, KIM JONG ON, KLIMENT VOROSHILOV, LAVRENTI P. BERIA, LEONID LENOV, MIKE MULVANEY, MIKE PENCE, MOTHER JONES, MOVEON, MSNBC, NBC NEWS, NEWSWEEK, NPR, POLITICO, RAW STORY, REUTERS, RON DESANTIS, SALON, SEATTLE TIMES, SLATE, THE ATLANTIC, THE CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE, THE DAILY BEAST, THE GUARDIAN, THE HILL, THE HUFFINGTON POST, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES, THE NATION, THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE WASHINGTON POST, TIME, TOM PRICE, TWITTER, U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT, UPI, USA TODAY, YEVGENEY YEVTUSHENKO
In Bureaucracy, History, Law, Politics, Social commentary on September 4, 2018 at 12:06 am
It’s universally known that Donald J. Trump is a lifelong narcissist and egomaniac. And it’s also no secret that those around him do their utmost to cater to his rampant narcissism and egomania.
This includes those officials he has appointed to his White House cabinet.
On June 12, 2017, polls showed that only 36% of Americans approved of his conduct. But from his Cabinet members, Trump got praise traditionally lavished on dictators like Joseph Stalin and Kim Jong On.
While the Cabinet members sat around a mahogany table in the West Wing of the White House, Trump instructed each one to say a few words about the good work his administration was doing.
“Start with Mike,” ordered Trump, referring to Vice President Mike Pence.
“It is the greatest privilege of my life to serve as the vice president to a president who is keeping his word to the American people,” Pence dutifully said.
Mike Pence
Then the rest of the Cabinet joined in:
- Attorney General Jeff Sessions: “It’s an honor to be able to serve you.”
- Tom Price: “What an incredible honor it is to lead the Department of Health and Human Services at this pivotal time under your leadership.”
- Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta: “I can’t thank you enough for the privilege that you’ve given me, and the leadership you’ve shown.”
- Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao: “Thank you for coming over to the Department of Transportation.”
- Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget: “At your direction, we were able to also focus on the forgotten men and women who are paying taxes, so I appreciate your support on pulling that budget together.”
To this sycophantic chorus must now be added the name of Ron DeSantis, the 2018 Republican nominee for governor of Florida.
Ron DeSantis
DeSantis’ accomplishments are truly impressive:
- 2001 – Graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in History.
- 2004 – Sworn into the Judge Advocate General Corps of the U.S. Navy while still attending Harvard Law School (from which he graduated with a J.D. in 2005).
- 2008 – Appointed by the U.S. Justice Department as a prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida.
- 2012 – Elected to the House of Representatives for Florida’s Sixth Congressional district.
- 2018 – Announced his candidacy for Governor of Florida to succeed termed out Republican incumbent Rick Scott.
Instead of highlighting his series of impressive accomplishments, he chose to create an ad that was virtually a love-hymn to Donald Trump:
“Everyone knows my husband Ron DeSantis is endorsed by President Trump, but he’s also an amazing dad,” says DeSantis’ wife, Casey.
“Build the wall,” says DeSantis, as his daughter, Madison, creates a wall out of building blocks.
“He reads stories—” says Casey. Then the ad cuts to DeSantis reading The Art of the Deal to his son, Mason: “Then Mr. Trump said, ‘You’re fired.’ I love that part.”
“He’s teaching Madison to talk,” says Casey. The ad cuts to DeSantis showing Madison a “Trump: Make America Great Again” sign and pointing out each word: “Make America Great Again.”
Casey: “People say Ron’s all Trump, but he is so much more.” This is followed by a shot of Mason lying in a crib, wearing a red “Make America Great Again” T-shirt.
Then the camera pulls back to show DeSantis standing over the crib, saying: “Bigly. So good.”
Finally, Casey says: “I just thought you should know.”
What voters should know is that Donald Trump has an insatiable appetite for flattery. And that Ron DeSantis is a sycophant eager to trade his dignity for Trump’s support.
And Trump, in return, has offered it.
For almost 30 years, through purges and starvation caused by enforced collections of farmers’ crops, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin slaughtered 20 to 60 million people.
On Stalin’s 70th birthday—December 21, 1949—Russians furiously competed with each other to lavish praise on him:
Joseph Stalin
- Novelist Leonid Lenov predicted that all the peoples of the earth would one day celebrate his birthday. The new calendar would begin with the birth of Stalin rather than with the birth of Christ.
- Lavrenti P. Beria, Stalin’s sinister and feared secret police chief: “Millions of fighters for peace and democracy in all countries of the world are closing their ranks still firmer around Comrade Stalin.”
- Defense Commissar Kliment Voroshilov: “The mighty voice of the Great Stalin, defending the peace of the world, has penetrated into all corners of the globe.”
- Central Committee Secretary Georgi Malenkov: “With a feeling of great gratitude, turning their eyes to Stalin, the peoples of the Soviet Union, and hundreds of millions of peoples in all countries of the world, and all progressive mankind, see in Comrade Stalin their beloved leader and teacher….”
In 1962, the Russian poet, Yevgeney Yevtushenko condemned those who had abjectly served as yes-men to such a madman.
Entitled, “Conversation With an American Writer,” the opening lines of Yevtushenko’s poem stand as a burning indictment to the yes-men who sycophantically saluted Stalin:
“You have courage,’ they tell me.
It’s not true. I was never courageous.
I simply felt it unbecoming
to stoop to the cowardice of my colleagues.”
Yevtushenko’s words equally indict those who now sycophantically salute Trump.
Bureaucracybuster's Blog 
ABC NEWS, ALABAMA, ALTERNET, AMAZON, AMERICABLOG, ANTHONY FAUCI, AP, ASCENSION HEALTH, BABY BOOMER RESISTANCE, BBC, BEER, BLOOMBERG NEWS, BUZZFEED, CBS NEWS, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC), CNN, CORONAVIRUS, COVID-19, CROOKS AND LIARS, CVS PHARMACIES, DAILY KOZ, DAVID BROOKS, DELTA AIRLINES, DELTA VARIANT, DISNEY, DONALD TRUMP, DOORDASH, FACEBOOK, FIVETHIRTYEIGHT, FLORIDA, FRONTIER AIRLINES, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, GOOGLE, HARPER’S MAGAZINE, HUFFINGTON POST, JACKPOTS, JOHNSON & JOHNSON, JONATHAN CAPEHART, JOSEPH BIDEN, JOSH DAWSEY, KATHERINE WU, KAY IVEY, KROGER, LEANA WEN, LISA LERER, LYFT, MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, MARIJUANA, MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE, MASKS, MEDIA MATTERS, MODERNA, MORGAN STANLEY, MOTHER JONES, MOVEON, MSNBC, NANCY PELOSI, NBC NEWS, NETFLIX, NEW REPUBLIC, NEWSDAY, NEWSWEEK, NPR, PBS NEWSHOUR, PFIZER, POLITICO, POLITICUSUSA, RALPH NORMAN, RAW STORY, REUTERS, RON DESANTIS, SAKS FIFTH AVENUE, SALON, SCHOLARSHIPS, SEATTLE TIMES, SLATE, TALKING POINTS MEMO, TEXAS, THE ATLANTIC, THE CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE, THE DAILY BEAST, THE DAILY BLOG, THE GUARDIAN, THE HILL, THE HUFFINGTON POST, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES, THE NATION, THE NEW REPUBLIC, THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE NEW YORKER, THE VILLAGE VOICE, THE WASHINGTON POST, THINKPROGRESS, TIME, TRUTHDIG, TRUTHOUT, TWITTER, TWO POLITICAL JUNKIES, TYSON FOODS, U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT, UBER, UNITED AIRLINES, UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, UPI, USA TODAY, VACCINES, WALGREENS, WALMART, WASHINGTON WEEK, WONKETTE
COMING: A WAR ON STUPIDS? PART TWO (END)
In Bureaucracy, History, Medical, Politics, Social commentary on August 10, 2021 at 12:11 amSince COVID-19 entered the United States in January, 2020, Republicans have turned it into a “culture war” issue.
President Donald Trump made wearing a mask a referendum on himself. If you were a “manly man”—and supported him-–you didn’t wear one. Even if it cost you your life.
He—and his followers—fiercely opposed “stay-at-home” orders by governors intent on suppressing rising COVID outbreaks in their states.
And when three vaccines appeared in early 2021, Republicans—again led by Trump—refused to say whether they were vaccinated. Some—like Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene—publicly celebrated low vaccination rates among their own constituents.
Others—like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis—threatened to withhold funds from public schools that required students to wear masks. (Only children 12 and older can be vaccinated.)
Ron DeSantis
So it was, ironically, a Republican who fired the first salvo at irresponsible public behavior.
“Folks are supposed to have common sense. But it’s time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks. It’s the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down. We’ve got to get folks to take the shot. It’s the greatest weapon we have to fight COVID,” Alabama Governor Kay Ivey told reporters in Birmingham on July 22.
Alabama is one of the least vaccinated states in the country, with roughly 34% of residents fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC had announced in May that fully vaccinated people no longer had to wear masks
But now the even more contagious Delta variant was spreading. Experts warned that vaccinated and unvaccinated people should wear masks indoors where COVID-19 cases were high but vaccination rates were low.
Meanwhile, some of the most prominent corporations in America weren’t waiting for them to do so.
More companies will undoubtedly follow suit.
There are two reasons for this:
First, across the country, hospitals are struggling to cope with the Delta variant—the most contagious strain of Coronavirus yet.
Second, it’s clear that simply offering incentives for behaving responsibly isn’t working.
This week, New York City became the first major city to require proof of vaccination to enter restaurants and gyms.
“I do think it may be time for this to happen,” said Katherine Wu, science writer for The Atlantic, on the August 6 edition of Washington Week.
Katherine Wu
“I’ve seen more and more experts come out in support of mandates and requirements like these. You know, it’s sort of a combination of carrot and stick. If you want to keep having these privileges going out into society and being able to lead a normal life, it is probably a really good idea to [get] vaccinated to ensure not only your health but the people that you’re interacting with.”
* * * * *
A policy only of incentives is a policy of bribery. And a policy only of deterrents is a policy of coercion.
Some people can’t be bought and some can’t be coerced. But history shows that a policy employing both carrots and sticks usually proves highly effective in motivating behavior.
As the school season begins in September, children will be increasingly exposed to the dangers of contracting COVID. Many of them will undoubtedly die.
And as their casualties mount, there will be increased demands for punitive measures against those who put their arrogance above the public good.
Share this: