President Biden and Dr. Fauci are fond of telling us to "follow the science" so let us review the science regarding the issue of the vaccine mandate.
To begin with, the vaccines we have are a dramatic testament to the great capability of our often-reviled pharmaceutical companies as well as to the ingenuity of the businesslike Trump administration. Indeed, the MRNA vaccines were ready for use in July 2020 rather than in December when they were released by the FDA. Were it not for the bureaucratic process they could have been tried and used to great effect in the fragile nursing home patients who made up 40% of the nation's deaths at the time. Ironically, during the presidential campaign, both Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris expressed reluctance to accept the results of Mr. Trump's efforts.
That being said, we now understand from multiple scientific studies that immunity from natural infection is dramatically broader and more prolonged than that from the available vaccines. It appears, also from scientific studies, that at least 15% of the public has had the disease with mild or no illness and without vaccination and probably at least as many of those vaccinated had the virus and recovered before getting the shot. Furthermore, as effective as they are in warding off serious illness, we now understand that the vaccines do not prevent contracting and spreading the virus. Finally, science now tells us, particularly in light of the large animal reservoirs, that this virus is here among us to stay and that we're likely all to be exposed to it. From the public health standpoint, we cannot vaccinate our way out of the problem but presumably as a population will become adapted as we have to the various other coronaviruses in our environment.
All these considerations strongly suggest that the sensible approach to handling the epidemic in our country is to strongly encourage the vaccination of those who are at significant risk of serious illness and leave the rest to their individual discretion. Indeed, this is the opinion of a large number of respected scientists highly knowledgeable in the field.
Mr. Biden thinks differently and favors universal vaccination such that he is, on questionable constitutional grounds, willing to use his authority to force those who do not wish to be vaccinated to do so at the risk of loss of their and their family's livelihood. He tells us that he has lost patience with those who do not accept his line of thinking, suggesting that he looks at his fellow citizens as if they were his subjects. Mr. Biden is our President, with large but temporary and strictly constitutionally restricted powers. He is not our king, and it is not his place to lose patience with us.
Sent from Mail for Windows
