Letters to the editor: Individualism, vaccine orders, Gov. Little, COVID restrictions, school safety
Individualism
Idaho’s abysmal COVID vaccination rate and opposition to mask mandates has led to an overwhelmed health care system. While Idaho politicians resist vaccine and mask mandates in the name of individual liberty, hospitals have had to resort to rationing care. Healthy individuals are dying painful and lonely COVID deaths.
This doesn’t just impact unvaccinated COVID patients. It also has a profound impact on those who are wise and selfless enough to get vaccinated and adhere to sound medical advice. The recklessness of these COVID libertarians is preventing Idahoans with other ailments from getting timely medical treatment. Their ICU visits impose huge costs which, in turn, increase health insurance premiums and divert tax dollars. Their so-called demand for liberty is infringing on the ability of their fellow citizens to realize their liberties.
This madness must end. While it is hopeless to assume Idaho politicians will impose vaccine mandates on businesses and employees, it should require the selfish to bear the cost of their actions. Unvaccinated COVID patients should go to the back of the ICU line, and neither the state nor insurance companies should bear the cost of their folly. If you want individualism, then you can’t have it both ways.
Daniel Shefter, Driggs
Gov. Little
When Governor Little had a chance to stop the latest mutation of COVID, he shirked his responsibility as an elected representative of Idaho.
As the delta variant was approaching Idaho from both sides of the country, he disregarded the facts.
Dear Governor, you failed the health care system by not mandating shots and masks. You did little to nothing to protect health care workers.
Your duty as an elected official is to protect the health of the people of Idaho. Unfortunately governments must make choices for those individuals that don’t believe or trust the science. That’s why we have the EPA to protect our drinking water; the FDA to make sure our food is safe.
We choose to vaccinate and wear masks knowing that we can save lives. We choose to wear masks to protect my darling neighbor children from Covid. There is no vaccine for these kids yet. They must have the opportunity to live full and happy lives.
Our health care system is in jeopardy because you weren’t big enough to mandate anything.
Marc and Mary Longley, Ketchum
Restrictions
My wife and I recently returned from a trip to Germany. We were required to be fully vaccinated and wear masks the entire time we were in airports or in flight, except when eating or drinking. We’re both in our 70s and we fully support these restrictions, which gave us the confidence to travel to Europe. We were also required to test negative for COVID before flying back to the US.
Germany is handling the pandemic differently than the U.S. In all, 62.59% of the population is fully vaccinated to the United States’ 53.93%. Deaths per million people is almost twice in the U.S. than in Germany. We concluded the differences were vaccination rates and behavior.
In Germany, restaurants require proof of vaccination to enter, and masks are required. Many restaurants required us to fill out contact tracing forms. We saw no one protesting or complaining about these restrictions.
The message we want to convey is, please wear masks indoors and in outdoor crowded situations. To those who are still holding out on getting a vaccine, if you are fed up with masking and distancing and shutdowns and all the other intrusions, we are too. Show some patriotism and humanity and get the shot.
Steve Benner and Kathleen Fahey, Boise
Back to school
Teachers enter school buildings knowing that each cough, every sneeze, releases an explosion of droplets carrying germs. This year, those germs carry more destruction than before, COVID.
People I love are entering schools like Daniel entered the lion’s den, but they are not returning home miraculously unharmed. A principal of a Treasure Valley charter school has died, teachers in Weiser and Meridian have died and many more are suffering.
Protesters stand outside the school doors screaming about their rights. Don’t tell me it’s not personal. It is. Family and friends who don’t support precautions, I love you, but I do not understand.
This is real. Last week an area school asked teachers to cover classes on prep periods and later to help in the cafeteria because so many staff were sick. A daycare asked parents to drop off younger children after the older children departed for school because there was not enough healthy staff to work.
One person said masks stigmatize children. I have taught youth who survived refugee camps; children currently live in areas of mass destruction due to fires, floods, and hurricane. Children will endure wearing a piece of material on their face.
Brenda Mahler, Kuna
Vaccine order
Yes, it’s constitutional. And necessary.
Our governor wishes to sue the federal government over “vaccine mandates.” This suit would be frivolous and a colossal waste of taxpayer money.
Two-hundred years of case law and multiple Supreme Court decisions have established that governments at all levels have the power to mandate public health measures and that “freedom” does not mean the ability to do whatever you want even if it kills someone else. They can mandate vaccines, masks, business closures and quarantines. See: Jacobson v. Com of Massachusetts; Abeel v. Clark; Morris v. City of Columbus.
The courts, in balancing personal liberties with prevention of harm to self and others, have upheld compulsory, medically appropriate treatment for both mental and infectious diseases.
Also note that Gen. George Washington ordered every member of his army to be variolated (the early form of smallpox vaccination) if they had not survived the disease earlier in life. No excuses.
Federal mandates are needed because this is not some local outbreak of measles, it is nationwide and worldwide, affecting trade, supply chains, transportation, finance, and health care.
Nancy Parker, Caldwell
