The Great Shot

        As of March 1, 2023, American has had well over one hundred million cases of Covid 19. Many Americans have had it more than once. Yet more than two-thirds of Americans have not had all the vaccination shots. Over 1.1 million have died from it. They ranged from infants to seniors. Many were not healthy to begin with but most were very healthy.

            The question is why are so many people willing to risk dying by not taking a shot? A friend who is the same age as me and not in the best of health has yet to get a shot. He and his wife have had it once for sure and he, maybe twice. Their live-in son had it twice and badly both times. His reasons are it will make him sick, doesn’t work, not natural and doesn’t know where to go. He is an intelligent person otherwise as is his retired nurse wife and son. Even their doctor has said he needs one.

            Others have actually fallen for the most ridiculous “facts” such as: It’s a GPS locator so the government can track us; it will make us sterile; it causes abortions now and in the future; and it doesn’t work. These are just a few of the reasons some people dreamed up and put on the internet so gullible people will get sick and many will die.

            Thousands of Americans are still dying from Covid 19’s variants so maybe the less gullible of us will service. I have had the original two plus three boosters in an area that had lots of deaths. Too bad we can’t stop people from spreading such lies.

            The media and the political headline seekers of both parties are either attacking Biden or failing to support him over his late June statement of “Life will return to normal.” Biden was told if he could get more than 70% of adults vaccinated, the virus would become an inconvenience so he passed the good news on to frightened and tired Americans.

            He went wrong because he thought people would continue to get shots rather than die to spite him. Those people don’t care about themselves because it is just like the common flu or they take vitamins and horse de-wormer. They don’t care about their families, friends, or what they are helping the virus mutate to. There clearly is a way to get around that stupidity and that is to wear a mask when around other people. Oops, that is against some misguided belief that it is against their constitutional right, but they can not cite which one.

            This is an open letter request for someone to tell the caring and responsible people why so many people have decided to not get vaccinated or wear a mask. By not doing these two simple things they risk their health, their life, and the health, and life of their own family and friends.

            Statistics show those who have had both shots and the booster are over 95% protected from getting sick or needing to go to the hospital. Wearing a mask keeps you from transmitting the disease to someone else like a child or a baby. Almost all of those filling hospital beds haven’t had their shots and the rest who have been listed as fully vaccinated didn’t get their boosters so fully vaccinated isn’t true.

            Those people who get it may not be out of the woods when they are considering themselves well. Many will be what are called long haulers. Those are people who will have physical and cognitive problems for weeks afterward.

            I have yet to hear or read any intelligent answer to the question. Do they think they are better than anyone else? Do they not realize polio vaccines are the reason why kids are not wearing leg braces as my classmate Dennis Meyers did or my father’s weaken left arm? Consider the elimination of measles so kids are not blinded and suffer other effects.

            Yes, these vaccines aren’t 100% effective but in today’s jet world we all just need to do the best we can to save everyone, their families, and others. So again, why?

            I pay more for my house insurance than I should because the company pays to repair or replace houses destroyed by hurricanes and floods in the South. They also are paying for the 3,600 buildings in the Kentucky tornadoes and the thousands burned in the Western fires.

            If someone’s buildings are in a river flood plain they pay special flood insurance for the right to get any insurance. If I drive certain vehicles or drive in a dangerous area, my insurance will be more than other people’s.

            Basic insurance is a pool of people who try to compensate those people in the pool who have property damaged. The same applies to those in health pools. So many of those in that pool will get sick and the cost is spread among all those in the pool. Some of those in the pool will pay more because they will be more unhealthy than the average person in the pool. Smokers and others who have unhealthy habits need to pay more to compensate the pool for their foolishness. (their personal choices).

            Several smart politicians and companies have decided to charge more for insurance if pool members haven’t had their Covid 19 shots. The expenses for members who haven’t been vaccinated can easily go into hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars. The other members should not have to pay for their choices. Some people have suggested $50.00 per month additional charge. I think it is a great idea. Is it right for a company, a government, or me to pay someone else’s hospital bills when they had a chance to get their shots for free?

            Some Republican states and misguided people in other states believe natural immunity instead of vaccines and masks are the answer to ending the virus. For most diseases getting it once and surviving means the victim is protected from getting it again. Covid 19 is not one of those diseases.

            Half of my nieces and nephews and their children and grandchildren are not vaccinated. Some have had it and have since been vaccinated having learned their lesson. One great grand daughter and husband figured they were protected so they didn’t get shots. Their first episode was like a bad flu. Their second was a very bad flu with long haul symptoms. They still haven’t gotten the shots because of some lies they read on the internet. All of those who are not vaccinated believe those lies and have chosen to not get their shots risking another more serious infection and serious long haul complications.

            Republican governors who tell their people to depend on natural immunity instead of mandating shots should remember – dead believers can’t vote for you. Using your people to do another Big Lie means you don’t care about them.

            Americans are starting to tire of people claiming a religious exemption for not complying with a law or regulation they don’t like. Too often these people have no connection to any organized religion.

            Some companies want to save money by reducing the coverage of insurance for their employees. They claim the separation of church and state to get an exemption and then to try to make the state do what they want. By demanding the state comply they are forcing others to believe as they do which, of course, violates the very idea they use to get their way.

            Today we have stupid people who don’t want the Covid vaccine so they suddenly decide it is against their religion. Some ministers have even written letters supporting the views of people they don’t know. One minister told his flock not to get the shots and then changed his view when several of his flock died. The people died because he said God would protect the righteous.

            All of these exemptions avoid the free will pillar of the Christian religion. These people miss the point that scientists invented these wondrous vaccines to save us just as they invented so many of the things we all feel we couldn’t live without.

            In reality most of the exemptions people feel they are entitled to is actually just their misguided political views. Doing so is just an extension of the “Big Lie.”