Democratic Kansas Gov. Kelly Rejects Biden’s Vaccine Mandate – Opinion

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Gov. Laura Kelly of Kansas broke with the Biden administration’s sweeping nationwide COVID-19 vaccine mandate, calling the move “too late,” while echoing the sentiment of many Republican governors who have stressed the need to continue state-based responses to the pandemic.

“I don’t believe this directive is the correct, or the most effective, solution for Kansas,” said Gov. Kelly made the statement in a November 5 statement.

This is a bold statement coming from a Democrat because the Biden administration has consistently scolded anyone not falling in line with federal vaccine mandates as a “science denier.” Either Kelly wants to risk the health of Kansans in an effort to win re-election next year in a tight race. She may be able to see the mandate as it really is, a power grab by federal officials that is illegal and harmful for Kansans.

Like many Americans, Kansans have lost faith in the federal government’s role to fight COVID-19. Despite all the government’s attempts to control the pandemic, the lockdowns, the mask orders, and the trillions of dollars that have been spent, the virus is still with us. In fact, the government’s response failed to protect those most at risk from dying from the virus and created additional problems when states chose to lock down their economies, which up until the start of the pandemic, were running on all cylinders.

Gov. Kelly can only look at her neighbors and see that top-down government orders for controlling a virus are utter failures. The least restrictive Pandemic Orders in the Nation were issued to states like Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota. These states did not suffer any worse than other States and now lead the country in terms of unemployment.

Today, federal policies have more to do with cementing the government’s control than serving the public good.

This seems to be the mindset driving the Biden administration’s use of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to turn private businesses into the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccine enforcer. This order, which could levy fines for non-compliance up to $700,000, will impact more than half of the nation’s workforce. Based on U.S. Small Business Administration 2019 data, Kansas’s order will affect 620,000 workers in the private sector.

The federal mandate could be extended to businesses employing less than 100 people and to self-employed Americans (around 400,000) if it is permitted to remain. Already, the Biden administration has begun to consider COVID-19 vaccination proof for commercial flight within the United States.

Biden’s OSHA order, so thick it could be weighed on a household scale, is a whopping 490 pages. Masks are not required for workers refusing the vaccine. This is laughable. The order states “face coverings can be manufactured or homemade, and they can incorporate a variety of designs, structures, and materials.”

“Really?” asks the Committee to Unleash Prosperity. “Sounds less like a safety measure than a punishment for people who decline vaccination.”

Gov. Kelly recognizes that this scam is being used by a greater number of Americans. Kansas labor unions, which are the traditional base for the Democratic Party have expressed their opinion on vaccination orders. A union threatened legal action against large employers before the Biden decision was passed.

As seen in Virginia’s and New Jersey’s gubernatorial elections on November 2, voters showed they are no longer willing to put up with governors who kowtow to radical policies. State, business, schools boards, and health departments are not proxies for a federal government.

American citizens are trusting and good-hearted. Their patience is limited. Local units, hospitals, as well as businesses must determine how far it is acceptable to mandate that individuals inject their children and themselves with vaccines. Otherwise, they could be fired or lose their school place. All of us must take common sense decisions to safeguard ourselves and our families against the virus. We also need to be aware that there are those out to use the vaccine to enrich and empower a select few.

Americans are taking action. Even politicians like Governor Kelly are listening. Kelly seems to finally be listening. It seems that the pendulum is now swinging in the other direction. Gov. Kelly believes the Biden administration is no longer “following the science” and she is not afraid to say so.

Matt Dean ([email protected]The Heartland Institute’s senior fellow in policy and outreach for health care is ().  AnneMarie Schieber ([email protected]() is the managing Editor of Health Care News.