Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

Republicans are in an uproar not seen since Donald Trump lost the election, as President Joe Biden seemingly has said "enough is enough". President Biden is going all out in an attempt to vaccinate as many Americans as humanly possible. Biden recently announced his latest vaccine plan by using federal law that he knows Republicans will have a tough time fighting in opposition. Biden will use what is being called the "OSHA Mandate", that arm of federal law that protects people in the workplace that has been in effect since 1970. The Occupational Safety of Health Administration Act signed into law by Richard Nixon has stood the test of time in workplace safety, as it has mandated that employers take certain measures under penalty of law to protect its employees from injury that could lead to death. Saying that what he is doing is not about "freedom or personal choice", but it is about "protecting the American people", Biden is taking a more aggressive stance against COVID-19 pandemic that continues to take the lives of thousands of Americans. True to form, conservatives on the right are drawing battle lines in their quest to "protect" individual freedoms for people who may infect others simply because they refuse to take a vaccine shot. President Biden seems determined to see this fight through despite the opposition from Republican governors across the nation, as they vow to "fight", using every mean at their disposal. Constitutional legal scholars predict that they will have an uphill climb. And they know it. The OSHA was firmly crafted into law with policies that the federal government has used effectively in workplace safety, particularly with regard to federal statutes. Those companies that conduct business with the federal government have to abide by their guidelines, whether it has to do with discrimination and the like. One example is in the Medicaid program where hospitals that receive payments through the government must abide by rules if they participate in the program. Republicans know this, as hospitals voluntarily participate and there have not been many complaints from conservatives who enjoy the benefits of Medicaid. Biden's plan will mandate that employers with over 100 employees to be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing. Biden also believes that the nation "is in grave danger", meaning OSHA rules can be implemented, as the president was said to be "losing patience" with those who refuse to be vaccinated. Therein is conservatives' argument for the right to refuse the vaccine, that the government can't mandate an individual to be inoculated. What about when children are mandated to receive inoculations before attending school? What about the polio vaccines? Measles? The list goes on. And what was the purpose? To save lives. Did it work? Yes. And now some of the ones who received those shots when they were young or had their children receive them, are the ones crying the loudest against their freedoms being violated. Why do Republicans fight against President Biden when all he wants to do is save lives. Imagine if other developed countries had the cure in doses like this nation does, but refuses to use them. The righteous indignation from those on the right would scream to the heavens. However, people from all walks of life are turning their backs on the vaccines. Even people who work in the health field industry who faced the dangers of the virus every day and watch people die, refuse. Police officers who are now dying from the virus, not from other workplace incidents are dying because they refuse to take the vaccines after being strongly advised by leaders to do so. Then there are still those who know that they are dying and have no regret for not taking the vaccine. Republicans should know that if they try to save lives and actually succeed, that might help them win the midterms. But I guess having mobile morgues outside of hospitals is a winning strategy, because they can always say that they stood up for an individual's rights. Yeah, their right to die. Remember, the world is watching. So is God.