Although the United States has vaccinated more people at a quicker pace than any other country, we are inching toward a wall as demand for a vaccine drops and doses go unused.
The public should be encouraged to get a free vaccination, but not all public officials feel that way including Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) who has decided to go in the other direction. Senator Johnson participated in an interview on local radio in which he discouraged mass vaccination.
“For the very young, I see no reason to be pushing vaccines on people.” Johnson said. “I certainly am going to vigorously resist any kind of government use or imposing of vaccine passports. ... That could be a very freedom-robbing step and people need to understand these things.” [...]
“The science tells us the vaccines are 95% effective, so if you have a vaccine quite honestly what do you care if your neighbor has one or not?” Johnson said. “What is it to you? You’ve got a vaccine and science is telling you it’s very, very effective. So why is this big push to make sure everybody gets a vaccine? And it’s to the point where you’re going to shame people, you’re going to force them to carry a card to prove that they’ve been vaccinated so they can still stay in society. I’m getting highly suspicious of what’s happening here.”
I doubt I need to spell this out for anyone reading this website, but the reason why everyone should get vaccinated is so we can lift the public health restrictions that conservatives and science-denying skeptics have been critical of all along.
If you're tired of masks, get vaccinated. If you're tired of capacity limits and plexiglass shields, get vaccinated. If you want to see full football stadiums in the fall, get vaccinated. Get vaccinated because it might literally save the life of your friends, family, or coworkers.
If none of that matters to you, you deserve to feel some of the shame that Ron Johnson is so afraid of. Johnson asks "what do you care," but if you literally don't care if your neighbor lives or dies, you might be a sociopath.
Personally, I miss going to Oktoberfest and the local Christmas festival with my family. I want to do those things again, but if I can't because too many people refuse to get vaccinated, I will blame those people rather than public officials who keep restrictions in place.