Tyranny of the minority once again

There is a new poll out that says the majority of those refusing the Covid vaccine say they fear the vaccine more than the virus. No logical argument can convince them that their fears are misplaced. No testimony from hospital beds or Republican legislators and governors will change their minds.

I'm not suggesting the nation simply shrug and join some sort of weird death cult that fervently believes a certain amount of suffering and death is a price worth paying. This approach is basically what humans were stuck with for most of our existence as a species. No one knew what to do, so societies just needed to "ride out" plagues, bemoaning huge death tolls and suffering. But they had no choice.

Then came vaccines.

Side note: It's ironic to think of this "survival of the fittest" philosophy coming from people who are not too certain about evolution. Of course, this "weeding out" of the physically and/or mentally weak lies at the very heart of evolution. In my darker moments I try to calculate how many Republican voters may be lost due to Covid deaths vs. Democratic. It's petty and I am trying not to imagine revenge scenarios.

Some red state governors and legislators have been forced to confront the all-too-predictable rise of the virus in their own states, sensing that allowing needless suffering among their own supporters may not produce a smooth path to reelection. Or perhaps they have reached the point where morality and ethics overcomes political gamesmanship. 

But, really, isn't that too little, too late?

I see that the FDC may remove the "emergency" as part of the Pfizer vaccine designation in about one month. One month is a long time in virus evolution time, but there is a weak but at least logical argument to be made that "emergencies" often cause unanticipated problems and that it is usually better in life to not make big decisions in a stressful, emergency situation. Removing that one word carries immense potential weight. Early September can't come soon enough.

I was both happy and a bit disheartened to see that Denver's mayor has announced a mandate on all city employees to be vaccinated. I'm happy because that poll reinforces my opinion that only vaccine mandates can turn the tide. I'm disheartened because Denver is an overwhelmingly Democrat city, with a 70 percent vaccination rate for ages 12 and older, and is STILL feeling pressure from increased hospitalizations and deaths. 

That stubborn 30 percent, and the much higher rates of vaccination avoidance among those who live in the suburbs but often travel into Denver for work or recreation, combine to make me (and the mayor?) crazy. 

I have no idea if this will be part of the mayor's order, but my hope is that the economic "nudge" of vaccine-refuseniks being forced to pay for weekly Covid tests out of their own pockets might be just enough to get most of the laggards to begrudgingly get the shots. 

The vaccine is free. The tests for those refusing the cure must not be paid by government. I maintain this because when government pays, I am paying, even if just a miniscule percentage. Also, the "nudge" loses power if the reality ends up being essentially free.

Bottom line: We can have 30 percent of Americans ticked off by feeling forced to get the vaccine, or we can have 70 percent of Americans ticked off by a minority of their neighbors keeping the pandemic alive.

I keep hoping that even politicians can see where the advantage lies.