BIDEN IS RIGHT, THE PANDEMIC IS OVER

COVID has taken a tremendous toll on people from across the world

There is no question that COVID has taken a tremendous toll on people from across the world. At least 650 million have been sickened and over 6.6 million have died from the deadly virus. However, the best way to deal with COVID is through building up antibodies by exposure to the virus and effective treatment. The best response is not forced measures such as mandatory vaccines, quarantines, lockdowns, and mass testing. Fortunately, the unconstitutional lockdowns are over in this country, while they are still being used to torment citizens in the communist dictatorship of China. After a fire on November 25 killed ten people in an apartment complex in Urumqi, China, speculation grew that locked doors and other anti-virus measures prevented firefighters from reaching victims and residents from escaping. The incident sparked massive protests, the largest in decades, in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai. In these heroic protests, some brave citizens even called for the collapse of the communist dictatorship. Incredibly, the protests seem to have been successful. In response to the protests, in Beijing and several other cities across China, restrictions were relaxed to allow riders on buses and subway trains to be able to board without a COVID test. This success shows that even in a brutal communist dictatorship like China, citizen protests can be effective. In our country, Americans have endured almost three years of mostly ineffective COVID mitigation measures and are ready to return to normality in their lives. A recent Axios-Ipsos poll indicated that 63% of Americans rarely or never wear a mask outside their home.

In the Biden administration, woke Democrats oversee every agency and department, including our United States military

Not surprisingly, most of the mask mandates that were instituted in our country have been relaxed. Unfortunately, in the progressive playground of Los Angeles, mask mandates for indoor settings are on the verge of returning. This is a draconian response to a slight increase in COVID cases. At the beginning of 2022, there were approximately 60,000 new COVID cases per day in Los Angeles County. Afterwards the number of cases dropped dramatically. While there has been a slight uptick in cases in recent weeks, it is a fraction of the earlier numbers. On December 1, Los Angeles County was averaging only 2,490 new cases on a daily basis, only 4% of the highest level in the past year. Nevertheless, Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer may soon "require" the mask requirements. Sadly, liberal Democrats feel more comfortable issuing the mask and vaccine mandates. Most of the cities in the nation saddled with these mandates are led by Democrats. In the Biden administration, woke Democrats oversee every agency and department, including our United States military. As a result, a COVID vaccine mandate is in place for our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines.

The Secretary of the Defense, Lloyd Austin, is a staunch supporter of continuing the COVID vaccine mandate. Over the weekend, Austin told traveling reporters, "We lost a million people to this virus, A million people died in the United States of America. We lost hundreds in DOD. So, this mandate has kept people healthy." He reiterated his support for "vaccinating the troops." Austin ordered the vaccine mandate, and it resulted in the expulsion of thousands of active-duty service members. Finally, Republicans are fighting back. This week, twenty Republican Governors sent a letter to congressional leaders, and copied President Biden, demanding an end to the vaccine requirement, noting that it has had a detrimental impact on the ability of the U.S. National Guard and U.S. Army to fulfill recruitment needs. The Governors claimed that the mandate caused a "national security risk" impacting "defense capabilities abroad" and "our state readiness here at home." In the letter, the Governors noted that 8,000 "Active Duty members" have been discharged due to the mandate, and 14,000 Army National Guard soldiers will be removed during the next two years.   As our service members are being discharged for upholding their principled opposition to this mandate, both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Army National Guard are having severe problems meeting recruitment goals. The U.S. Army missed their goals by 15,000 recruits or 25%, while the U.S. Army National Guard was 10% short of recruitment goals and announced 7,500 service members have either retired or resigned. This vaccine mandate is creating a crisis that is impacting the ability of our Governors to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies. In their letter to congressional leaders, the Governors advocated a clear solution to the crisis, writing, "it is your duty to provide for the national defense, and therefore, we call upon you to protect the men and women in uniform—who protect us—from an unnecessary vaccine mandate." They ended the letter by quoting from President Biden, "The pandemic is over." As the funding for the Defense Department is being considered by Congress in this lame duck session, it is the perfect time to demand an end to the vaccine mandate. As eloquently expressed by newly re-elected U.S. Ron Johnson (R-WI), "The bottom line here is the vaccine does not prevent infection, does not prevent transmission, so why would we make anybody take it? It is insane!" Exactly right, Senator.