The hypocrisy of our 17th and 18th District Republican legislators screaming in a recent op-ed about government control and intrusion on privacy is just too much (“Local View: Vaccine tracking mandate burdensome, intrusive, unnecessary,” The Columbian, June 1). It’s laughable that the decision to get vaccinated is “deeply personal, and none of the government’s business,” but these same Republicans have no problem intruding on the private decisions of families about whether or not to have children. None of them have criticized the massive government abuses by Trump, including attacking the press, threatening opponents, and lying about the election to retain power by mob rule.
The responsible and vulnerable citizens of this state deserve protection from Republicans who continue to spread the virus by refusing to take simple, commonsense measures. By shifting blame, they are hiding the fact that, were it not for their lack of cooperation, the pandemic would have been controlled much sooner. When we reach the 70 percent vaccination threshold, there won’t be enough hosts to keep spreading the virus. The pandemic won’t end until then.
Gov. Jay Inslee just won reelection in November by a 545,000-vote margin. So, a majority of Washingtonians think he handled the COVID-19 crisis just fine. In fact, his leadership in the vacuum of incompetent Trumpism brought Inslee national acclaim.
