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Editorial

On Thursday, Jan. 13, the U.S. Supreme Court made one of the gutsiest calls since the COVID-19 pandemic began—they stood up for what is right.

Our country still remains built on freedom, and largely the freedom of choice, but a lot of that, along with our sanity, has gone out the window since the pandemic started almost two years ago.

Mandates became the trend throughout the country, shutting down businesses, requiring masks and forcing people into situations where they had no choice.

That’s not the foundation this country is built on.

And on Jan. 13, the Supreme Court agreed when they denied a proposed bill from President Joe Biden and his administration that would have mandated large businesses across the country to require vaccinations or regular testing and masks.

In no way should a business be mandated to force others into getting a vaccine to provide for themselves or their family.

When it comes to messing with your livelihood, the way you pay for your food, the roof over your head, the clothes on your back; that’s where it becomes unconstitutional.

And one of the main reasons why is because places of business can take many different steps to provide safety for their employees.

Whether it be working remotely, adding barriers between employees, spacing employees out, wearing masks, having sanitizing stations or other measures, the means are there, especially for large businesses with more money, to make the necessary changes.

Many have been vaccinated, but many are still skeptical of the vaccine only a year into its availability. Whether you agree or not, that is a fair fear to have, even if it is showing promise at preventing more severe cases.

This is not political, it’s not an argument over should you or should you not get vaccinated or wear a mask, it’s the simple fact of being able to make a choice and not being forced to do something that should always be optional.

At this point, we all know what we are risking, if not, you’ve been under a rock. If someone chooses not to get a vaccine, then that’s their choice to make. And if you feel like that means they’re putting you or someone else in danger, that likely means you have the vaccine, which should offer you the level of comfort you need, even though people with or without the vaccine can get and spread the virus easily.

For some reason, it has turned into this complicated argument, but it’s quite simple actually. The only thing that matters is that we be smart, make the best choice that suits us and our family and be respectful of others.