1. Watching them roll out the covid vaccinations this week has been incredible.
2. And when you consider that they’ve managed to develop these tools in only nine months it seems like a miracle. One we sorely needed this year.
3. 2020: The Year Of Utter Darkness And Despair With Despondency To Boot But At Least We Finally Got A Vaccine.
4. So when I say I’m grateful we have vaccines approved for use I mean I’m a fall-down-on-your-knees-and-cry sort of grateful. It’s the end of the beginning which isn’t the end but at least it’s moving us into the next stage of this sh*tshow. I’ll take it.
5. But as grateful as I am – and again, it’s soggy tissues grateful – I’ve got some feelings about these vaccinations. More specifically, who’s been lining up to get their magic bullet.
6. Who do I want right up front? Every kind of healthcare worker from doctors to nursing staff to EMTs and anyone else I’ve managed to forget. We need to protect the people who come into contact with the most covid positive cases. They’re most at risk; they’re also the people helping the rest of us when we get sick.
7. Also the teachers. These folks have been doing the heavy lifting in education for months now. If they’re not trying to remotely teach our kids despite all the covid stress in their own lives then they’re exposed to risk inside their classrooms.
8. We should also recognize our essential workers. The ones who kept us going when everything ground to a halt – food supply, mail carriers, pharmacy, that sort of thing. We still have a long way to go and they need protection while we wait for vaccinations to be completed.
9. Plus the elderly, people with high risk conditions, military, police, firefighters…it’s a long list and quite honestly one I wouldn’t want to be in charge of prioritizing.
10. But the piece that has me feeling quite a bit of rage-y rageness is watching public figures who for months have downplayed or outright denied covid risk jump to the front of the line to get their vaccine. Marco Rubio comes to mind. Don’t give me “He’s setting such a great example for people nervous about the vaccine.” Rubio getting a vaccine before every healthcare worker has one says everything you need to know about power and privilege in America.
Riddle from the Middle 
Valid points!!!!!!Thanks for sharing
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Thank you! Glad you dropped in.
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Politicians and Abuse of Power is more lethal than COVID-19 accross the globe.
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Isn’t it, though?
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it is,Laura
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Once again we see the one rule for us and one rule for them policy.
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My whole 2020 mood has been disappointed but not surprised.
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I was exulted to hear about the vaccine(s). I admit to not being surprised, not one little bit, that those a**holes who call themselves ‘leaders’ have leapt right in front of all the truly deserving people waiting to be vaccinated. The ‘plague’ of entitlement and self-serving is still raging, unchecked in America. Probably all around the world if I’m honest. It’s depressing.
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It really is depressing. I worry about access — not just here where we’ve already clearly proven that there is a distinct have/have not situation when it comes to access to American healthcare. I wonder how smaller countries without access to these pharmaceutical companies will manage widespread distribution.
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and so the shit show continues. I am just hoping the orange virus moves out of the White House on our schedule ( not his ). Oh and they stop holding back on the vaccine. Yes the shit show continues…
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I’m holding fast to the knowledge that it’s the constitution’s timeline and the belief (please Jesus) that there are enough people left who will stand on the side of what’s right.
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Our healthcare system is ridiculous – as noted, those who have, get, and the rest of us are just here. I’m wondering how people are notified when the vaccine is available for them in their area. Should I be contacting a medical facility? Will they contact me? Does anyone know I’m here? Or is it all hit and miss?
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That’s a really good question. I’ve been keeping an eye on news announcements. Is this a state by state decision? I haven’t checked out the NC covid site and that’s where they post updates like current stats and new mandates from the governor.
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I agree and giving people who have been hurting for months $600 is a disgrace. People are dying, families are suffering. I say let’s see how long these government officials can live on $600. They are as disgusting as Marie Antoinette when she said, Let them eat cake.
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I can’t begin to process a second one-time $600 check. What is that supposed to do? It won’t cover rent, it won’t pay your balances that have stacked up since March, it’s obscene. I agree – if they think it’s a living wage then they can donate their salaries to covid relief.
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yes, it’s a wonderful breakthrough, fraught with the best of intentions, and as always, peppered with intentions that only go as far as themselves
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absolutely true.
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Laura, the illusion that America has the finest healthcare system is an illusion that precedes and actually beckoned the ACA as one lever of change. The World Health Organization ten years ago said America had the most expensive healthcare system in the world, but its health outcomes ranking was 38th. In other words, we did not get much bang for the buck.
The only thing close to the exception is for those who had insurance and could afford the deductibles, coinsurance, etc. So, their healthcare experience from the masses is much different. So, folks going to the front of the line because of elected position or wealth is not a surprise in this country. It is akin to the executive who is the first in line to the perquisite cafeteria, but when it comes time to disclose said perks, doesn’t remember he has them.
Keith
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That is the point exactly. So many people here don’t see the perks they’ve inherited. I hear so much nonsense about “I worked hard to earn my way, if they worked they could too” — never considering how forces work for or against you over the years.
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Laura, many of these same folks do not realize that employers fund a large share of their healthcare premiums. Many do not know employers match their FICA taxes to pay for Social Security and Medicare Part A. They are not alone in funding their benefits. That is the dilemma in this part time and gig economy. Employers are not paying as much for the benefits, if at all. If you are an independent contractor, you must pay the employer portion of FICA/ Medicare as well. This is why the ACA or some replacement is so important.
What frustrates me is politicians, including the outgoing president, know so little about healthcare, what it is, what the ACA, Medicare and Medicaid do. They are so busy arguing bumper sticker issues and not taking the time to learn. The reason John McCain voted down the Republican repeal and replace bill of the ACA was it was god-awful legislation put together in throw-stuff-against-the wall way.
My old party likes to say they were not involved in the ACA and that simply is not true. There were multiple public meetings with Republicans in attendance. They were told to NOT vote for it en masse, so they could argue their lack of involvement. The irony of all of this is the ACA is similar to a Republican idea that the Tea Party pushed called Romneycare in MA.
Sorry for the ling-winded response. This is a hot button. Keith
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No, thank you for that, I don’t think I’d heard the comparison to Romneycare before. I lean liberal so this is often greeted as a radical concept but I don’t agree with healthcare being linked to jobs. It’s a human right. A healthier society overall benefits everyone so to base it on employment seems to set us up for failure.
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Politics/politicians as usual. Forgive me if I’m not shocked. These people are the worst. The only way the come in contact with infected people are by enjoying lavish parties at taxpayer (or lobbyists) expense. For every bit of “normal” contact, they have their people take the risk for them.
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Absolutely true, Dan. At the risk of sounding callous – scratch that, don’t care – I hear continuity of government but why are the effing Pences getting this vaccine before my 83 year old dad in a nursing facility? The *outgoing* VP and his wife?? Nope.
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Oh you’re absolutely right. The front line workers, health workers, teachers and elderly should be in the front of this line. Not ( slimy) politicians.
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Seeing Lindsey Graham get it first is killing me. 😡
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🤨😞
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