The Vaccine passports are an Orwellian nightmare descending on America with the support of the same politicians and spokespeople who have lied to us hundreds of times before. And the worst part? Unlike the 2 weeks to flatten the curve that is still ongoing, or the corporate bailouts with under 10% of the money spent on relief checks, this policy would stay forever.
America has a long history of this. The TSA was supposed to only exist for a few years, the federal income tax was sold as only a 3% tax on the richest of Americans. The NSA would only be used to spy on foreign terrorists. Every government program grows in scope to keep itself alive and this will be no different. The early vaccine passport demos are not just a verification that you got the shots, but track and store data on you. Your health, where you go, who you interact with. If this gets passed, why not add more vaccines? If we already have the data, shouldn’t the police be able to access it to see who was near a crime? This will only get worse.
These Fascistic controls should be opposed by everyone: Libertarian, Democrat, Republican, or whatever else. Beyond this being a cheap rip off of the Chinese social credit system, you should not be punished for being healthy. You would be detained everywhere you go, guilty until proven innocent, unless you have your smartphone on you (because the only thing Americans need right now is more screen time).
The left should oppose this because minorities and the disenfranchised will be the most targeted by these policies. Beyond the cops having a new reason to pull anyone over, the poor would be less likely to have a smartphone. Survey data also shows us that African Americans are some of the least likely to take the vaccine, just Google the Tuskegee Experiment, and will be the ones segregated by this (again). And whatever happened to my body, my choice?
In spite of DeWine probably pushing for more horrific government tracking, any right winger with principles should oppose this. Where in the Constitution does it grant the government the power to partner with unaccountable corporations to monitor and control everything that you do? I thought that big government was the enemy? How will you feel when cops are stopping you from walking into your church because you didn’t bring your smartphone with you?
This must be opposed by a broad coalition, but the good news is that it is a largely unpopular policy outside of the ruling elite. This is one of the battles we can actually win.
Talk to your friends and family. Call your representatives. Don’t shut up and just let this happen, do what you can to oppose it. The Libertarian party will have your back, and we will be doing everything we can to stop this new tyranny.