Want The Next Stimulus? Only If You're Immunized, One Congressman Says

Some Republicans on Capitol Hill are fully onboard with the “Unity” caucus, fully prepared to “compromise” with Democrats in Congress and sell out their allegedly conservative principles. One Congressman, Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH) is proposing to attach some strings to the next federal stimulus check, and his proposal makes zero sense from a number of angles.

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Appearing on Yahoo Finance Live to discuss Joe Biden’s proposed stimulus package, Stivers put forward his proposal:

“Hopefully there are things that we can come together on. You know, even the pandemic response. It’s so important that we build herd immunity as soon as we can. While I am not for giving a $1,400 stimulus check for anything, I’d be willing to sign off on a stimulus check of $1,400 for people who take the vaccine, and I hope the administration will look at that option because we actually buy something with our $1,400 — and that’s herd immunity.”

So, Congressman, what about the 25 million people who’ve had confirmed cases of the Wuhan flu? Will they be forced to receive an vaccine that might or might not do anything for them, and could quite possibly harm them, to receive a stimulus check that’s meant to help those who are suffering financially from pandemic lockdowns?

What about the people who are medically contraindicated?

Not to mention the fact that it will be months and possibly the end of 2021 before everyone who wants to receive a vaccine will have access to it. Should those people be forced to wait – AGAIN – due to factors beyond their control?

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Or, what about the people who simply don’t want to be told to inject something that’s essentially untested into their bodies? Isn’t individual liberty a key tenet of the Republican Party?

Also, Dr. Marc Siegel, appearing on “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” said the singular focus on vaccination, without finding out who really needs it, is directing resources from those who are at highest risk. He had a great suggestion:

Let them get working on a blood test to see if you actually are immune or not. I think 50 to 60 or even more million people in this country are immune to COVID because they were exposed to it or they had a subclinical case or a mild case and they don’t know it, and they don’t need to be at the front of the line for a vaccination right now.

Why isn’t Stivers questioning the need for a blanket stimulus payment? One of the big criticisms of the stimulus package passed in December was that people who have felt vastly different financial effects from the pandemic got the same stimulus check. Perhaps Stivers should be pushing for any new stimulus funds to be sent to those who’ve actually been out of work or lost income from the pandemic?

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In addition to the problems listed above, Stivers’ proposal will only serve to increase the bureaucracy needed to administer stimulus payments. The rollout of the latest stimulus payments has been anything but smooth; just imagine having to submit a “Proof of Vaccine” document to receive a stimulus payment – one that’s purportedly meant to somewhat compensate people who weren’t able to perform their normal jobs due to a government shutdown order.

It’s terrifying that someone with that thought process represents hundreds of thousands of people in the United States Congress.

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