Life in the Nanny State

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It was only a few months ago that Conservatives were up in arms over the decision to allow patients with Ebola, a communicable life threatening disease, into the country.  The Liberals could not understand this irrational fear and ridiculing those who worried about the potential for the spread of the disease.  At the time it was my belief that more people in the US would die of the flu than Ebola, and so far I think I’ve been proven right.

So now today the population is up in arms about vaccinations, with the Liberal side casting scorn on those few who’ve chosen not to vaccinate their children in accordance with the Center for Disease Control guidelines.  The media is playing the same role they did in the Ebola episode.  Pretty much creating fear and explaining why the government is right and those who who don’t comply with the CDC guidelines are placing the entire nation at risk.

Now let me stop here to explain how I think vaccination works.  If you are vaccinated you develop a weak strain of the illness so your system can develop the necessary antibodies to prevent the real illness from affecting you.  If I’m wrong in this understanding, then feel free to comment and correct me, just provide a reference.  The bottom line is you have it within your ability to protect yourself and your children, and if someone is not vaccinated they will get sick; you won’t.  Again, you should not catch whatever you’ve been vaccinated for, whether it be small pox, polio, measles, mumps, or stupidity.  Wait, sorry I just realized there is no vaccine for that…

So now we come to the latest outbreak of measles.  Based on media exploitation and the Liberal belief the government knows best. We wring our hands over the fact a few hundred people (last year 700) out of a population of 320,000,000 will come down with measles, a normally non-fatal disease, because parents have not vaccinated their children, Don’t get me wrong, I believe vaccination is a reasonable and good course of action, but at the same time I believe the parents have a fundamental right to determine what is safe for their children, and there is just enough uncertainty in unintended side affects to give a parent some concern.  It was only a couple of years ago that the President and former Secretary of State voiced their opinion the problems of autism might be attributable to a vaccine. 

Now all the sudden Ms. Clinton may not know or care why terrorists attacked our embassy in Libya, but for #GrandmothersKnowBest -- the science on vaccination is now settled.  Of course the CDC is solid on this, as they are always solid until someone proves them wrong. 

I know I’m jaded on this for I acquired my immunity to measles, mumps and chicken pox the old fashion way.  Fortunately, the Salk vaccine came out I didn’t develop polio before my parents had me vaccinated.  So as I said, I think vaccination is probably a good thing, but there is enough uncertainty to leave doubts in some minds, and to belittle those doubts, especially when it won't affect you, is just the typical bullying we are so fond of doing.