For Bill de Blasio, if it weren’t for double standards, there might be none at all. The New York City mayor is bent on firing several thousand police officers and firefighters who committed what he considers an unpardonable sin.
Their offense was so irredeemable that de Blasio was willing to abandon the streets of his fair city, devoid of adequate police enforcement, rather than allow these “renegade” police officers and their firefighting cohorts to stay on the job.
So, what crime did these rebellious city workers commit that warrants putting New York City at risk of seeing an imminent wave of record-high crime? They refused to take a vaccine for a virus with a death rate that could be as low as one-tenth of 1%.
Oh, and for any police, fire, or other city workers who miss the Nov. 2, 2021, deadline for compliance? Suspension without pay.
Noteworthy is that even so-called “bad police officers” who do unthinkable acts still typically get paid while on forced leave, pending their investigations. But not for the vaccine-averse.
In the politically charged case of COVID-19, it’s one strike and you’re out — without pay. Never mind all your prior service to your community. You say you stopped 100 bad guys dead in their tracks and saved the lives of dozens of citizens? Doesn’t matter. Oh, you were one of the 9/11 heroes and have fought hundreds of fires, breathing in smoke and carrying children out of burning buildings? Ha! You’re out of there! And without pay.
No vaccine, and you get the left foot of fellowship — not from doctors or anyone with medical experience, but from the all-wise, all-knowing politicians and bureaucrats running the largest city of our republic. You know, the kind like former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who, instead of quarantining sick people, crammed them into nursing homes with seniors.
This double standard is obvious to a third-grader but not to selfish politicians with devious agendas. These same politico types put out the welcome mat for illegal immigrants to cross our southern border with no need to get vaccinated — as long as they vote Democrat. When “defund the police” rioters want to throw bricks through windows, no problem. But if a city clerk or a dog catcher dares not to get jabbed, they are out of there. But what about their families? No matter. They must suffer, too, since their former superhero parent has been relabeled a villain.
If street marauders destroy your store or break into your home and you call 9/11, don’t be shocked if you are on hold for an hour, listening to a recording saying their understaffed police and fire departments can no longer respond to minor emergencies. They can only accept whistleblower calls to report the biggest crimes: municipal workers who have not been vaccinated.
So, let the high-rises burn, maybe even collapse. Let thieves steal and rapists rape. So what if Macy’s or Bloomingdale’s are gutted. You can always order online. Lest we forget, it’s for the greater good. We must trust our city fathers who say, “The benefits outweigh the risks.”
Regardless of what anyone thinks about penalties for vaccine-resistant grown-ups, should their children be required to beg for food in the unpoliced streets due to decisions made by political nincompoops? Remember, these thousand workers following their consciences are being fired without pay. No backup plan.
Perhaps the saddest end to this story is that those politicians and bureaucrats who concoct and enforce these inane schemes, regardless of how much harm they cause, are immune from their actions. And we all know what happens when there are no consequences for bad behavior: It’s repeated.
The Associated Press documented a remarkably callous comment by de Blasio about the largest police union daring to block his draconian action: “Every effort to stop the city’s vaccine mandates has failed in court, and we believe this suit by the PBA will meet the same fate.”
Is de Blasio serious? Hasn’t he considered the fate of millions of native New Yorkers after upwards of one-quarter of the entire New York police are fired? Does he know how long it takes to hire new officers? Has he heard of the Police Academy? It’s not an online weekend course. Unfortunately, this could be a very long boondoggle, perhaps costing billions of dollars and thousands of lives.
It’s high time for someone to give a clarion call to make the vaccine voluntary. Shouldn’t everyone should be allowed to consult with their doctor to decide if the vaccine is right for them?
We also need an easier system to unelect or recall power-tripping politicians with stone hearts. We need accountability where our elected leaders remember that citizens are their masters, not the other way around.
Michael A. Letts is the CEO and founder of In-VestUSA, a national grassroots nonprofit organization helping hundreds of communities provide thousands of bulletproof vests for their police forces through educational, public relations, sponsorship, and fundraising programs.
