Yesterday, the state's public school employee union complained that they are supposed to be the top priority, far above the retail clerks and service industry workers. And to be more specific, teachers of the least endangered demographic (youth) are wanting the state health dept to provide the OEA(Oklahoma Education Association) members with full & immediate covid vaccines even if it results in delaying vaccinations for emergency first responders (paramedics, firefighters, peace officers, etc).
In a report published by MSN, Alicia Priest, head of the top teachers union said caring for the children means the union educators are supposed to be closer to first in line.. Priest says if the State really wants to put our children first, that means putting educators among the first in line for the vaccine. |
"We all want to be back to school face-to-face so let’s do what it takes so we can get that done," says Preist. Alicia says educators understand taking a back seat to health care, frontline workers, and the most vulnerable. However, state and tribal government leaders, along with residents in "congregate locations" - like homeless shelters, prisons, and jails are also ahead of them on the list. "We probably do need to be bumped up on that list," says Preist. [MSN misspelled the last name. We chose not to edit their clerical errors.]
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The epidemiology studies show that this China coronavirus rarely hits the school-age demographic. Kids are the least likely carriers and rarely suffer more than mild symptoms when a child does get the virus.
Conversely, retail clerks and food service workers (waiters, cooks, dishwashers) are very vulnerable to the virus and are vastly more likely to spread the virus to the most vulnerable elderly and disabled with chronic health complications.
Since our state's founding, the law creates a shortage in hospital beds by preventing market competition. New hospital planning first must acquire a "determination of further need", before a new hospital can open and offer lower medical billing to the public. It is this kind of state enforced protectionism which creates higher costs and less competitive consumer services. That may have been a risk worth taking when Christian ministries ran the great hospitals of our state, but the nuns no longer own and run the hospitals. Big corporate chains simply use the imagery of Christian mercy and the beatitudes. 'Saint Margaret', 'Saint Gabriel' or 'Calvary Hope'; may be nothing more than a marketing ploy for economic fascism. Fascism and socialism are simply two forms of the same encroachment on liberty in the marketplace. It's time for real openness in the medical services. End the 'certificate of need' laws.