Letters to the editor on vaccines, who is the worst president and civics lessons

Vaccination

My wife and I got our second Covid-19 vaccine shots. We have been appalled to hear how many people are indecisive or determined to avoid vaccination as a matter of personal privilege.

We are experiencing the equivalent of war. We did not win World War II by avoiding the draft. We will not win this one by avoiding vaccination. That does not protect our rights; it only protects the virus. Indeed, our willingness to get vaccinated may be essential to preserving those rights

Yes, even vaccinated, we may need annual or booster shots. We will still need to wear masks and take other precautions, even following vaccination. Tired of all that? So am I. But our fears may become self-fulfilling prophecies if we sit on our hands and refuse to do what we can. Jesus perfectly framed the issue in his admonition to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

So, sign up for vaccination at your pharmacy (where we got our shots), the county health department or, most obvious, your doctor. Don’t embrace phony and self-centered constitutional rights arguments while your neighbors suffer. Act out your love of family, neighbors and country — and get your shot!

Worst president

I have lived through the administration of 14 different presidents, from FDR to Joe Biden.

I have always thought that of these presidents, Lyndon Johnson was the very worst president in my lifetime. His Great Society, which initiated welfare, started many of the serious problems we have today including the decrease in many individual’s self-image and work ethic to the entitlement attitude that is so prevalent in our society.

The damage LBJ did, however, does not compare with the damage that Biden has done in his first two months in office. I have never seen such an obvious and blatant grab for power or the equally obvious and blatant push toward socialism.

I really don’t understand why there is not a massive move toward impeachment, except that those with the power to do that are probably more afraid of Harris than they are of Biden. If they don’t ruin our country in the next two years, all we can hope for is political reform and a wholesale turnover in Congress in 2022. What a mess we are in.

Civics lessons

The Legislature was correct in requiring passage of the U.S. Citizenship test for public school students. Although there can be no substitute for courses in U.S. Government and history, requiring study for and mastering the information content on the citizenship test adds an additional layer onto one’s proficiency in civics. We have too little civic education in the United States.

Requiring this test sends a message to the public that knowledge of the political system is just as important, if not more important, than passing Algebra I. My only criticism of the citizenship test is it fails to include at least a few questions on economics., public law, sociology, other cultures and geography.