Only the slimmest policy difference separates us from Texas and Florida as far as how our Governors eschew COVID precautions. Thank goodness MA has a willingly and highly vaccinated population.
————
Around the time the Former Guy became President, checking Twitter for news in the morning brought my ire and blood pressure up even before my feet had a chance to hit the floor. To be factual, though, it was Gov Baker who raised my ire first. Now we have Biden, who angers me, but less so and in a vastly different way, but we still have Gov Baker who is all sorts of infuriating. So, I was checking Twitter yesterday morning, and I saw these stories.
I am a parent of a tween and teen, and I have reached my limit on Gov Baker’s callous actions regarding schools and COVID. Why in the world would EdComm Riley think that something that worked in Utah last year, before Delta was dominant, would even be appropriate to enact here, now? There are kids who must be in school, and I completely understand. Their parents will have to perform their risk calculus and do what they need to do. There are those of us with unvaccinated kids that do not have to be in school yet we have NO remote option. Having zero COVID precautions and keeping contagious kids in school is untenable for my family.
I’m sick to death of this. If I wanted to live under a Texas or Florida style governance, I would live there. I don’t want my community put in danger because some jabroni wants to get reelected.
Thank goodness there are lawmakers and newspapers getting on Baker’s case for being so… such a… callous ghoul? Meanwhile, at the State House:
Have thoughts on masks being mandatory in schools? Email BESE. I did.
katherine.craven@mass.gov, James.Morton@mass.gov, Amanda.Fernandez@mass.gov, Matthew.Hills@mass.gov, Darlene.Lombos@mass.gov, Michael.Moriarty@mass.gov, eoe@massmail.state.ma.us, Paymon.Rouhanifard@mass.gov, MaryAnn.Stewart@mass.gov, martinmarty.west@mass.gov
Comparing our Governor to those of TX and FL is not at all accurate or helpful. I don’t see Baker threatening anyone and everyone who disagrees with him on this. My recommendation is required vaccinations for all school staff and students who are old enough and continued masking in elementary schools until younger kids can be vaccinated, but I’ve said all along we should keep these decisions as local as possible.
I think that’s a result of the makeup of the Massachusetts electorate and says absolutely nothing about Mr. Baker himself. I think he is precisely like Mr. DeSantis (of Florida) in that Mr. Baker will say and do whatever he thinks will advance his personal political interests at the moment.
If Mr. Baker thought that threatening anyone and everyone who disagrees with him would gain votes, he would do that in a heartbeat.
I am thankful that most Massachusetts voters remain relatively sane and information-based when it comes to COVID and most matters of science. I think that is true in spite of, rather than because of, anything that Mr. Baker has done or will do.
I don’t think Baker has it in him to threaten. Mr. Nice Guy seems to be his brand which even political opponents acknowledge and I judge to be his natural attitude. I think part of why he does well electorally is that MA voters wish to encourage the dwindling sane branch of the Republican Party. This isn’t to say he’s not a politician – of course he is. Our system was designed to be staffed by politicians.
The latest figures show that 67.6% of the Massachusetts population was white in 2020, down from 76.1% in 2010, when the last census was completed. I’d be keeping an eye on that the dwindling sane branch of the Republican Party. I see a Massachusetts where more white voters adopt the “fiscally conservative socially liberal” camouflage and vote Republican.
And if that’s what the Republican party becomes we will all be better for it.
Um, that Republican party gave us Trump for four years and has a shot at controlling the House & Senate in two years…..how are we better for it?
I’m referring to a Republican party without Trump. You referred to “fiscally conservative socially liberal” which more describes our Governor, whom I would much rather be the face of a reformed Republican party.
There is no Republican Party without Trump. Trump exposed the party for what it is. “fiscally conservative socially liberal” is a polite way of saying blacks and other minorities need to know their place and respect the white majority.
That’s not at all how I see Governor Baker and a few others.
I’m angry that the FDA has not yet approved the three vaccines for general use, that we don’t yet have approvals for administering these vaccines to school-age children, and that we don’t yet mandate vaccines at every level — federal, state and local.
Masking and social distancing are crude tools that should have been left far behind by now — stone axes instead of scalpels.
I think vaccines should be mandatory in schools.
Charlie Baker still self-identifies with the GOP. He will get campaign funding from the national party. He will use his popularity to advance and support seditionist candidates against Massachusetts Democrats in the House. He will support Mr. Sununu against Ms. Hassan in New Hampshire.
The GOP of 2021 is racist, seditionist, and flagrantly corrupt. It’s major national agenda is to literally end representative democracy in America by empowering state legislators to overturn election results that do not favor the GOP. Charlie Baker continues to self-identify with that party.
Charlie Baker, like every 2021 member of the GOP, is slime and needs to be defeated.
I guess we approach this from different directions. While I would still not vote for them in general elections because they still have a different governing philosophy than I do I wish the Bakers of the world well in any attempt to remake the party in their image rather than Trump’s. Since what goes into approving such things is about as far away from my wheelhouse as you can get I don’t think I really have cause to be angry with FDA. I’m hopeful that full approval will push more people to get the vaccine, but also honestly very skeptical that those who say they are waiting for that are just using it as an excuse and they will find a different excuse once that milestone has past.
Keeping these decisions local has been an utter disaster in this country.
My freedom ends when I endanger your health.