A recent letter to the editor attempted to compare cancer and covid-19.
To start, covid-19 is highly contagious; cancer is not. One direct relation between the two, however, is that people with cancer have a higher risk of severe illness from covid-19 than those who are not immunocompromised
The writer goes on to mention “threats to take away our jobs and our guaranteed freedoms if we don’t take the ‘jabs’.”
Quick history refresher:
In 1905, the Supreme Court, in a case involving smallpox vaccination, ruled that states could enact compulsory laws to protect the public in the event of a communicable disease, and it is not a violation of constitutional rights to do so. That Supreme Court decision, Jacobson v. Massachusetts, still stands today and is the framework supporting the current covid-19 vaccine mandates in our state and country.
The writer also mentions “bribes for free stuff,” which, I believe, actually refers to the United States Constitution’s Spending Clause that gives Congress the ability to provide financial incentives for states to enact mandates. As for taxes on cigarettes, revenue from cigarette and tobacco taxes help fund programs that support children in our state, including the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
As much as I didn’t like mandatory history class in school or being told what to do, I am thankful to have learned about the Constitution, so I can refer to it (frequently as of late) in conversations with those who appear to have missed that day in class.
Jillian Eriksson
Lake Stevens
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