Ends justify means

Last week, President Joe Biden announced a six-pronged plan to stem the surge in COVID-19 infections and, ultimately, to help end the pandemic in the U.S. The plan will be viewed as either necessarily bold, decisive and far-reaching or governmental overreach and a gross abuse of presidential power.

It all depends on your political perspective and perhaps the extent to which COVID-19 has personally touched you, your family and your friends. What is clear is that this plan is intended not only as a rescue effort for the safety and well-being of the American public but also for Biden’s political fortune.

The plan potentially affects millions of Americans, especially the unvaccinated. Biden will issue executive orders mandating that all federal employees and contractors be vaccinated or face termination.

Further, Biden will mandate that employees of companies with at least 100 workers be vaccinated or tested weekly. These provisions, among others, are indeed invasive, but decidedly less so than one’s body being invaded by the coronavirus.

The opposition will rant about the infringement on personal freedom. This is to be expected. The question is, will the criticisms be based on substantive political ideology or more on political expediency?

What is clear, or should be, is that we are facing a national crisis that poses an existential threat to the public’s health. Desperate times call for desperate, unorthodox responses, and the president’s proposals, viewed in this context, seem to be well-justified.

— Ken Derow, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania