Get a shot or get another job

Almost 100 years ago, American humorist Will Rogers is supposed to have said: “I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.”

County Executive Steuart Pittman’s announcement that his administration will pay county employees $1,000 to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by Nov. 30 is a perfect example of what Will Rogers was referring to.

Pittman blithely promises to pay more of your tax dollars to those county employees who are too irresponsible or lazy to get a vaccination. According to the article in the Capital, the official reason is that the bonus is as follows: “We believe it contributes to safety in the workplace to slowly spread the virus while accommodating some folks who we may not agree with, but we don’t want to lose them.”

My advice to Pittman: “Lose them.” It staggers belief that Pittman feels that it is better to pay what is tantamount to a bribe to recalcitrant and insubordinate employees than to do without their services. Who needs that kind of employee? Pittman would rather tolerate a slow and steady spread of COVID amongst county employees and the public than to suffer the inconvenience of having to replace employees who put young and old at risk for disease or death.

Paying this kind of bonus to unvaccinated employees who apparently do not give fig about the fact that they may infect others is a slap in the face to those other, responsible employees who, like most of county residents, made the effort to get a shot.

Sorry, Mr. Pittman. Tell your anti-vaxxers to get a jab or get another job. Or pay the grand to the responsible employees who already got their vaccinations.

On second thought, I am not sure even Will Rogers would find this nonsense funny.

Lars Kristiansen, Annapolis