(Mark Pellin, Headline USA) A horde of angry business owners blasted the Montgomery County Council in Maryland over its proposal to decree vaccine passports be required to enter bars, restaurants, recreation centers and gyms.
And while business owners were accurate in their concerns that such a draconian measure would force consumer cost increases across the board and damage the bottom line of their businesses, Betheny Mandel delivered an equally damning warning.
“So everyone here is going to tell you why this is bad for businesses and for residents. I’m here to tell you why this is bad for you as politicians,” the home-schooling mother and editor at Ricochet declared during a public hearing on the proposal.
“This is gonna be the end of your cushy government bureaucratic careers,” she warned.
At that was just for starters.
My testimony at the @MoCoCouncilMD about their proposed vaccine passports. Join us in making change here #ReviveMoCo: https://t.co/HCydcxbjPJ pic.twitter.com/sr5jk1fjcY
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) January 18, 2022
“For those of you who are facing term limits, we’re coming for your seats. For those of you who plan to run again, we’re coming for yours,” Mandel told the tyrannical politicians pushing the vax passports.
“This resolution is the final straw for a number of businesses, groups and individuals in this county who have seen you come close to destroying everything they’ve built,” she said.
The county’s health passport proposal would require business to have customers 12 and older show proof of full vaccination status starting Feb. 15. Starting March 1, the requirement would apply to all customers 5 and older.
After coming under intense criticism during a public hearing, the council decided to hold another public forum on the proposal scheduled for Jan. 25 before a final decision is reached, reported WUSA.
At the previous public hearing, Mandel made the case clear that county officials were overstepping both their authority as well as their competence.
“They’ll ask you, ‘Who’s responsible for determining exemptions?’” she told the county council. “Why require a five-year-old to be vaccinated for an indoor playground but not require them in senior centers?’ It’s a joke, but so are you.
“This kind of mandate is wholly inappropriate and not within your job descriptions, even if you call yourself the Board of Health,” she concluded. “You’re unskilled bureaucrats and nothing more. Stay in your lane.”
Business owners share that sentiment.
A representative of a local chamber of commerce said business owners were frustrated by being placed in a position of enforcing a mandate that many view as ineffective and unpopular, pointing to text in the proposal that states businesses “must not permit a guest, visitor, or customer … to enter the indoor premises of the covered establishment or facility without displaying proof of vaccination.”
“That literally means you need a bouncer at the door,” said Jane Redicker. “And that’s just not practical for somebody who already doesn’t have a bouncer at the door.”
Business across the region, she said, are already plastered in “help wanted” signs as they face staff shortages.
Mauricio Vasquez, who represents the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Montgomery County, said his group opposes the vaccine check regulation, reported WTOP News.
“At first glance, for many of us vaccine proponents, this legislation sounded like a good idea,” he said. “But upon looking at the result in costly social and economic requirements, and a relatively low benefit, we must speak out against this proposed legislation.”
Or put more succinctly, in the words of Mandel, “What’s the objective here? The vaccine doesn’t stop transmission.
“The county is already one of the most vaccinated in the country,” she said. “The burden is on you to prove that this is necessary. And it’s not.”
