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HGOPs: “Don’t force kids to mask-up”

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Illinois

* Illinois House Republicans…

Have you had enough of government by executive order? Tell JB Pritzker…drop your school mask mandate and work with the…

Posted by Illinois House Republicans on Friday, August 6, 2021

I was told the post doesn’t mean the caucus is “anti-mask.” Um, ok.

* Jordan Abudayyeh at the governor’s office…

While the administration continues to welcome input from the General Assembly, community stakeholders and public health experts, there is no debate on the effectiveness of masks. Masks prevent the spread of coronavirus and the CDC has recommended their use indoors regardless of vaccination status. Insinuating that science is up for debate is reckless and puts the public’s health at risk.

* Jaclyn Driscoll at the House Speaker’s office…

The CDC says students should wear masks indoors. The American Academy of Pediatrics says students should wear masks indoors. Doctors and our most trusted health professionals say students should wear masks indoors. I’m not sure why Republicans don’t trust doctors.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 9:34 am

Comments

How about if we have no school dress codes, behavior rules, no vaccinations of any kind? That’s how silly and hypocritical anti-maskers are. It’s another sign of privilege, feeling entitled to pick and choose what rules to follow.

Comment by Grandson of Man Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 9:39 am

Oh look, the caucus of small numbers making sure they remain able to caucus in elevator.

Comment by Give Me A Break Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 9:42 am

we’re not Anti-mask. We’re just anti- anything the Democrats want.

Comment by Bruce( no not him) Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 9:43 am

Maybe they should speak with the Governor of Arkansas about this and see how that is going for him.

Comment by Smalls Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 9:43 am

Why not forgo shoes and clothing too? Fig leaves should be sufficient.

Comment by Jocko Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 9:44 am

=== I was told the post doesn’t mean the caucus is “anti-mask.” Um, ok.===

No. They aren’t anti-mask.

Illinois House Republicans want your child to be wholly at risk to get sick.

That’s about right.

“Help your child play an odds game to get the virus… to own the libs”

What a pathetic and dangerous message by the Illinois House Republicans…

… the Illinois House Republicans want your child to be at risk.

They’re not anti-mask, they are seemingly not to worried about infection?

This doesn’t sound very pro-life either, but I digress…

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 9:44 am

I guess Leader Durkin wants to go from super minority to super SUPER minority leader

Comment by NotRich Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 9:46 am

Many have said masks is where they have to draw the line. If the line isn’t drawn at masks, then they’ll never be able to stop the government control and overreach. They also say that they are not willing to co-parent with the governor. It’s really scary that people are calling mask mandates co-parenting.

Comment by historic66 Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 9:46 am

Mitigation in schools is primarily about the adults, the situation for children is a very low fatality rate, the CDC doesn’t appear to be doing cost/benefit analysis, & there’s a lot of underestimating the vaccines going on here.

Comment by Blake Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 9:48 am

They are not anti mask. They are pro choice.

Comment by Captain Obvious Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 9:49 am

- Blake -

In Texas, where ped ICU beds are so rare that helicoptering a child 150 miles is the best option is not a smart way to play games with children’s health.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 9:50 am

===the situation for children is a very low fatality rate===

Children are not vaccinated (at least under 12 have not the options as others) and you’re take is “very low”…

Go visit Ped ICUs… see the overworked medical staff and anxious families… I mean… callousness.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 9:52 am

The anti-maskers are a large segment of the GOP. They are vocal, energetic and unpersuadable. Much like the Tea Party, GOP leaders now pander to this small but vocal group of know-nothings instead of challenging their false beliefs.

This has been going on in the GOP for 20 years. The monsters created by right wing media have the Republican politicians so afraid that the pols follow instead of lead.

The thing of it all that bothers me so much is that these COVIDiots are holding back the economy and making it impossible for us to defeat the virus. That, in turn, will keep this fight going much longer than it needs or any of use deserve.

But there will be no accountability for any of this. Sadly. Just more unneeded and preventable deaths.

Comment by 47th Ward Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 9:53 am

===the situation for children===

This is not last year’s variant.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 9:53 am

Blake,

What’s an acceptable child fatality rate for covid?

Comment by Jocko Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 9:56 am

“Mitigation in schools is primarily about the adults, the situation for children is a very low fatality rate…”

No, it’s about everyone. Children thankfully are very unlikely to die from COVID, but we know much less about medium- to long-term risks to their health.

I don’t want my kids ending up with permanent heart damage or other significant issues simply because people thought the only concern was death versus survival.

Comment by Techie Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 9:56 am

Maybe along the lines of suggesting that state employees refusing to vaccinate be fired, how about this for the General Assembly: Another Cutback Amendment with the districts of representatives refusing to be vaccinated by, say, veto session, be eliminated? If it’s a House member that refuses to vaccinate, then the Senator’s district and the other associated House district be eliminated. Thus requiring the newly passed maps to be redrawn. Also would permanently provide for social distancing in the House and Senate chambers.

Of course my “idea” is too extreme it won’t happen. But just for food for thought.

Comment by Non-AFSCME State Employee Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 9:56 am

Republicans are on the wrong side of history here…it’s really a sad sight at this point.

Comment by B Team Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 9:58 am

Republicans are staunchly for local control of schools, except in Texas, Florida and other states with Republican governors who impose anti-mask mandates on their schools. Reminds me of the IL GOP opposition to gerrymandering, while their counterparts in most of the country eagerly engage in it.

Comment by anon2 Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 9:59 am

Starting with a statement, I think the mask mandate at the state level is a great idea. Totally agree with the governor on this.

Now to address the HGOP.

Your messaging on this is terrible as can be seen by the above responses.

The argument I think you want to make is.

“COVID mitigation should be addressed at the local level”, don’t make this about ‘forcing kids to mask’, but making it about how it should be up to local school boards.

Starting the messaging with ‘Don’t force kids to mask-up’ isn’t picking you up a single vote. However ‘Lets leave it up to local school boards’ would make more people perhaps think. You don’t sound anti-science, but pro local control. It’s a better political argument. We all know having people call the Governor’s office isn’t going to change anything. This is about establishing that you think local control is a good idea, not that masks are a bad idea. The ‘local control’ is your argument and you should lead with that. It may seem more effective to play to the emotion of masked kids, but your goal isn’t the base, you are not fighting over the ‘this isn’t a big deal vote’ sadly, you own that. Your argument is local control, not the effectiveness of masks.

Comment by OneMan Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 10:01 am

The HGOP is just pandering to Trump’s base.

Comment by Nobody Sent Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 10:02 am

Jaclyn for the win.

Comment by Siriusly Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 10:05 am

== I’m not sure why Republicans don’t trust doctors.==

To borrow a phrase, that is restaurant quality. Like Michelin star restaurant.

Comment by SAP Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 10:07 am

This mask mandate for kids is a solid idea. Just want to add the kids in the cafeteria at lunch need to leave a space between themselves when they eat lunch.

Comment by Al Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 10:08 am

Why won’t you provide guidance to the schools?
(guidance provided)
How dare you tell the schools what to do, why don’t you leave it to them?

Rinse, repeat

Comment by Asteroid of Caution Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 10:16 am

Also, with vaccines so effective, why no mandate for adults working at the schools? The AFT is on board.

Comment by Blake Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 10:21 am

So, a year and a half into this, with tens of thousands of deaths, and the best the house Republicans can come up with is a process argument? Can’t imagine why the governor doesn’t want to expose his people to questioning by the likes of Rand Caulkins.

Comment by Langhorne Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 10:22 am

=== with vaccines so effective===

(Sigh)

Nothing is 100%, children under 12 aren’t vaccinated, even if vaccines are mandatory.

Where have you been for these past 18 months?

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 10:24 am

=Have you had enough of government by executive order?=

Ahh, so that’s why Trump lost Illinois. All those anti-executive order Republicans who voted their conscience against a dictatorial president. /s

Comment by Steve Rogers Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 10:25 am

This after last week, when pediatric hospitalizations reached an all time high during the pandemic. Over 1450 children were hospitalized last week due to the Delta variant, and for whatever reason this variant tends to be much more severe for children.

Comment by BilboSwaggins Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 10:28 am

This is obviously anti-mask. “Choice” means GOP activists would have continued to bully school boards, administrators and teachers into allowing kids to be unmasked. Even though children until 12 can’t be vaccinated, and high schoolers are being vaccinated at rates well below 50%.

This is also anti-science. For all the people saying “COVID isn’t dangerous to children,” 1) for the Delta variant, hospitalizations and deaths for children appear to have increased, and we won’t know for several weeks (after schools reopen) exactly how much; and 2) you’re forgetting long-term COVID effects on children.

In short, the ILGOP is pro-pandemic. Disgraceful.

Comment by Not a Superstar Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 10:30 am

Republicans: I want children to be safe in schools!
Everyone else: So do we, wear a mask.
Republicans: No I was more thinking of those bullet proof backpacks…

Comment by Commissar Gritty Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 10:31 am

I wonder if these same Republicans are against FL’s Governor taking away local control from schools when he banned mask mandates. Shouldn’t school districts there have the same voice they want them to have here?

Comment by SuburbanRepublican Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 10:35 am

“very low fatality rate” You realize that there are very bad non-fatal outcomes as well, don’t you?

Comment by Skeptic Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 10:41 am

Glad there’s a mask mandate. Now do one for vaccines (all employees, all age-eligible kids, and all eligible family members of employees and kids). I hope the Governor’s and Speaker’s considerable influence and power will be just as forceful on vaccines as on masks, not just encouraging but mandating.

Comment by natty lite Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 10:52 am

This will allow the IL House GOP to score political points with their base. Some of your children may die, but that is a risk they are willing to take.

At the same time, this dovetails perfectly with their desire to funnel money away from public education to private schools. “See? Public schools can’t keep your children safe from the pandemic (because we opposed all measures to do so)!”

Defund, point to failures from defunding, then defund some more. They’re two sides of the same coin.

Comment by thunderspirit Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 11:07 am

@history66: == They also say that they are not willing to co-parent with the governor. ==

Wait until they discover the term ‘in loco parentis’

Comment by Homebody Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 11:07 am

“Next from… Illinois House Republicans… ‘Surgeries and Masks; Mask Free Surgeons or No Surgery For Me’… “

It’s a once a century global pandemic, masks save lives, and have been saving vulnerable surgical patients daily well before Covid because those working in a surgery are masked to help keep infections away.

This want of no masks is welcoming opportunities to spread a deadly global virus with kids unable to be vaccinated from it… concurrently.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 11:11 am

The GOP afraid of a little paper/cloth product that can help prevent deaths and serious illness. Sad, really sad.

Comment by Norseman Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 11:14 am

Isn’t this about Durkie and the GOPies wanting to come back SPI to debate all this stuff and THEN vote no? That was the messaging for 20 so why not drag it out again. Give them something else to talk about other than Trump and Gomer running for Gov.

Comment by Annonin.' Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 11:18 am

What part of “if your not vaccinated wear a mask” don’t the GOP understand

Comment by Rabid Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 11:21 am

Blake,

On the contrary I would imagine the CDC has done cost-benefit analysis. The cost of a mask is cheap both in $$ and in harms. The benefit of a mask is therefore larger than the cost even if it is not perfect. It is about layers of protection.

I really don’t understand the opposition to masks. I wear one when I am on campus at work. That’s 8-10 hours a day only taken off while actively eating or drinking. I can do this. I don’t understand why it upsets other people.

Comment by cermak_rd Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 11:26 am

I keep waiting for the logical reasoned argument to not wear masks and/or get a vaccine if eligible. What the ILGOP and a handful of comments underscores is there isn’t one.

Comment by Pundent Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 11:31 am

and here we thought it was the Libs who let children run amok.

Comment by Amalia Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 11:37 am

Since Jacylyn cited the American Academy of Pediatrics, I will note they sent a letter to the FDA dated August 5 telling the FDA to stop slow-walking vaccine approval for ages 5-11.

Comment by Blake Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 11:56 am

“… local control …”

Is a bad idea when the local officials refuse to support measures to curb the pandemic.

Permitting local control assumes a consensus on how to protect the citizens of Illinois. The political divide about how to mitigate the pandemic is too great due to the denial of science and the irrational behavior of anti-vaxers.

Comment by Huh? Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 12:04 pm

=That’s how silly and hypocritical anti-maskers are.=

Amen.

=why no mandate for adults working at the schools? =

The mandate is for EVERYONE inside the school building, not just kids.

=Mitigation in schools is primarily about the adults, the situation for children is a very low fatality rate=

Umm, no. It is about everyone.

Please feel free to choose which of your children you are ok with losing as I am not ok with anyone losing a child to COVID. But your family first since you are ok with it.

Comment by JS Mill Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 12:12 pm

“there’s a lot of underestimating the vaccines going on here”

I think you may be underestimating the number of children under 12 in schools.

– MrJM

Comment by misterjayem Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 12:32 pm

JS Mill, I drive which is itself taking a risk. It’s about risk tolerance. Also I think my comment was pretty clear about a vaccine mandate, which I would support (you can look for my comment in Rich’s weekly column post earlier for consistency on that), but you seem to have taken as about masks.

Comment by Blake Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 12:43 pm

=== I drive which is itself taking a risk. It’s about risk tolerance. ===

So government has no say in your option to take that risk?

Rather a poor example on your part. Government requires training before you can drive. Government sets rules for how you drive. These rules are for the protection of others as well as yourself.

Just consider masks as your requirement not to drive and drink.

Comment by Norseman Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 12:56 pm

=== I drive which is itself taking a risk. It’s about risk tolerance. ===

(Sigh)

You don’t wear a seatbelt, that’s your decision effecting you.

You don’t get vaccinated and spread a global virus, that effects me.

My risk is predicated also on immunity and vaccinations, including my own.

Geez, Louise.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 1:08 pm

I saw drunk driving as an analogy before vaccines became widely available to express my support for mask mandates then. I recognize conditions have changed.

Comment by Blake Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 1:09 pm

I don’t have time to list all the data as most of you won’t believe or look it up anyway, but kids die less from Covid than flu, long Covid studies on kids are out and few have long effects, and masking is ineffective (see world wide data especially Asia and recent interviews from Osterholm and Gottlieb on masking).

Comment by Nanyu Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 1:34 pm

=== masking is ineffective===

Going to have surgery with a maskless doctor anytime soon… or…

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 1:35 pm

==kids die less from Covid than flu, long Covid studies on kids are out and few have long effects==

Another Ph.D candidate from the University of Facebook…or is it YouTube?

Comment by Jocko Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 1:43 pm

===University of Facebook===

Who knew that was a requirement to work at Ameren?

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 1:50 pm

People in Japan have worn masks during flu season for a very long time.

Comment by Cheryl44 Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 2:27 pm

“I drive which is itself taking a risk. It’s about risk tolerance.”

Yes. Mobility is the life-blood of freedom and our economy. If you can explain to me how wearing a piece of cloth on your face would destroy our economy and way of life, please do so.

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 3:36 pm

>>>You don’t get vaccinated and spread a global virus, that effects me.

Comment by Just askin Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 5:31 pm

“are the shots not working”

What don’t you understand about delta variant break-through cases?

Nobody ever said that the vaccines were 100% effective at preventing a break-through case.

Comment by Huh? Monday, Aug 9, 21 @ 8:30 pm

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HGOPs: “Don’t force kids to mask-up”

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