On Wednesday, the Pinal County Board of Supervisors rejected over $3.3 million dollars from the federal government. The $3.3 million dollars would have required Pinal County to create a Vaccine Equity Coordinator who would be in charge of federal communications regarding public health.
After reading the fine print, I decided that it was best to reject the federal dollars for a number of reasons, most importantly being that the federal dollars specifically forbid ANY money from being spent on actual vaccines!
So, if the funding cannot be used for actual vaccines, then what is the money for? According to the CDC, “Increase/improve data collection and reporting for populations experiencing a disproportionate burden of COVID-19 infection, severe illness, and death to guide the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
In other words, the CDC is using your money to hire data collectors and analysis to track you and report your health information to Washington. Interestingly enough, Pinal County already has these capabilities and our Public Health Office has a website that is updated every other day with the latest COVID-19 statistics. https://www.pinalcountyaz.gov/publichealth/CoronaVirus/Pages/Home.aspx.
The citizens of Pinal County should have the choice about providing their data to the federal government.
A DECISION BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR DOCTOR
Medical care is personal, and ALL medical decisions should be made between you and your doctor. You are a person, not a policy. Too often lawmakers in Washington think of Americans as tools to be manipulated for policy ends. Instead of creating more freedom for Americans, politicians, limit freedom through one-size-fits-all policy.
The federal dollars would not have improved medical care, the dollars were essentially directed at creating a Vaccine Czar in Pinal County.
Item 5. Requirements.
The Intergovernmental Agreement requires, “The activities in this Contract shall be performed…for the purpose of increasing immunization coverage levels of children…and adults…in both public and private sectors of health care.” The way the grant attempts to increase immunization levels is through a marketing plan, with cash giveaways and other incentives.
Missing from all of this is a medical doctor’s opinion that the vaccine is necessary for you. Immunizations may be good for most but not for all. What if a person has cancer or other ailment which prevents them from receiving the vaccine? According to the NIH:
Patients with blood-related cancers often have dysfunctional immune systems, and as a result they’re just not able to respond as well to the COVID-19 vaccine as other people,” said Elad Sharon, M.D., M.P.H., a senior investigator at NCI, who was not involved in the new studies but is leading a clinical trial testing COVID-19 vaccines in people being treated for cancer.
Now the federal government is creating vaccine mandates for all. Federal employees will take the place of your doctor and tell you what medicine to receive or not receive. Of course, these decisions won’t be based upon your individual medical needs but the needs of equity and one-size-fits-all policy. Like most of these rules, they will apply to you and your family, not to elite politicians, or apparently to Federal Postal Workers.
From the time the vaccines were made available, I spent hours on the phone with the Public Health Director making sure that communities in District One had access to them and my staff in the Mammoth Office facilitated scheduling as people became increasingly frustrated with busy signals and hours on hold with the “Central Appointment Desk.” Vaccines should be made readily available to those who want them.
LOCAL DECISIONS, LOCAL CHOICE
I believe that you have a Constitutionally recognized, God-given right to decide on your own medical care. These decisions MUST stay local. The other alternative is to have policy-makers in Washington decide what is best for you and your family. In order to keep these decisions local, I need your continued support to fight against Washington. I need you to write to the two Supervisors who want Washington to decide what medical care you should receive.
Washington politics and federal policy can be a distraction to many people. They are distracting us from participating locally where our freedoms are being taken, one bad policy at a time. Bad Washington policies are being slipped into our housing policies, public health codes, and local ordinances. PLEASE DON’T BE DISTRACTED. Think locally or else you will risk losing your freedoms.
I would also like to respond to Pete Rios’ Letter to the Editor published on September 8, 2021. As many of you know Pete was the Supervisor from District 1, who was never a qualified elector of District 1 in accordance with State Law. He claimed to live in Dudleyville by maintaining an empty residence when in fact he always lived in Apache Junction, which is District 2. His residence is in Apache Junction, he sent his children to school in Apache Junction, and received his mail there. Arizona Law requires that a Board of Supervisor, “shall be qualified electors of their supervisory district.” A.R.S. § 11-211(A).
The purpose of this rule is so the people will elect someone from their own community, knows the local issues, and literally lives with their political decisions. For 12 years Pete mismanaged and underserved our communities, raised tax rates to the highest levels allowable by law, and developed a bad reputation among his constituents, which is no doubt why the voters rejected him. My office is actually managing issues and serving our communities, and in my first eight months have successfully reduced the property tax rate. I helped bring jobs to San Manuel, and continue to work toward bringing a grocery store to San Manuel.
This week we are announcing a fiber network of over 320 miles of high-capacity internet cable to schools and libraries and to homes throughout the Copper Corridor. This is an almost 9-million-dollar project which will supply high speed internet throughout Superior, Kearny, Dudleyville, Mammoth, San Manuel, and Oracle. This was a campaign promise that I delivered on in only eight months on the job because we made it a priority! Pete, on the other hand, had no notable accomplishments aside from a high-speed chase from a Sheriff’s Deputy.
My office has also demanded more accountability and policing throughout the Copper Corridor. At the Board of Supervisor’s Meeting a little more than a week ago, I not only asked that salaries of Sheriff’s Deputies be raised more than requested by our Sheriff, but I also asked our county manager if this money could be tied to keeping more deputies in the Copper Corridor. I demand action and accountability from my office and all county officers. Pete on the other hand accomplished little in twelve years, much less than I have accomplished in eight months.
Keeping Politics Local,
Kevin Cavanaugh
Pinal County Supervisor, District 1