It is Hard to Trust Government

Government Service??

I listened many years ago as JFK made his famous speech, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” I admired President Kennedy and am proud to have marched in the honor guard at his funeral, but I think it is time to at least consider what our country is doing to us.

I was due my annual dental cleaning when the when the pandemic caused the VA to panic and close the clinic. After my teeth had not been cleaned or examined by a dentist for two-and-a-half years, I called my congressperson for help. Have you ever tried that? It is an experience. I tried to find an email address for her office in Washington DC but found it to be a special line for contributions only. I then called her office in Spokane but got a message telling me where to send my campaign contribution. I discovered she had an office in Colville and, to my surprise, was connected to a real person who was very helpful in getting me an appointment with my dentist. I wonder what old veterans do who are not stubborn enough to spend two days trying to make contact? I also wonder if the congresswoman knows how hard it is to tell her what is going on in her district?

My dental appointment went well. The clinic was fairly empty as few veterans knew it had reopened. The assistant who sat me in the chair and put the bib around my neck was surprised to find out I expected a hygienist to clean my teeth. She went to the employees break room and found a hygienist with no one to treat and talked her into cleaning my teeth. There are good people in the world despite the pandemic. When the hygienist finished, she urged me to make an appointment for a six-month checkup and cleaning. When the Doctor arrived, he found I needed a crown. I could have told him that. I broke my tooth on an olive pit while the clinic was closed.

When my visit was complete, I reported to the front desk with orders for three appointments, one for the cleaning and two for the crown. The receptionist informed me I had to come in to the clinic the day prior to each appointment and be tested for COVID19. I told the receptionist I had proof I was fully vaccinated. The mandate, however, was independent of vaccination status! I even got the booster, but it didn’t matter. At first, I thought some VA bureaucrat had run amuck, but I noticed on the six o’clock news that the requirement to enter the United States now required both proof of vaccination and a negative COVID test. Go figure. In order for me to get my pre-appointment test, I have to arrange for someone to stay with my sick wife, drive an hour and a half to the VA to get my nose swabbed then drive another hour and a half home. I am to the point where I’m not sure it is worth it. If our federal government doesn’t believe the vaccine will protect us, why are they pushing it so hard? It doesn’t make sense.

While I was pondering the irrationality of our elected officials, I saw an ad on TV during the intermission while they were changing pitchers in the second game of the World Series. This ad stated everyone should get the vaccine; even those who have had the virus. The immunity received from the vaccine was supposedly superior to that received by actually having the disease! I thought about that for a while and came to the conclusion we are being duped again. How many people do you know who have caught the Virus twice? Now compare that to the number of fully vaccinated people you know who have tested positive for COVID19. I realize my universe is pretty small, but I know several people who have had the virus after being fully vaccinated. On the other hand, I know of no one who have had it twice. I am losing confidence in the vaccine and have already lost faith in our elected elite.

Fran Watson is a retired Air Force Colonel and long-time resident of Eastern Washington. He has been a free-lance columnist for over 20 years.