Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida has become one of the favorite targets of Democrats over his commitment to combatting the COVID-19 pandemic with a freedom-minded strategy. The strategy is working, as Florida’s COVID stats continue to look better and better. As of November 19, the state has vaccinated 68% of its population — and that number skews low because it includes the small number of children who have received the shot.
In the midst of such encouraging numbers, Florida continues to line up on the side of medical freedom under the leadership of DeSantis. The state recently passed new laws that restrict vaccine mandates, and DeSantis trolled the left by signing the bills into law in the town of Brandon, Fla.
As a result of Florida’s progress on the COVID front, Walt Disney World announced over the weekend that it would pause its vaccine mandate. A Disney spokesperson told Orlando’s FOX 35:
“We believe that our approach to mandatory vaccines has been the right one as we’ve continued to focus on the safety and well-being of our Cast Members and Guests, and at this point, more than 90 percent of active Florida-based Cast Members have already verified that they are fully vaccinated. We will address legal developments as appropriate.”
Naturally, the Biden administration is apoplectic, as evidenced by White House press secretary Jen Psaki referring to Walt Disney World’s decision as a “steps backward” in fighting the pandemic.
“They’re based in Florida, and obviously the governor there has consistently taken steps to take steps backwards as it relates to fighting the pandemic, not forward,” Psaki told reporters on Monday.
Naturally, the administration would be upset at corporations who make decisions in their own best interests without automatically bowing at the feet of government intrusion.
Related: Disney World Pauses COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
It’s worth noting that, even though Disney is a pretty woke company in general, they have often supported Republicans in Florida. After all, they’re a corporation, and they know which politicians will make decisions that will benefit their bottom line.
Good for Disney for recognizing the way the winds are blowing in Florida and responding accordingly. After all, Walt Disney was a believer in liberty, and this move is something I imagine he would approve of.
For her part, Psaki seems to think that more companies will cower to the almighty mandate.
Fox News reports:
“I would note that a recent poll showed that 60% of business leaders wanted to move forward on their own with vaccine requirement,” she said. “We’ve seen them implemented, at a lot of companies, they’ve been effective, and overall it gives a lot of businesses certainty about their workforce, makes people feel more confident in coming back to work.”
But Psaki also made clear that the stay will continue to be “litigated through the process,” while in the meantime, the administration will continue “encouraging companies to take steps to protect their workforce.”
The Biden administration continues to fall back on those words that Ronald Reagan said were the most terrifying words in the English language: “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” Don’t question them or do your own research. Just bend the knee and roll up your sleeves. They’re clearly never going to waver from that narrative.
In the meantime, we’re seeing good results coming from places like Florida where freedom and trust are the watchwords. Companies like Disney are noticing these trends and reacting. And it’s always a good thing when a large corporation lines up on the side of freedom.
As a longtime Disney fan who visits Walt Disney World often, I appreciate this move toward the freedom of their cast members. Now if we can just do something about that indoor mask mandate.
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