Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City, is making a final mark before he leaves office. The New York City Board of Health unanimously approved Bloomberg’s initiative to require children under the age of 5 to receive a flu vaccination if the child is enrolled in a city-licensed day care or pre-school.
Bloomberg is the face of the nanny state. He is well known for his ban on large sodas. He is a nightmare for libertarians, except for the fact that he shows just how abusive the state can be.
This latest initiative is controversial in many ways. There are many people opposed to it because they argue that vaccines can cause autism and other health problems.
Ironically, this new law applies to children who are 6 months old up to just under the age of 5, which would actually be the group most susceptible to harmful effects, such as autism. Most young children already receive a high number of vaccines at an early age. If the child’s immune system is already weakened, another vaccine could make the difference between a healthy child and an unhealthy child.
The defenders of the nanny state will dispute any link between vaccinations and autism, yet they won’t leave that choice up to the parents. There is nothing preventing these people from vaccinating their own children. They just want to control the lives of other people.
Defenders of the Bloomberg measure say that the flu can be quite dangerous and even deadly. But the opposition who believe there is a link with autism can make the same argument on their side. Shouldn’t it be up to parents to decide and not the state?
If you live in New York City or another place that has this requirement, my only suggestion is to either move or homeschool your child. Unfortunately, the state burdens us with so many taxes and regulations that many two-parent households need both of them to work. One has to work just to pay all of the taxes, particularly in a place such as New York City.
This latest episode of heavy-handed government provides a good example of how some people simply want to control others. If they are worried about the flu and they think a flu vaccination is effective, then vaccinating their own child should protect their own child. My guess is that most of the advocates of this measure don’t even have children in the age range affected.
If people are so concerned about the flu, why don’t they start a public campaign to take vitamins such as C and D, and to take a good probiotic supplement? There are also other herbs and supplements that can be used in helping to suppress viruses and to boost the immune system.
Of course, such an act might actually help reduce the number of people getting the flu, but it would also help reduce the profits of some of the big pharmaceutical companies that push these vaccines.
The politicians don’t care about your health. They will sabotage your health in a second if it means taking care of lobbyists and special interests that funnel money to them.
Michael Bloomberg is even worse than the average politician. I think he simply enjoys exercising power over others for the sake of it.
I’m curious what your view is of recommended vaccinations for children. Do you think they are bad or good? Have you done research on the matter? I’ve found that the issue is so polarized that its hard to know the real facts.
I am not a doctor, but I personally think most children are over vaccinated. I am not against all vaccination, but I think young children are given way too many needles. If the immune system is already in a weakened state, a vaccination can do great harm in my opinion.
My recommendation is to spread the vaccines out and do not give your child a vaccination if he or she is already sick. For the MMR shot, my personal opinion is to wait longer than the standard recommendation of 18 months old, especially for boys who seem to be more susceptible to autism, although I would still wait longer for a girl too.
My best advice is to find a doctor who has a philosophy that aligns somewhat close to your own. This can be challenging, but there are some doctors who are at least cautious about vaccinations.