In every single industrial/construction jobsite I’ve ever been to and/or been a part of, I have been reminded of “Stop Work Authority.” For the white-collar workers who may be unfamiliar with this, SWA is the right and responsibility of anyone on a job site to stop work if and when they observe something that is unsafe, or has the potential to become unsafe. Such a power is very effective in the field. If only there is a way to extend it to the government?
President Biden months back has attempted to put in a place a mandate for businesses of 100 employees or larger to force their employees to be vaccinated or test on a weekly basis for COVID.
Stop the job. Blow the whistle. Red flag. Whatever you want to call it.
This is another move that should be making everyone scratch their head. We need to remember that the government’s job isn’t to police the decisions made by each employee. It’s a gross overextension of authority and should have everyone worried. Private businesses should be given as much free reign over themselves as reasonably possible. Even many current OSHA could probably be scrapped at the discretion of employers.
Luckily, there is still folks in high places with a bit of sense. Several politicians have been leading the charge for a lawsuit to stop the new mandates. Rightfully so. We need to be wary when dangerous precedents try to slide by. We should be focused on removing government from private business, not letting it get farther in. Business is, of course, just one facet of our modern lives that is in danger of overreach. With everything that has happened since our country started, people should be aware and on guard for oversteps from Big Brother.
I have a feeling that mandates currently in place by decision of business owners, will not be sticking around for long. I recently heard about staffing shortages at a hospital, which was already short-staffed but the deficit increased due to vaccine mandates. I feel like raising a standard for potential employees during a shortage may be a bad call. The law of demand states that as the price of good becomes higher, demand decreases. If you replace “price of a good” with “employment requirements” in an already low-demand job market, then I would imagine the demand continues to decrease. If you are trying and failing to sell oranges, the solution is not to raise the price of oranges. You would have to try something else—maybe there is a higher demand for apples?
Let’s hope that the OSHA mandate is shut down completely. The last thing we need is for an incompetent, imperfect government to have more control over us. They absolutely cannot make rules that are correct and best for all 331.4 million American residents, and they should not be encouraged to.
Side note: I’m really sick of hearing about COVID and dealing with COVID restrictions. Talk about getting old. I’m sure some of you feel the same way.
Sources:
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/l/law-of-supply-demand.asp
Bayou Observant 