In Part 1 of “The Shameful Voting Record of Lauren Boebert” we covered Rep. Boebert’s No Vote on Build Back Better - the fiscal plan a majority of Americans approve of and that would reap long-term economic benefit for the citizens of western CO.
In Part 2 we detailed Rep. Boebert’s most egregious No Votes on the humanitarian issues that her constituents care deeply about. And there were many.
In Part 3 we outline how Rep. Boebert’s No Votes have a direct, detrimental effect on the health of voters in her district.
Protecting the health and welfare of citizens is Job One for any elected official. Or should be. Here are some of the No Votes that cause direct harm to the citizens of CD3.
No Votes: The Opioid Prescription Verification Act of 2021 and the Synthetic Opioid Danger Awareness Act. Together these two bills would save lives by directing the CDC to conduct a public education campaign about the dangers of synthetic opioids, reduce prescription shopping and curb sales of illegally obtained opioids. In Mesa County 70% of overdose deaths are caused by opioids and the county has a higher rate of opioid-related hospitalizations compared to the rest of the state. From 2015 - 2018 over 130 people died of opioid abuse. We can find no reason cited as to why Rep. Boebert voted no on this life-saving bill.
No Vote: SHINE for Autumn Act of 2021. The bill aims to prevent stillbirth through better research and reporting. Ironically, the pro-life conservative voted against a bill that could save the lives of infants. No reason for the no vote was cited.
No Vote: Improving the Health of Children Act. This legislation protects children suffering from birth defects and other developmental disorders. No reason for the no vote was cited but imagine how the parents of special needs children feel about her lack of support.
Voted No: Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act of 2021. The program aims to ensure that newborns, infants and young children who are deaf or hard of hearing are identified and get the care they need when they need it. I guess Rep. Boebert assumes there are no deaf people in CD3 because what other reason would she have for voting against this child-friendly bill.
And that brings us to COVID.
In Mesa County COVID rates are skyrocketing. On Dec 2, 2021 the positivity rate* was 6.8%. By January 6, 2022 it nearly doubled to 12.5%. Approximately 80% of the NEW 1,338 cases are unvaccinated. 95.45% of those currently hospitalized are unvaccinated. From November 15, 2021 - November 30, 2021 11 people died of COVID in Mesa County. Right now, 90.2% of the hospital beds in Mesa County are taken. Which means if you need a hospital bed you might be out of luck.
While health professionals across the country are strongly encouraging all Americans to get vaccinated and the CDC says “Community transmission is high. Everyone should wear a mask in public, indoor settings” we find Rep. Boebert is more focused on Tweeting counter-productive COVID advice:
“@SpeakerPelosi your mask mandate is dumb, arbitrary, and outdated. End it.”
“Biden has deployed his Needle Nazis to Mesa County.”
“I woke up with a headache this morning. I took some Tylenol. Now if everyone else could take some Tylenol too so mine would start working, that would be great.”
LET US BE CLEAR. REP. BOEBERT’S ADVICE TO NOT GET A VACCINE OR WEAR A MASK IN PUBLIC SPREADS COVID AND CAUSES MORE PEOPLE TO BE SERIOUSLY ILL, HOSPITALIZED OR DIE. IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR HEALTH OR THE HEALTH OF YOUR LOVED ONES GET THE VACCINE. THE LIFE YOU’RE SAVING COULD BE YOUR OWN. OR YOUR WIFE/HUSBAND, PARENT OR CHILD.
COVID is a public health issue we’re all tired of. The fastest way to move past this, and protect yourself and your family, is to not heed the partisan advice Rep. Lauren Boebert is peddling. Our leaders should be protecting public health, not endangering it.
*The positive rate is the percentage of all coronavirus tests performed that are positive.
https://health.mesacounty.us/covid19/datadashboard/