HomeMy WebLinkAboutMask Mandate (16)To Whom It May Concern,
As a citizen of Rexburg, I wish to share my opinion on your decision to start requiring citizens to wear masks. It is wrong and a blatant violation of our rights as citizens of the United
States.
The 10th Amendment of the Constitution states:
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
That means that there is a balance of powers between the Federal government, State government and the People. The Constitution lists what the Federal government can do and leaves the
rest of the powers up to the State and the People. The powers I'm referring to are the powers of agency and privacy. We the People reserve the right to choose for ourselves what we
wish to do concerning the mask issue. For example, my family was in attendance at the rodeo over the Fourth of July weekend. We chose to not wear masks because we are comfortable around
people and we don't want to weaken our immune systems by wearing one. But there were a few families and individuals at the rodeo who decided to wear masks. And that is their choice.
No one got mad about people not wearing masks or sitting too close to each other. We were all there to enjoy the rodeo and took whatever precautions we were comfortable with. The Federal
and State governments DO NOT have the right to force citizens to wear a mask if they are healthy and well. If someone is sick, especially with COVID, then yes, you can require that
person to wear a mask.
This Mask Mandate you wish to pass also violates the 9th Amendment. It states:
"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."
This means that the Constitution may list many of our rights, but it does not list all of them. These "unenumerated" rights that we the People have are things like the right to privacy,
agency, to travel and "to make important decisions about one's health care or body. [annenbergclassroom.org <http://annenbergclassroom.org> ]" Every individual citizen reserves the
right to make whatever decision they deem good for their personal health. Not the government. For example, I am one of the few people who cannot wear a mask due to health reasons. I
suffer from anxiety and claustrophobia. Wearing a mask for too long triggers my claustrophobia which causes my anxiety to peak and then that leads to a panic attack. I know of other
instances where some people can't wear a mask whether it's due to things like asthma or a mental disorder. The point is, not everyone can wear a mask.
Furthermore, some common sense things to take into consideration. The death rate for COVID is lower than the annual Flu. What makes COVID scary is that it spreads like wildfire. In reality,
most people survive whether they get hospitalized or not. Those that should fear COVID are the elderly, pregnant, immunocompromised and those with a preexisting condition. In addition,
wearing a mask doesn't protect you from COVID. At best, it lessens the likelihood of getting it. Good hygiene is what protects you. Wearing a mask for too long actually weakens your
immune system and makes you more susceptible to other illnesses.
Please take what I have said into consideration and know that if this Mask Mandate passes, it is violating our basic rights as human beings and citizens of the United States.
Sincerely,
Laura Spackman