Photo credits: The United States Congress

In lieu of the underwhelming amount of total COVID-19 vaccines, which have been administered on the U.S. populace, federal government officials are reconvening to come up with ways to substantially increase vaccinations as soon as possible.

According to the Alabama Media Group, a statewide news agency, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives recently conducted a controversial interview with a national financial news source. U.S. House Rep. Steve Sivers (pictured), a Republican from Ohio, believes the new Biden Administration should consider mandating COVID-19 vaccinations.

Rep. Sivers said that receiving a vaccine should be mandatory for all future recipients who will receive $1,400-dollar stimulus checks in the coming months.

“I hope the [Biden] administration will look at [my] option because we actually buy something with our $1,400 — and that’s herd immunity,” Sivers told Yahoo Finance Live.

“The quickest thing we need to do if we really want to help the American people is getting this economy turned back on — get people back to work, get kids back in school, get ourselves some herd immunity, get the vaccine distributed as quickly as we can and get the uptake rate up. That’s why I’d be willing to accept a $1,400 stimulus check if people are willing to take the vaccine.” he continued.

There is bipartisan consensus on Capitol Hill when it comes to this idea. However, on the Democratic side of the aisle in Congress, a U.S. House Representative suggested “incentivizing” rather than mandating.

Late last year, Congressman John Delaney, a Democrat from Maryland, said that increasing stimulus check amounts to $1,500 for verified vaccination recipients is an ideal approach to increasing the number of vaccinations that are administered to the U.S. public. Rep. Delaney’s suggestion also came as he was conducting an interview with a financial news source.

“The faster we get 75% of this country vaccinated, the faster we end COVID and the sooner everything returns to normal. We have to create, in my judgment, an incentive for people to really accelerate their thinking about taking the vaccine,” said Delaney in an exclusive interview with CNBC.

Conclusion

Regardless of either side’s partisan stance on this issue, both proposals violate the public’s right to choose by either not giving citizens a choice or financially influencing their choice in order for the federal government to have its way.

Incoming U.S. President Joe Biden has already revealed details publicly about his forceful commitment to ratcheting up the number of needles stuck into arms.

John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the U.S., laid the foundation of his living and posthumous legacy on a firm establishment of human rights. Protecting consumers was a key benchmark in this chapter of Kennedy’s playbook on responsible government and vigilant citizenship.

There were four basic aspects in the Kennedy-backed U.S. Consumer Bill of Rights:

—The Right to Safety

—The Right to be Informed

—The Right to Choose

—The Right to be Heard

Kennedy further emphasized the importance of these rights during a speech he delivered to the U.S. Congress on March 15, 1962 (now celebrated as the World Consumer Rights Holiday). The former president quoted the following:

“If consumers are offered inferior products, if prices are exorbitant, if drugs are unsafe or worthless, if the consumer is unable to choose on an informed basis, then his dollar is wasted, his health and safety may be threatened, and the national interest suffers.”

However, the real responsibility goes into the enforcement of such rights. The current federal government has much to learn from the present Commander-In-Chief’s late presidential predecessor.