Yep, like flu shots, you have the nutbag religious groups who refuse to inoculate their kids. I don't know what the answer is there. The mandatory thing is a slippery slope I think and reeks of communism and/or dictatorship. Vaccines are normally required for kids going into school or daycare, but I have no clue what's mandatory or what sort of wavers are allowed. To make it even more complicated, those requirements are set by the states, so there are no set rules. I don't have an answer.

That said, Lynn and I have been discussing this very same thing at length. She's on-board for getting vaccinated the minute it's available to her. Normally, I'd be right there with her, but I've been hesitant to jump on-board. TBH, I'd most likely get vaccinated right away, but for the first time in my life, I've got concerns. I've always been one to put a TON of trust in our government, but this vaccine has been rushed through without many of the checks and balances we normally require for new medications. When I went into the Army, I walked through a literal assembly line for inoculations ... we'd stop between two medics, each would give us a shot in the arm, we'd step forward a few steps, and a couple more medics would shoot us up with something else. Heck, I don't even think I knew what they were giving me or how many shots I received in that line, but I had zero problem accepting whatever they were dishing out.

Heck, even with FDA approval, we still run into hiccups. I'm a walking time-bomb right now because during all my surgeries, the doc installed an IVC filter in the vein carrying blood to my heart. It was the "thing to do" back then. Now they're killing people because they're falling apart, pieces are rupturing veins and/or flow into your heart and you're dead. I asked to have it removed, but the process is more dangerous than leaving it in and keeping my fingers crossed. Heck, there are probably hundreds of cases in process for side effects or injuries from defective drugs and medical devices as we speak, all of which were thoroughly vetted before being made available to the public. How safe are these new vaccines going to be since all the hoops, hurdles and testing processes have been waved? I can envision what could happen 5 years from now when one of these big pharma companies say, "Oooops!"

Anyway, those are my personal fears right now, but I have a feeling I'll throw caution to the wind and be one of the first in line to get the vaccine. It's a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation right now.