By John Beacham – Apr 30, 2021
As the pace of vaccinations slows in the United States, as the global pandemic rages and ravages with numerous variants emerging and as the vast majority of the planet—especially the poor—remain unvaccinated, the question about how to defeat the pandemic is more crucial than ever.
Universal vaccination is a fundamental part of the answers to this question. This is not in doubt.
We all must get it straight. The vaccines that have been developed are important and effective. Mistrust of the U.S. capitalism system and state should not lead us to cower in fear and reject the correct course action.
Vaccines are a collective remedy much more than they are an individual remedy. As such, it is vital that the world’s population as soon as possible is vaccinated and all of the world’s resources are diverted toward this effort. Animosity between nations, specifically the animus directed at China and Russia by the U.S. government must end.
It is a human rights crime of the highest order that vaccine production in the United States is controlled by a handful of corporations and that the pace of global vaccination is nowhere near the potential of the world’s industrial base. Truly, the era of profit before people must come to an end.
Implementation
For a moment, let us think like socialists who live in a socialist state that has replaced the United States. Socialists who have carried out a revolution. Socialists who run a workers’ state that is in the business of helping to transition to a classless society in which everyone’s needs are met and more. A workers’ state with the working class at the helm through collective ownership of the economy.
We would make the vaccine mandatory. Not compulsory.
A massive campaign to produce and distribute the vaccine globally would be undertaken. Large vaccination sites. Promotion of the vaccine everywhere. Thousands upon thousands of medical brigades would be deployed to educate and administer. No rock would be left unturned.
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Reactionary political movements to thwart virus production and distribution would be reduced to meaningless phrase-mongering by the combined mobilization of the workers’ state and the masses.
Under socialism, all of this would have already been accomplished and our chances of being out of the woods by now would be exceedingly higher. The bonds of human solidarity would be much stronger and a great leap forward in human achievement would rest in the hearts of all of us—the socialist citizens of the world.
It really is that simple.
All socialist organizations should be promoting the priority of mandatory vaccinations as an absolutely crucial bulwark of a people’s war to end the pandemic.
Featured image: File Photo
John Beacham
John Beacham is a college teacher, a union member and an anti-war/social justice activist. He was the Midwest coordinator of the PSL campaigns for president in 2008 and 2012. He is currently the founder of MASS ACTION Podcast & Publication. mass-action.org
