Readers respond to last week’s Feedback Friday topic, which was:
$4.7M Paid to County Employees to Get Vaccinated
Recently, the office of Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman announced the results of the County’s employee vaccine incentive program.
The County implemented the program in September, requiring eligible employees to submit proof of vaccination to qualify for a $1,000 incentive payment. Of the 5,936 county employees who were identified as eligible, 4,781 in total had obtained their vaccination to qualify for the incentive by November 30th.
The incentive received funding support via the county’s American Rescue Plan, with $4.7 million paid out in two rounds to employees who submitted vaccine verification. Baltimore City announced on December 7th that their vaccinated employees will be offered the same benefit.
Our questions to you:
Do you think this is fair spending of taxpayer dollars?
Do you believe government employees should be paid a substantial incentive to get their Covid vaccination?
Should vaccine incentive programs extend to the public?
Here’s what you said:
This is one of the biggest waste of taxpayers money! To pay our county employees for doing something they simply should do for the health of all?! Come on?!! The sooner we get this stupid county executive out of office the better!!!
Carrie Hilliard, Millersville
Absolutely not
Jeffrey Harvey, Annapolis
Absolutely ridiculous waste of taxpayer money. Get Vaxed or lose your job. OR give every taxpayer $$$ for getting it. You can't cure stupid just by paying
Barbara Hilliard, Millersville
I think this is very wrong. These people should be getting vaccinated out of compassion for their family, neighbors, and coworkers. And it is the morally correct thing to do. Paying someone to do what is morally correct is ludicrous. They should have been given the option to get vaccinated or be disqualified for employment. End of story.
Joseph Cox, Annapolis
NO!!! I don't agree with paying folks to get the vaccine. Most of us got the vaccine because it is a pandemic! A few examples: it's mandatory to have a driver license, it's mandatory to pay taxes, it's mandatory have social security, etc., why shouldn't it be mandatory to get the vaccine when there's a pandemic that threatening public/world health! I am not one that get every vaccine on the market but this pandemic is totally different!! Make it mandatory so we all can get back to our lives. Use the money to feed hungry children and/or help someone with their housing not to someone being bratty and stupid!
Barbara Harrid, Crofton
Do not agree at all with the incentive programs that pay county or state employees $$ if get the Covid vaccine.
This borders on blackmail. Not to mention the legal liability that could incur if an individual gets a vaccination b/c of promised payment of $$ and ends up having an allergic reaction and becomes deathly sick and/or dies.
Angela Hogan, Annapolis
I am totally against paying anyone to get vaccinated. It is not the taxpayer's responsibility to reward people for doing what they should be doing to protect themselves.
Suzanne Mulloy, Arnold
No one should be rewarded financially for getting a vaccine. The employees who need to be vaccinated for work should lose their jobs if they refuse. The money should have been spent on vaccine education and providing the masses with access to testing. I know ppl in my neighborhood who CANNOT get a test in a timely fashion or without having to wait in a line for 4 hours. Also the BINAXNOW tests were rolled out WAY too late in the game and there is a severe shortage. I cannot find a test to purchase. This is embarrassing for you.
Gail Hulme, Annapolis
No, the government workers should not be given an additional $1,000 benefit. The headline should read: Citizens are paying government workers a bonus to get vaccinated.
Anthony Parkinson, Easton
No No this is NOT a good use of taxpayer $$. Better to mandate it
J Nelson, Annapolis
No, they should not get $1000.00 to get the shot, the average citizen did not get it why should a county employee.
Edward Stratton, Severn
This is a gross misuse of tax payer money. I am a taxpayer in Anne Arundel county and no one offered me money to be vaccinated. If county employees are going to be paid, then all taxpayers should be paid. My personal motivation was not monetary. It was to protect myself, my family, friends and those who for medical reasons could not be vaccinated. Paying county employees is an insult to all of us who voluntarily chose to do the right thing for the greater good.
Those employees who accepted this bribe should be terminated.
Lynn Clark, Edgewater
Personally, I did/do not agree with this incentive: AACo employees being paid to get the COVID vaccine. People should be willing -- or not willing -- to get the vaccine on their own regard. It should not be a reward program for "good behavior”.
Not to mention, AACo residents had no say in the matter. Who's to say I want my money to go into another's pocket because they showed up to get sticked a few times? Even if it was federal money, and not county money, there could have been wiser ways to spend it.
Also, what does this AACo employee incentive program say about federal, state or local government officials not paying their employees to get vaccinated?
Unimpressive move by AACo leadership.
Dana Strotman, Edgewater
No, taxpayer dollars should NOT be used to pay govt employees to get vaccinated. Not fair to the taxpayer, or to employees of private firms.
Once you start this, when will it stop? How much should the bribe be? Who should get it? When will viruses stop? It is a deep rabbit hole!
Debbie Yatsuk, Annapolis
Yes of course it is a good idea to give government or city employees incentives to take a vaccine. First of all some people depending on their biology have a reaction to the vaccine. Second we are in a pandemic the more people we get vaccinated the less likely-hood this morphs into something worse. Third I am a polio survivor...I was separated from my parents for 2 years because of it. Vaccines we a game changer for the disease. It is time that we started holding people accountable and others who spread misinformation to people that hurts accountable in the courts...and that we all turned down the anger...we are all a part of this planet and we should all be working together...everyone affects everyone everything affects everything.
Jeanne Bowerman, Chesapeake Beach
While I recognize the importance of having a functioning county service system the initiative seems to be misplaced. County employees even more so than the average citizenry should have personal investment in keeping everyone safe from any threat including those posed by the pandemic. Leave time to get vaccinated and special county employee vaccination centers should be sufficient. The funds would be better used to reach out to and assist the underserved and more burdened county residents to enable them to receive vaccination and ultimately this could be more effective in reducing overall spread.
Charles McNelly, Davidsonville
It is really unfortunate that public sector adults should need to get paid anything to do the responsible thing and get a Covid vaccine. The amount of the incentive is outrageous. Why isn't the rest of the population getting $1000 for their vaccines? The payout was unfair and a total waste of tax payers' money.
Lauren Harbom, Annapolis
UTTERLY RIDICULOUS......
DISGRACEFUL
WHAT WOULD ONE EXPECT FROM THIS SOCIALIST WOKE COUNTY ADMINISTRATION.....
Gerard Hall, Annapolis
