How Politicians Hide Behind "The Science"

On London Breed's Deferal to Mandates

As I wrote earlier this week regarding leaders in blue areas of the country:

“leaders of these areas want desperately to change course (they’ve seen the polls), but having married themselves to the “Follow the Science” narrative for two years, they simply don’t have the courage to just admit they were wrong and end the mandates unilaterally.

Let the CDC Go Down with the Ship

For a good example of what I'm referring to, look to a recent statement from SF Mayor London Breed. She tells Yahoo News:

Emily Hoeven @emily_hoeven

👀 @LondonBreed tells @YahooNews: “It breaks my heart that kids in our public school system still have to wear masks. If I had my way, I would let kids run around free without masks.” news.yahoo.com/can-london-bre…

news.yahoo.comCan London Breed bring back San Francisco?San Francisco Mayor London Breed recently launched a law-and-order crusade in the famously progressive city.

"It breaks my heart that kids in our public school system still have to wear masks. If I had my way, I would let kids run around free without masks.”

(emphasis mine)

Except here's the thing, she basically can have her way.

After last week's recall of three San Francisco School Board seats, it's Mayor London Breed who new gets to appoint the three new replacement board members. School boards across California, in ten counties and counting, are already defying Gov. Newsom's school mask mandate. San Francisco's school board has seven total seats, meaning with the three Mayor Breed appoints she is just one short of an outright majority.

Reopen California Schools @ReopenCASchools

Rocklin USD is a ~12,000 student district in Placer County. Two dozen school districts in ten counties now have mask optional policies. https://t.co/gi526cUk0p

Reopen California Schools @ReopenCASchools

When @RocklinUnified students come back from break Feb 28, they “will not be excluded from school facilities, school related activities, removed from a classroom nor separated within a classroom for not wearing a mask.” https://t.co/7HqJAkqSGl

London Breed could say:

"It breaks my heart that kids in our public school system still have to wear masks, since adults in California are now allowed to unmask in public indoor settings and even unvaccinated children are at lower risk of severe Covid than fully vaccinated adults. For that reason I will be appointing members to the San Francisco school board who will prioritize allowing children to come to school maskless if they so choose. I hope that the remaining members of the school board will agree that it is time to let kids run around free without masks."

Will she say that?, No. That wouldn't be "Following the Science". Instead she'll just throw up her hands and say, "Sorry, CDC says so." And next fall when cases in San Francisco rise again, and the CDC again recommends kids wear masks at school, she'll sit idly by and let it happen.

And this is why it's not enough to wait for the CDC to change their guidance. We must forget about the guidance. It's time our leaders actually do what's right and lead us out of the madness of mandates once and for all.

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