Republicans in Minnesota, Mississippi, and Missouri are joining their colleagues in Texas and Florida in declaring their disdain for property rights and freedom of association. Of course, they aren’t stating it in those terms, but that is in fact what they are doing by supporting restrictions on private businesses.
In Minnesota, lawmakers are considering a bill that would prohibit employer vaccine requirements. A similar law in Mississippi prohibits private schools from requiring students to be vaccinated. And in Missouri, lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow employees to sue their employer if the worker experiences a negative reaction to the COVID vaccine. The law would only apply to companies that require employees to be vaccinated. Each of these laws demonstrate a disdain for property rights.
The laws in Minnesota and Mississippi prohibit private businesses from establishing the terms and conditions for entering their property. Those laws force business owners, their employees, and customers to associate with unvaccinated individuals, regardless of the desires of the owners, employees, or customers.
One Minnesota representative said,
Whether you’re pro-vax or anti-vax or whatever we’re for health care freedom and we believe mandates one-size-fits-all should not be the agenda. You and your medical provider can decide based on your health history what is best for you.
While individuals will be allowed to decide was is best for them, business owners won’t be allowed the same freedom. Despite the claims of these Republicans, this isn’t freedom. It is the use of government coercion to impose their values upon others.
Similarly, when Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed the bill, he announced,
Throughout the pandemic, I’ve encouraged Mississipians to consult with their doctor, study the facts, and decide what is best for them and their families.
Again, individuals will be free to decide what is best for them and their family, but business owners won’t be allowed to decide what is best for themselves and their employees.
The Missouri law would allow businesses to require vaccination, but also makes them legally liable if an employee experiences any negative consequences. Proponents of the bill argue that employers “should be held accountable for medical complications if they make workers get vaccinated.” The unstated goal is to discourage employers from requiring their employees to be vaccinated. An outright vaccine mandate ban, while despicable, would be far more intellectually honest.
The right to property means the freedom to produce, use, and trade material values on terms that are acceptable to all parties involved. These bills, and others like them, compel business owners to accept terms that they might not find acceptable. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is disdain for property rights.