"You're important enough to have Secret Service protection, but..."

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

...you're not important enough to get a flu shot."


Yeah, that makes a lot of sense!

[qwerty]

I believe that Bush and Cheney, plus any other major Presidential canidates and their running mates, should be given flu shots.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

I believe that Bush and Cheney, plus any other major Presidential canidates and their running mates, should be given flu shots.

Doesn't the US value all its leaders (at least at the Federal level) as more valuable than the average Joe?  Isn't that why we spend billions to protect them from harm?  Isn't that why we try to ensure that they will survive a first-strike attack on the US?

If so, then why shouldn't they receive flu shots?

[qwerty]

Read my post again. I said I believe they should recieve the shots.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Read my post again. I said I believe they should recieve the shots.

But you limited it to only the candidates for President and VP...shouldn't the shot be available to all of Congress and leaders of the various federal departments like the FBI, CIA, DoD, EPA, etc?

Or has it become too politically incorrect to state the obvious - the lives of leaders are more valuable than any randomly chosen citizen?

[ilikeverin]

Read my post again. I said I believe they should recieve the shots.

But you limited it to only the candidates for President and VP...shouldn't the shot be available to all of Congress and leaders of the various federal departments like the FBI, CIA, DoD, EPA, etc?

Or has it become too politically incorrect to state the obvious - the lives of leaders are more valuable than any randomly chosen citizen?

Haven't you also said that the lives of Christians are more valueable than the lives of non-Christians?  (I'm paraphrasing)

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Haven't you also said that the lives of Christians are more valueable than the lives of non-Christians?  (I'm paraphrasing)

Not that I recall.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

The people who get flu shots should be the ones most at risk, regardless of their status in society.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

The people who get flu shots should be the ones most at risk, regardless of their status in society.

Then why does the President get every orifice thoroughly checked each year, regardless of his "at risk" status?  By giving the President ultimate medical screening, isn't society placing a premium on his life?

Get over it: you are NOT as valuable as your leaders.

[John Dibble]

The flu very rarely kills you if you have access to medical care. Still, even if the president caught it he has access to the best care in the country, it's not like the flu is a real danger to him. If this was the bubonic plague or something, he should definitely get first dibs, but I don't think there needs be preferential treatment in this case. Ultimately I doubt a flu shot would be that important for the president.

The flu is rather bad this year though(my mom had it, woo boy, not fun), so get a shot if you are at risk. I won't be getting one, I never do, since I've got a tough immune system that handles stuff like the flu easily(if everyone in my house get's sick, I don't get sick).

[A18]

You don't want to get the flu during the last weeks of your campaign

[John Dibble]

You don't want to get the flu during the last weeks of your campaign

Indeed. They can pay for their own flu shots as far as I'm concerned though.

[opebo]

There is nothing special about any of these people - all are easily replacable.  The only reason to give them any extra consideration is for the sake of percieved stability and continuity.  People might get panicky if all the top mugwumps died at once.

[ilikeverin]

I won't be getting one, I never do, since I've got a tough immune system that handles stuff like the flu easily(if everyone in my house get's sick, I don't get sick).

I'm with ya man.. I haven't had a cold for maybe 2 years, and haven't thrown up for 8

[minionofmidas]

The people who get flu shots should be the ones most at risk, regardless of their status in society.

Then why does the President get every orifice thoroughly checked each year, regardless of his "at risk" status?  By giving the President ultimate medical screening, isn't society placing a premium on his life?

Apparently it is, yes. This wouldn't be an issue if you had free universal health care, btw.

[J. J.]

The people who get flu shots should be the ones most at risk, regardless of their status in society.

Then why does the President get every orifice thoroughly checked each year, regardless of his "at risk" status?  By giving the President ultimate medical screening, isn't society placing a premium on his life?

Apparently it is, yes. This wouldn't be an issue if you had free universal health care, btw.

Actually, if we did, we might not have any.  The reason that companies stopped making the vaccine was fear of lawsuits.  Ten years age, there were more companies making it, but they found the potential risk too high.  So either the government would have to agree to indemnify them, reduce or prohibit law suits against them on this ground, produce it themselves, or say "Flu vaccines, we don't need no stinking flu vaccines."

[minionofmidas]

Flu vaccines exist in every Western country, so I don't have the slightest clue what you're talking about.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Hell we export the damn stuff... vaccines that is...
I've had a jab (a rare benifit of chronic illness)