Ellis County Commissioners join growing opposition to Biden’s vaccine mandate in resolution
WAXAHACHIE – On Tuesday, Sept. 14, the Ellis County Commissioners' Court unanimously adopted a resolution to oppose the Biden Administration's recently proposed executive order enforcing a de-facto federal vaccine mandate.
The full text of the resolution is as follows:
A RESOLUTION BY ELLIS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS’ COURT IN OPPOSITION TO A FEDERAL VACCINE MANDATE
WHEREAS, as stated in the Declaration of Independence of the United States, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. – That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed;” and
WHEREAS, the United States of America is a republic founded by a Constitution which establishes a Federal Government limited to certain enumerated powers; and
WHEREAS, Article II of the United States Constitution grants the President no authority to legislate, enact mandates over the affairs of private citizens, or undertake punitive actions against private businesses that do not comply with the President’s preferences; and
WHEREAS, no law enacted by Congress has ever granted the Executive Branch and its Departments the unlimited and unconstitutional discretion to enforce harsh fines against a broad segment of private businesses in the United States should they fail to compel each employee to undergo a certain medical treatment; and
WHEREAS, the recently proposed Executive Order by President Joseph Biden, which directs the Department of Labor to fine every private business in the United States with over too employees $14,000 for every employee who chooses not to receive a COVID-19 vaccination or undergo cost-prohibitive weekly virus testing, is a blatantly unconstitutional and un-American decree designed to deprive all Americans who do not consent to this unreasonable burden of the right to earn a livelihood; and
WHEREAS, in the same speech during which he proposed this de-facto national vaccine mandate, President Biden implied further punitive action against the Governors of states which did not enforce these same kinds of mandates against their own citizens; and
WHEREAS, under our constitutional system, states and local governments reserve the right to shield their citizens from federal policies that constitute a questionable violation of their natural and constitutional rights; and
WHEREAS, Ellis County, Texas organized a vaccine center with the help of medical professionals and the State of Texas for voluntary vaccination for those who consented and thought the treatment prudent for themselves; and
WHEREAS, neither the State of Texas, nor the County of Ellis, Texas, plan to construe this effort to enforce a vaccine mandate on their citizens, as no constitutional government should ignore the civilized precondition of consent and force medical treatments on individuals under the threat of losing their livelihood;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we, the Commissioners’ Court of Ellis County, Texas oppose any vaccine mandates proposed by any government or any government department. We oppose any use of county resources to enforce any government mandates regarding any COVID-19 vaccination or treatment. We demand that the Federal Government withdraw any such proposals, and we request that the State of Texas employ all necessary resources to protect our fellow citizens from federal attempts to harass, bully, or threaten the employment of any Texan who does not wish to undergo a certain medical treatment. In this struggle, we affirm that Almighty God is our ultimate protector and authority.
In witness thereof, signed the 14th of September, 2021.
TODD LITTLE, Ellis County Judge
RANDY STINSON, Commissioner, Precinct 1
LANE GRAYSON, Commissioner, Precinct 2
PAUL PERRY, Commissioner, Precinct 3
KYLE BUTLER, Commissioner, Precinct 4
Attest: Krystal Valdez, County Clerk