@awetsell asked, "Mandates can be put in place by the government. Do you agree with mandates? Why or why not? How have vaccine mandates by certain companies affected their particular business?"
Can the United States federal government give a nationwide mask mandate? Well, no. The ability of the federal government to enforce a nationwide mask mandate is not explicitly stated in the Constitution of the United, therefore leaving this ability to the state, local, or company authorities. For this reason, mask mandates have become particularly regionalized, politicized, and controversial. I personally feel that this would be a much bigger issue if the federal government did have the power to create mask mandates, rather than keeping this issue at a state or local level. This is an intended benefit of the Tenth Amendment, from the Bill of Rights that states "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.". However, the President of the United States can sign an executive order to enforce a mask mandate on federal property.
I agree with mandates, but not totally. I think mandates can be very effective in areas with high rates of COVID-19, helping to provide people with benefits of safety without infringing on the people's freedoms to go shopping, out to eat, or participate in society. I think in many areas the mandates make no sense, as the infection rate can drop to levels that are similar to the flu and cold rates. I do not agree with states banning counties, cities, or companies from having mask mandates.
Certain companies like Walmart, Amazon, Walgreens, Apple, Target, and others have implemented company-wide mask mandates. At the lower levels of employment, I do not think this has caused much of an issue because these employees tend to be more replaceable if they leave. Higher-level employees that disagree with these cause a larger impact on the company if they leave due to these mandates. Overall, I do not think these large retailers have seen a very big impact on sales due to these mandates. Most people are willing to comply with the mandate if it means they can go shopping for things they need. The majority of the polarization on these issues has been overstated in the media. People do not necessarily want to mask up, but if it is the rule, most will comply.
