Unfortunately, there are people in
the country who refuse to get
vaccinated.
And since the vaccine is readily
available for free, we're trying to
get people to show up,
get those shots and protect
themselves from the coronavirus.
Now in some parts of the country,
local lawmakers are thinking of
various incentives.
Like in New York,
Wayne County specifically, they
have implemented a Star Wars theme
that might appeal to some people.
They want the fourth to be with you
or what have you,
the thing that people like.
>> May the Fourth be with you, god,
please.
>> We got it, no,
look, I like that they're trying to
incentivize people.
Just because I'm not into that
doesn't mean that they shouldn't
try to do it.
>> But you get it right,
May the Fourth be with you.
>> Yeah, Cenk, I get it,
I'm not an idiot.
>> Okay, all right. [LAUGH]
>> Yeah, I think it's cheesy.
It comes up every year and
everyone's ha ha ha,
May the fourth be with you.
>> I love it, I love it.
>> I know, people love it.
>> Pass the cheese, feta.
>> Great, awesome.
It would be nice if adults acted
like adults and
just got the vaccine and didn't
need to be treated like children,
but it's okay.
In this case, I guess that's what
needs to happen, and so, great.
So that's happening in
Wayne County.
Obviously I am irritated by
the fact that this is even
a difficult thing to do.
Just get vaccinated,
the virus mutates and
it's mutating to something that's
even more deadly and
more contagious.
And it might get to a point where
it could mutate to something that
the vaccine doesn't even work on,
which is why time is of the
essence, please go get vaccinated.
If they need to do this to
encourage people, great.
I know I'm being a little bit of
a downer on it.
There are other examples.
For instance, the Wayne County
Public Health Department isn't
the only health department that's
decided to incentivize it.
It's not often that state health
department encourages residents to
drink beer.
But in New Jersey, for instance,
the Department of Health will buy
residents a pint of their own if
those residents show
proof they have been
vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Okay, see that,
I can kind of get behind it,
I like that one.
I might just pretend like I'm
not vaccinated to get that
free beer, why not?
Sounds fun.
>> Yeah, god bless.
>> And then there
are other examples.
For instance,
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont's
administration is buying beers for
Nutmeggers at any of the dozens of
restaurants that have signed up for
the state's #CTDrinksOnUs campaign.
>> Okay, first of all,
let's acknowledge that
they're calling people from
Connecticut Nutmeggers is fun.
Let's see,
Donnelly said having a beer and
a shot is a fun campaign.
Now, I got the vaccine over a month
ago, and
I guarantee you that this is got
some people are going to say this.
It's not fair, man, I didn't get
a beer when I got the vaccine.
A, you'll be all right, okay?
B, yes but
we've been vaccinated for
over a month, so we had a greater
chance of living and not dying.
So if you told me hey,
if you wait an extra month and
risk your life for an extra month,
you'll get a beer, I'd be like,
hold my beer.
[LAUGH] Just when you thought May
the fourth be with you was bad.
Okay, so yeah, look, they're trying
to get now the reluctant people.
Because actually, it turns out I
got vaccinated on the day that was
the peak, on April 1st, 4 million
people got vaccinated, right?
Now we're down to a daily average
of only 2.5 million.
And then in places like Alabama,
Louisiana, Mississippi,
only a third of the people
have been vaccinated.
And that's of course,
because they're in red states.
And so they usually have
Republicans leading those states
that are deeply incompetent.
Even if they wanted to hand
out the vaccine,
they wouldn't know how, they'd
government, I hate the government,
I know the government is, no,
I spilled the vaccine, right?
And so those morons are like 48,
49 and 50 in almost every category.
And yet the white Republicans keep
it real in those states, go, hey,
black and Latino people?
Yeah, okay, man, I like the number
49, we're number 49, okay?
[LAUGH] And they do it because it's
all the culture wars, right?
So, this is what you get.
And yes, there's a lot of folks
there that are MAGA heads who
are like, me no take vaccine,
me no see Trump take it.
By the way, Trump took it,
he just didn't show you, because he
wanted to do demagoguery.
So those are the reasons
why we're lower than we should be.
And that's why
they gotta incentivize people.
And if, hey, look, if a beer works,
have at it, Nutmeggers and
everyone else.
>> Yeah, look, whatever, I know.
It's just important for
people to get vaccinated.
First of all,
it sucks that it was turned into
a culture war to begin with.
Every step of the way the GOP has
made this ridiculously difficult.
Whether it's ensuring that we have
the correct testing and the enough
testing for the coronavirus,
to ensuring that people wear masks,
to now ensuring that people
get vaccinated.
Every step of the way has
needlessly been difficult and
made difficult by the GOP.
And now on a local level you
have Republican governors who
are trying to clean up the mess
that conservative media and
government officials on a federal
level have created.
For instance, in West Virginia,
Governor Jim Justice has rolled
out a program that will give a $100
savings bond to younger
residents who get vaccinated.
Detroit residents can get a $50
prepaid debit card each time they
bring one of their fellow residents
to get a shot.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan
announced a new $100 bonus for
state employees who get jabbed, and
a retroactive bonus for those who
have already been inoculated.
So you're seeing this throughout
the country, similar programs
are popping up in Texas as well.
And I wish that
we weren't in a situation where we
had to incentivize people being
able to save your life, being able
to save the lives of your loved
ones should be incentive enough.
But here we are,
this is what we've been reduced to,
so May the fourth be with you.