Mask Mandate in Winona
On Wednesday, Mayor Scott Sherman issued a mask mandate for the City of Winona. That mandate took effect at midnight on Thursday. Fortunately, this mandate was only implemented for a very short time. Earlier today, the City Council of Winona repealed the mask mandate by a vote of 4-3.
As a business owner who has a shoe store in Winona, I was incredibly frustrated by the mayor’s mask mandate. Mayor Sherman thought he could unilaterally issue a decree and try to control my business, the customers who shop at my store, and everyone else in Winona. However, he was wrong. Even in local government, we have rules and a process. The mayor ignored that process, and the city council thankfully restored order.
The Winona mask mandate was not the first such mandate in recent days. Earlier this month, the mayor of Rochester issued a mask mandate that was also defeated by their city council. In Rochester, the vote was 5-2 to repeal the mask mandate. This is encouraging news. People across Minnesota are waking up and stopping the authoritarian overreach that the government has perpetrated.
For over a year, I spoke out against the unilateral and harmful actions of Governor Walz. I will also speak out against local actions that are similarly dictatorial. The far-left agenda that Governor Walz and Mayor Sherman are trying to push will not stand.
Let’s make sure we keep the pressure up and make our voices heard!
Afghanistan
The crisis in Afghanistan is extremely alarming. President Joe Biden has done a terrible job of managing this situation. His detachment, stubbornness, and lack of a clear plan has turned our withdrawal from Afghanistan into a complete debacle. The president needs to make a dramatic course correction in order to organize a safe and orderly withdrawal.
For the United States of America, yesterday was a dark and tragic day.
As a patriot, I am deeply saddened by the loss of brave American troops. These courageous souls made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. Put simply, they are American heroes. To the families of those who have lost loved ones, know that our hearts and prayers are with you.
Steve Drazkowski