States' rights

Having spent more than 12 hours yesterday in transit from Sedona to The District, let me just say how happy I am to be out of Arizona.

Run by Republicans, masks are definitely optional, even when a company’s policy states that it’s a requirement. (Groome Transportation, which has a lock on inter-city shuttles out of Phoenix airport, says everyone in the van has to be masked, but our driver wore his on his chin. When I asked him to pull it up over his nose, he said, “I have really bad emphysema.” Dude—then maybe driving vanloads of people during a pandemic is not the job for you. Also, if you have emphysema, you should definitely be masked.)

Every store and restaurant I entered stated that masks were optional, and my sisters and I were in the minority; to the point where we got stares.

Gawd.

Although, while I was gone, a Republican was inaugurated as governor of Virginia, and he started off by not only canceling the previous governor’s mask mandates, but also threatening Arlington County schools with financial repercussions if they continue their own mandates. Yay, the party of small government.

Still, at least (AFAIK) you don’t have to put “No weapons” signs on every door to an assisted living facility, so there’s that.