Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced a new program Monday to pay children to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Not only are you eligible to get vaccinated, but starting today, you can also get $200 AND a shot at a $100,000 college scholarship,” the governor announced. “Tell your friends.”
“Minnesotans 12-17 years old who start and complete their two-dose COVID-19 vaccine series between October 18 and November 30 are eligible to receive a $200 Visa gift card,” a state website further explains. Those same kids will also be eligible to win one of five drawings for $100,000 in tuition that can only be spent in state.
Further prizes will also “be announced in the coming weeks.”
Presently, Minnesotans aged 16-17 are among the most reluctant to take the shot. The next most hesitant group is 12-15 year olds, according to state data.
“Governor Walz is bribing children into taking a shot, while incentivizing parents with a ridiculous chance of a lottery scholarship so they sign the permission slip,” state Rep. Jeremy Munson said, voicing his displeasure with Walz’s new program.
“Congress has granted pharmaceutical manufacturers complete civil and criminal immunity from vaccine injuries and deaths. Nevertheless, Governor Walz is trying to trick kids into getting a shot that President Biden has admitted could be harmful,” he continued.
This statement comes by way of a New House Republican Caucus press release, which also recalls how on Oct. 1 “President Biden directed the U.S. Department of Labor to set up a vaccine injury fund for federal workers. This fund would compensate federal employees if they are injured or killed as the result of taking a COVID-19 vaccine.”
“No similar vaccine injury fund is available for Minnesota kids being targeted by Governor Walz,” the caucus said.
“They want to bribe your children, with tax money that used to be yours, into taking the vaccine. They tell you the vaccine is totally safe, and you should accept it without concerns. But behind closed doors, they acknowledge to each other that these narratives are not true. Total hypocrisy,” Rep. Steve Drazkowski observed.
Meanwhile, government officials and mainstream media outlets are very concerned about how relatively few children are getting the shot. Publications like the New York Times, for example, have looked with skepticism on parents who don’t want to vaccinate their children, even though Pfizer claims its own shot is “safe and highly effective,” per the outlet.
Parents in other countries, however, aren’t treated with such reproach. Finland, Denmark and Sweden have all stopped giving the Moderna COVID vaccine to children and are keenly investigating the shot’s effect on kids.
Kyle Hooten
Kyle Hooten is Managing Editor of Alpha News. His coverage of Minneapolis has been featured on television shows like Tucker Carlson Tonight and in print media outlets like the Wall Street Journal.
