I am the youngest of three brothers born to a US Forest Service officer and a teacher. Raised in San Bernardino, California, I attended Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School, Cajon High School, and Cal State San Bernardino where I earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics. I worked to pay for my university education as a camera salesman at FEDCO, a busser and waiter at Lucy’s Mexican Restaurant, and a soccer coach at Cajon and Aquinas high schools.I am a member of the Lone Pine Paiute Shoshone Tribe in the Owens Valley of California, a lay minister at Catholic parishes in the United States and the Philippines, and an amateur travel filmmaker, photographer, and writer.
Americans should not be burdened with mask mandates, vaccine mandates, or further shut-downs at this point. The federal and local governments have shown to be incapable of “shutting down" COVID-19. Beyond making vaccines, testing, and treatments available, government intrusion into how we live our lives with this virus should be curtailed. Most of us have moved on from a quarantine mentality to gather, travel, and get back to work; our government should reflect and respect that.