Would you get vaccinated for a shot at Dinner with the Murphy’s? (Opinion)

Unless I’m missing something, pretty much everybody in New Jersey who has had the desire to be vaccinated has done so.

Yes, of course, there could be a few stragglers. Or people who were out of town, couldn’t find a place to get it, or just plain can’t make a decision about whether or not to get the jab. But I can’t, for the very life of me, imagine that anyone would be inspired to get vaccinated so that they can have a chance to have dinner with Governor and First Lady Tammy Murphy.

Yet, that opportunity is exactly what is up for grabs, according to a new scheme to try to get the vaccination numbers up in the state.

Here is the offer, right on the government website.

If you enter, showing proof of age and vaccination, you get a chance to have dinner with Governor Murphy and the First Lady at either the official Governor’s mansion, Drumthwacket, or at the Governor’s residence at Island Beach State Park. Only one entry per person is allowed.

The website states that duplicate entries will be disqualified. Which is a puzzlement, since I can’t believe that anyone would even send in one entry. You have to have gotten at least your first dose of the Moderna, Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the time you enter the contest.

Now, I’ll admit that some folks might think it’d be really neat to have dinner with the Governor and his wife and get a chance to tour either one of the Governor’s elegant mansions. Some people might even be really excited about that idea. But would that be motivation enough for someone who is on the fence to actually go and get vaccinated?

If so, get on it! You only have till May 31st to enter.

Surprisingly, the contest language warns, fairly ominously, that since winners will be publicly announced, their vaccination status will also be disclosed publicly. It’s ironic that the people who put together this little sweepstakes would even consider that someone’s medical privacy is worth anything. Especially since very soon, you’ll be asked to disclose your vaccination status publicly over and over again ... even to simply walk into a store without a mask.

But there’s just so much contradiction, confusion irony and irrationality in all of this vaccine stuff, that I’ll just chalk this up to another comical moment in our long national nightmare.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco. Any opinions expressed are Judi Franco’s own.