JASPER COUNTY, Iowa - A Jasper County supervisor is lashing out at the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Supervisor Brandon Talsma recorded a 12-minute Facebook video on July 4th, where he said the founding fathers didn't want the government to have much involvement in the private citizen's life.
He said government should've only been assisting hospitals in preparing for worst case scenarios and helping secure supplies.
"Businesses should have been able to call the shots of whether they closed or not,:" said Talsma.
He said the 4th of July is a time when we should be celebrating freedom from a tyrannical government.
Talsma said shutting down the Jasper County Courthouse "was political."
"Because if a major, major outbreak happened in Jasper County, and we had not shut the county offices, everybody would be pointing the finger at us," Talsma said. "Rest assured it's never gonna happen again."
Talsma also criticized former Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's comment on wearing a face mask.
"Joe Biden's tweet today, 'The most important thing you can do on this 4th of July is to wear a mask'. Have you ever read any books about the founding fathers Biden? Ever opened them up?" said Talsma.
In his video, he said people should wear masks and social distance if they want, but should also not be required to.
"Wearing a mask is not going to protect you," Talsma said.
At the end of the video he said, "Anyway, there's my rant. It's probably gonna cost me some votes, but I don't care."