This week marks the four-year anniversary of the beginning of the federal, state and local government COVID-19 lockdown protocols. This was the most intrusive, authoritarian government action ever taken in peacetime. Granted, we were dealing with the unknown in the Spring of 2020. Pictures from China of people laying dead in the streets were disturbing to say the least. The reaction to this crisis produced lingering effects we are still dealing with today.
President Trump enacted a travel ban to and from mainland China in February 2020. This was a prudent reaction and totally within the President’s Constitutional authority. But, in mid-March 2020 things began to go sideways.
To make informed decisions, any President surrounds themselves with a team of advisors and experts. It’s still the President’s responsibility to make the final decision. It appeared at the time -- and evidence has confirmed -- that President Trump relinquished control of several decisions to unelected career bureaucrats.
The result was a series of confusing, disjointed and often conflicting recommendations that were clumsily implemented. What’s more, many of these decisions were wholly unconstitutional.
Ordinary people and subject matter experts had their 1st Amendment freedom of speech right violated if they presented information contrary to the government narrative. Social media posts were removed. Experts in virology, immunology and other areas of pertinent study were ostracized from mainstream society. The term “deplatformed” was introduced. Medical professionals lost their medical licenses, speaking engagements and their livelihoods.
We were told to “follow the science,” which is one of the most rage-inducing phrases I have ever heard. Another was “non-essential employees.” Small businesses were not provided any options and were shut down while big-box stores were allowed to remain open. You could go to a liquor store but were prohibited from attending church in-person. You could have an abortion but, if you needed knee-replacement or shoulder surgery you were out of luck. People were arrested for taking their children to the park to play. Others who ventured out on a vacant beach by themselves were arrested. To walk into a restaurant, we were told to wear a mask, but we could remove it when we were seated and we were somehow safe.
Looking back on it now, most of these recommendations were ridiculous. Yet, parts of our country were subjected to these restrictions for 2½ years.
Here are just a few of the lingering effects of these decisions:
- The National Debt has increased nearly $12,000,000,000,000 (12 trillion).
- Prices have increased over 25%.
- Some children have lost two years of social growth and academic opportunities
- Political polarization has increased.
- A questionable election in 2020 has further divided the nation and thousands of Americans have been prosecuted.
Our Constitution is vitally important during “normal” times. Yet during a crisis, it’s downright indispensable. Without the guardrails our Constitution provides, human nature can cause all sorts of atrocities. In these times we must embrace the Constitution more vigorously. Hopefully, we’ve learned lessons from these experiences. Hopefully, we’ll apply what we’ve learned the next time we’re faced with an emergency and make much better decisions.
In liberty,
Brett
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