When all this is over -- or at least calmed down -- there needs to be serious thought given to who has what powers in a problem like this, and who enforces it and in what ways, and what happens to people who flaunt the restrictions. What if the next pandemic virus is even more infectious than this coronavirus? Rights aren't absolute and this is a matter of life and death in an emergency like a pandemic, whether some people can't understand that or not.
1 comment:
Good point, David. AFAIK Governors are simply assuming emergency powers. Nothing is specified in the state Constitutions or laws or regulations. So, nobody knows what steps Governor can or cannot legitimately take. It would good to specify the powers in advance and enact them via appropriate laws.
OTOH, it's almost impossible to get that right. Nobody can know what the next emergency will look like. There's also the very real risk that Governors or other officials may abuse their powers. As an example, look at the frightening way the Obama Administration and other Administrations abused their powers to spy on Americans.
Here's a more local example. Years ago I lived Sharon Hill, a suburb of Philadelphia. The city and county were governed by Republicans. My next-door neighbor Tom owned a gas station. Tom, a Democrat, was deterred from any active political role, because he knew that the Republicans in power would punish his business.
Cheers
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