Those people wheeling full grocery carts down the aisle last weekend don’t look so crazy now.
We’ll all be eating at home for awhile it seems.
California, Illinois and Ohio state officials on Sunday issued statewide orders to close all bars and restaurants through the end of March. In Ohio, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said the state plans to provide unemployment benefits to people affected directly by COVID-19 as well by their employers closing their doors. – Nashville Post
Like it or not it looks like we’re headed for a full lockdown as a nation. Every bureaucrat has the potential of becoming a despot. Empowered by “a public health emergency” they are free to issue diktats at will with impunity. Businesses and other venues are facing forced closures in an effort to stem the spread of Wuhan Flu.
Maybe this abundance of caution is the wisest course of action, but to us older, independent types enforced actions like this are abhorrent. Especially when our overlords use our right of self-determination against us.
In Illinois. Gov. JB Pritzker said he made his decision partly in response to partiers who gathered en masse in Chicago Saturday to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
“I tried earlier this week to appeal to everyone’s good judgement to stay home, to avoid bars, not to congregate in crowds," Pritzker said, per WGN. "It’s unfortunate that many people didn’t take that seriously. The time for persuasion and public appeals is over. The time for action is here."
Let us hope that in retrospect this will end up as another case of government/public overreaction. Trying to put the best face on it, it may prove to be an important, albeit expensive, dry run for when the world is faced with a pathogen – natural or manmade - with much greater mortality rates.
It may also serve as a teaching moment for the indoctrinated generations who are about to discover for real that “free” is not free. Nor is freedom. SrDem, our inhouse sage, explains:
My adult grandchildren are frightened. They have never heard "no" in their social life. Free to go wherever they wanted, eat at whatever place they liked, and now...No, you can't. I'm serious, they are confused and scared. These same young people who think Bernie has the right idea with all his free stuff, now wonders who is going to give them this 'free' stuff if nobody's working. What good is "free" they say if you can't get it.
Look kids! It’s what you’ve always wanted: socialism.
Rush Limbaugh has always said he would tell us when it’s time to panic; unfortunately he’s off all week. Mark Steyn will be in for Rush today and tomorrow. He may not know whether it’s time to panic yet, but at least he’ll be entertaining. That’s the best I’ve got right now.
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