The Evil Trade-Off: Freedom for Security Amid the COVID-19 Crisis

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Hello John,

“Americans need to take a step back and recognize how the COVID-19 pandemic threatens not only our health but also our freedom.”

To follow is an excerpt from a new commentary by Free Enterprise Project associate Davis Soderberg. It discusses the perils of a trade-off of liberty for a sense of security that’s been engineered by politicians – and readily accepted by too many Americans:

The American people should be alarmed by the growing restrictions created by our government officials in response to the COVID-19 health crisis. In mere months these rules, supposedly implemented for our good, have threatened freedoms for which our forefathers fought and died…

The lives taken by COVID-19 have cast a dark tragedy upon our nation that no one can downplay. But like every decision that is made in times of tragedy, we cannot let the solution lead to results worse than the problem itself.

When making tough decisions, our solutions can’t be based purely on the worst possible outcomes. Of course we want to limit the number of COVID-19 cases, but the measure to do so must be weighed with the consequences it will have on other aspects of life…

The real cost of lockdown policy and heavy restrictions is the threat it poses to our liberty. Giving away one’s individual freedoms is much easier than getting those freedoms back. Every time we allow the government to continue to impose more restrictions that tell us how to live our lives, even in the face of tragedy, we are walking down an irreversible path.

In America, tens of thousands of people have been financially and psychologically suffocated by the lockdowns and COVID restrictions. Adults have lost the ability to pay taxes, parents have lost the ability to provide for their children, and business owners have been unable to keep their doors open and maintain a steady cash flow. The effects are strenuous. They have physical, psychological, and financial consequences that are miserable.

So, why are leaders so pro-lockdown and pro-restriction?

One answer that must be taken seriously is that political elitists see this as a perfect opportunity to advance their power and an ability to control the population and their freedoms in the name of security….

If you look at historical examples of the rise of centralized power, in many of the cases leaders were able to obtain extraordinary amounts of influence by convincing their people that they needed a holy protector. They told their people that there was a threat so great that they needed to hand over their freedoms to the government, so the government could protect them…

Americans need to take a step back and recognize how the COVID-19 pandemic threatens not only our health but also our freedom. Without question, the coronavirus poses a health risk to everyone across the globe, but we must not live in constant fear, for a life in fear and in search of safety is no life at all. Life is to be lived, even in times of fear. There is no such thing as perfect safety, and to rely on out-of-touch government officials to provide that safety, at the expense of our freedoms, is a detrimental mistake. As the great Benjamin Franklin said, “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

To read this commentary in its entirely, click here.

To read more about the National Center’s “Beyond COVID-19” blueprint for restoring liberty while rebuilding the economy, protecting public health and preparing for future crises, click here.

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