It’s been nearly two months since the first lockdown orders were initiated and many Governors have no plans to ease restrictions. Some have even gone so far as to state that these orders won’t be lifted until a vaccine can be practically distributed to the general public. Even as cases decline, testing expands and the fact majority of the country is not dealing with a severe outbreak, governors such as Gretchen Whitmer and Tom Wolf are holding firm.
Many of these lockdown orders lack nuance and have flimsy constitutional basis. It doesn’t take a constitutional scholar to question the legality of mandating that businesses be closed based on vague, ever changing guidelines. Americans across the political spectrum have begun to question these things as frivolous arrests and threats mount up from pro lockdown governors.
The mayor of Los Angeles — the second largest city in the country — announced that the lockdown was extended until the end of July. He also said that no one should be out of the house without wearing a mask. At the same time, the state of California extended school closures until 2021. Multiple Democrat Governors have also received backlash for their mismanagement of the pandemic.
RELATED: PA Gov. Tom Wolf Threatens County Officials who defy his Lockdown Orders
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has clashed with GOP leaders over his refusal to remove lockdown orders in rural counties or those with a majority of cases in nursing homes or prisons. Nearly 70% of all deaths in the state have come from nursing homes. PA Health Secretary Rachel Levine has been under fire as well for removing her mother from a nursing home in March. This occurred while state run nursing homes were forced to accept patients who tested positive for the virus.
In Illinois, Governor J.B. Pritzker has strictly enforced orders while his wife was found to be traveling to their home in Florida. When asked about where she was he said — “The first thing I’d like to say is that in politics, it used to be that we kept our families out of it.”
Critics have criticized this response, saying that it highlights Pritzker’s biases.
Pritzker has imposed measures in order to prevent the spread of the virus. This includes limiting boating to only two passengers. If three passengers are found on the boat, the state might just send a team of three officers to arrest those individuals.
That’s what happened when a lone paddle-boarder was arrested in California by a team of officers who weren’t even attempting to practice social distancing.
While these leaders have been living their normal lives, the working class is struggling. Small businesses with tight margins are beginning to close for good thanks to the mandated shutdown. Many have had to defy state orders in order to survive. Pro lockdown governors don’t seem to care, however. Governor Wolf threatened to revoke business licenses for those that plan to re-open and also plans to revoke counties of any federal aid if they do not obey him.
Barstool Sports President Dave Portnoy was on Tucker Carlson last week to discuss the extended lockdowns. Portnoy points out that the lockdowns were never implemented to stay until a vaccine was found. It was created to reduce hospitals from being overwhelmed, thus leaving them unable to deal with a hypothetical surge.
The segment discussed the current viewpoint of small business owners. A choice must be available to these owners if they wish to re-open and risk getting the virus. No one is forced to go in the public. If they wish to stay home, they can easily do so. But if these businesses can not begin to re-open soon, owners will have to close and it will only extend the economic fallout.
The phrase “the cure cannot be worse then the disease” must be understood by all leaders. People cannot be out of work for such a long period of time. The unemployment system in many states is drying up. With proper safety precautions, the country must begin to re-open immediately. If these policies are not changed, the effects of economic withdrawal will be imminent.