Liberty and Safety
It is not better to be safe than free. In the world of liberty, the consequences you suffer, either good or bad, are generally a result of your action or inaction. In a world of safety, the consequences of other’s action or inaction are suffered by you.
In the Federalist Papers, Federalist No. 8 written by Alexander Hamilton, Hamilton makes this statement;
“Safety from external danger is the most powerful director of national conduct … The violent destruction of life and property incident to war, the continual effort and alarm attendant on a state of continual danger, will compel nations the most attached to liberty to resort for repose and security to institutions which have a tendency to destroy their civil and political rights. To be more safe, they at length become willing to run the risk of being less free.”
In today’s world we see a number of liberties sacrificed in the name of safety. Whole State economies are closed right now, with more than 22 million Americans out of work. With a stroke of a pen and a press conference, Governors have declared it unsafe for citizens to conduct their daily lives. Under penalty of law, fines, and imprisonment, businesses have been shuttered, public places have been closed, worship has been halted, and protests have been criminalized.
For reference, the First Amendment of the US Constitution states that;
“Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy, said that the Bill of Rights was above his paygrade, and that he was not thinking of the Bill of Rights when he began issuing executive orders curtailing the rights of the people in the name of safety.
In the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, when little was known about the virus, its mortality rate, its target population, or how easily it was spread, some of the more stringent safety measures could be understood. However, as the pandemic continues, and the officials seemingly have learned nothing about the virus, the people return to their natural state, longing for the return of their liberties.
History, however, has borne out that liberties are far more easily relinquished than they are reconstituted. Initially, we were told, in March, that we needed to stay home for two weeks to, “flatten the curve.” The argument was that slowing the spread of the virus would ensure that hospitals were not overburdened. Now, over a month later, hospitals are bleeding money, hospital beds sit empty, hospital workers are being laid off, and still we are told it may be June before any restrictions are lifted.
Georgia Governor, Brian Kemp, made the call last week to begin to ease restrictions and allow businesses to reopen. Governor Kemp simply restored the choice to the people. If Georgia businesses want to reopen, they can. If Georgians want to patronize those businesses, they are free to do so. For returning liberty to the people, Governor Kemp has been under a withering assault, including from President Trump, who made public statements saying he disagreed strongly with Governor Kemp’s decision to open certain facilities.
In the end it is important to remember where our liberties come from. Our founding documents make clear, “that [all men] are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Furthermore, “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” Government is not the source of our liberties, our Government was established to protect our liberties from malign foreign powers, not determine for us when, where, or how we exercise those rights.
