“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste,” Obama’s chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said in 2008. Politicians have long followed that blueprint. The terrorist attacks on 9/11, the Great Recession, and now the pandemic are just the most recent examples. During each crisis government expanded its powers at the expense of individual liberties. Continue reading on Medium.
All of us must make choices in life. All of us must choose the values that we believe will bring us happiness. We must choose the means for attaining those values. And we must also weigh the risks associated with our pursuit of those values. Infectious disease expert, Dr. Amesh Adalja addresses this issue in…
On March 2, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott lifted his mandatory face mask order and said that businesses could begin operating at full capacity. His announcement met with quick criticism from both Republicans and Democrats, including President Biden, who said, Texas—I think it’s a big mistake. We are on the cusp of being able to fundamentally…
One of the mantras repeated by government officials, celebrities, and news anchors during the lockdown has been, “We’re all in this together.” The meaning is clear: Each of us must obey government edicts about wearing masks, practicing social distancing, and washing our hands every thirty minutes. Each of us must suffer and sacrifice in order…
When the lock downs were first enacted, we were told that it was a necessary step to “flatten the curve.” If everyone stayed home, spread of the coronavirus would slow. Eight months later new cases are now hitting 200,000 a day (versus less than 30,000 a day when the lock downs started). Clearly, the lock…
A growing number of individuals are calling for an end to the economic shutdown. But with only a few notable exceptions, virtually nobody is questioning the moral code that gave rise to the economic shutdown. Virtually nobody is questioning the morality of altruism. As a moral code, altruism demands that we place the welfare and…
In late September, William Foege, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sent a letter to Robert Redfield, the current director of the CDC. In the letter, Foege calls on Redfield to “face the truth.” In a period of six months, the CDC has gone from the gold standard in…