Life without a Livelihood

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, government officials have repeatedly told us that their primary objective is to save lives. And to accomplish that goal, they have forced businesses to close or operate under less than ideal conditions. Not surprisingly, many workers–more than twenty million–have lost their job, their livelihood.

The government’s efforts to save lives has destroyed the ability of many to sustain their lives. The government is forcing individuals to live without the freedom to take the necessary actions to do so.

As I write this on April 16, there have been less than 700,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States. Since the middle of March, more than 20,000,000 have lost their job, and millions more will likely join the ranks of the unemployed in the coming weeks.

Destroying jobs to save lives is a gross contradiction. Jobs are the means by which individuals sustain their lives. Certainly, some individuals can live off of their savings (if they have adequate savings), but that means depleting funds set aside for their children’s education, retirement, or some other long-term goal.

We will never know how many lives were saved by shutting down the economy. But we can determine how many lives are being severely damaged by the shut down–the government gives us regular updates. We can determine the number being harmed by forcing individuals to live without a livelihood. And that number far exceeds the victims of COVID-19.