For more than six weeks, Americans have endured the hardship and uncertainty of a lock down. Millions of businesses have been forced to close, and many will never reopen. Tens of millions have lost their job, and with the closure of so many businesses, it will be difficult for many to find work. This unprecedented…
Many critics of opening the economy claim that it means sacrificing the weak. The truth is, not opening the economy means sacrificing the strong–those who can and produce the values that all of us–weak and strong alike–want and need. Regardless of our risk level, we must consume values in order to live. And before values…
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…
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…
The proper purpose of government is the protection of individual rights, including property rights. The proper purpose of government is to protect the freedom of individuals to act on their own judgment, so long as they respect the freedom of others to do the same. Government’s purpose does not change in a pandemic. The role…
The values that humans need to survive and prosper must be produced. Every value from food to smart phones, from shelter to medicines, from clothing to automobiles, must be produced. In their zeal to stop the spread of COVID-19, government officials are destroying America’s productive capacity. The restrictions and controls on production and trade are…
In the mass paranoia over COVID-19, supplies of surgical masks are being depleted as non-surgeons seek the false comfort of covering their mouth and nose. Of course, individuals should be free to engage in useless activities, but their use of surgical masks poses a potential threat to health care professionals. Some health care professionals are…
Yesterday, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner shut down the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, an event that had an estimated economic impact of $227 million in 2019. David Persse, the city’s public health authority, said, We’re doing this to save lives. What we are trying to do through these very aggressive and, yes, painful decisions, is…