mises | As of April 6, forty-one states have statewide "stay-at-home" decrees in place. These orders vary widely from place to place.
In some states, there are long lists of exempted industries including
marijuana dispensaries, liquor stores, hardware stores, and of course,
grocery stores. In some states with these edicts, public lands, state
parks, and beaches remain
open. In some states, city parks are more crowded than ever as local
residents, with little else to do, attempt to recreate. In other
places—such as California—one can be arrested for paddleboarding all alone in the ocean.
Yet in all of these places, the current regime of rule by decree will
have—and already has had—a devastating effect on many small and
medium-sized businesses and their employees. As governments have created
new arbitrary definitions of what constitutes an "essential" business,
some businesses find themselves forced to close. Employees have lost
these jobs. The owners of these enterprises will likely lose far more as
debts mount and business investments are destroyed. As unemployment and
poverty increase, the usual pathologies will arise as well: suicides, child abuse, and stress-induced death.
Yet the politicians—mostly state governors, mayors, and unelected
bureaucrats—remain popular. In New York State, where the lockdown orders
are among the most draconian in the nation, it is now claimed that 87 percent of those polled approve of
Governor Andrew Cuomo's handling of the situation. As Donald Trump's
administration has recommended ever harsher government limits on the
freedom of Americans, his poll numbers have only improved.
Meanwhile, among critics there appears to be a misconception of these
lockdowns (which are very often only partially imposed or enforced) as
being imposed over the howls of the local population, which is being
silenced and cowed by jackbooted local police.
If only that were true. In most places, it appears clear that a great
many residents approve of the lockdowns. We see this support in the
form of all the local scolds who complain on Nextdoor.com about
neighborhood children who don't properly engage in "social distancing."
We see it in the people who call the police to report violators of stay-at-home orders. We see it in those who report local businesses for allowing too many people inside.
Viewed in this way, it may be more likely that state governors and other politicians are afraid of being seen as doing too little, rather than as overstepping their authority to impose public safety measures.
