How Politicians Will Exploit Coronavirus To Further Restrict Our Rights
Take it from Barack Obama s former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who said to never let a serious crisis go to waste. It s an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before. For the manufacture of ventilators, waiving Food and Drug Administration regulations regarding drugs and vaccines, and providing emergency funding for hospitals, the statement is entirely positive. However, as Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Congress, and a variety of governors now discover the full extent of their emergency powers, this is a potentially perilous moment for the trajectory of personal rights in this nation.
Washington doesn t waste tragedies and crises. The best recent analogue for this event is September 11th. The terrorist attacks offered an opportunity for national unity, as well as for targeted, pragmatic use of government power. But the long term implications of a War on Terrorism also allowed for a ballooning of power in the beltway.