Liberty can rebuild America after COVID-19

May 07, 2020 | By NATHANIEL HAMILTON

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused incredible uncertainty in so many aspects of people’s lives. Unfortunately, but predictably, much of that uncertainty and turmoil has been caused by government policies and actions.

Almost as soon as state and federal responses to COVID-19 began, PLF started fielding calls about our thoughts on the emergency orders and how we can recover from the resulting economic crisis. To give some insight on our perspective, we drafted a roadmap to recovery that emphasizes how liberty should guide the country’s rebuilding.

Earlier this week, PLF’s president Steven D. Anderson and senior attorneys Anastasia Boden, Brian Hodges, and Steve Simpson participated in a virtual town hall with supporters and coalition members.

Some of the many issues discussed during the town hall included:

Anti-competitive and arbitrary economic regulations, licensure laws, and Certificate of Need laws prevent people from making an honest living on their own terms. Too often, people’s ability to work is taken away by government officials who think they need to protect people from themselves, or crony businesses that use government to limit their competition. Anastasia Boden explained how these laws are unconstitutional and never needed, but during times like the COVID-19 outbreak, they’re even more dangerous. That’s why PLF is fighting these laws across the country.

Big government advocates have used the COVID-19 pandemic to push many agendas aimed at rolling back property rights. While many of these policies have been sold as ways to help people struggling to pay rent, Brian Hodges described how strengthening property rights is not only the constitutional thing to do, but also how it would allow the construction of more housing and make housing more affordable—especially in major cities across the country.

Government’s duty is to protect our rights, but Steve Simpson explained how the administrative state has systematically inserted itself into nearly every aspect of our lives to dictate how we live. But the many blundered government actions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic showed how the less government is involved, the better things run. Rebuilding America will require innovation, cooperation, and freedom—and PLF is working to ensure that government will not stand in the way of America’s recovery.