Governor Sununu is Wrong

by
Steve MacDonald

This Saturday at noon there is a rally planned in front of the NH State House. The message is this. There is no sensible reason to force the entire state to endure a lockdown when the majority of cases are confined to two counties.

Related: Sign this Petition and Tell Governor Sununu to End the State-Wide Lockdown

And even in those two counties, the majority of cases are limited to a few larger towns or cities. 

Most of the State of New Hampshire could go back to work. But even that is not the point of the rally or the petition asking the Governor to end the state-wide lockdown. It is to allow adults to decide for themselves what is best. Employers and employees. Churches and their members. Businesses and their customers.

No one is saying you should stop self-quarantine if the circumstances support that. If a business wants to continue social distancing let them. Employers should decide the work from home rules for their business. Even town offices could decide for themselves with direction from local residents. 

What we’re saying is that the freedom to choose is a more valuable idea than the current regiment of force and petty tyranny. Especially given how the models used to justify this political reaction were all wrong.

Not even close.

So, there is a petition. It has almost 1700 signatures in less than 20 hours, but we need 17,000. Why? Because it will make a difference. It will send a message that the rights of individuals matter.

Public Safety vs Freedom

 The governor’s response to news of the petition was, more or less, that public health trumps everything. 

What is most important

You couldn’t be more wrong, Governor Sununu. It does not trump the constitution, the bill of rights, or free will.

But let’s pretend.

If public health trumps everything you must be prepared to end private transportation and the legal consumption of alcohol. Two examples of a list of many things responsible for not just a significant loss of lives, but a decline in the quality of life. What steps should the state take to end these tragedies or any of the dozens of things that harm “public health?”

We could do many things and there are people in government excited about the possibility of doing them. We can see that now. But to what end?

117,000 jobs destroyed in NH

Mandatory unemployment, dependency on the state, and forced isolation are no less a threat to “the public health.” Telling creative people to sit on their hands is a form of torture. Declining economic activity erases people’s safety nets, college funds, and retirement savings.

What about the public health consequences of that? 

The government almost always does more harm than good and at the end of the day, at least in this state and this nation, the correct answer is that individual rights and liberty trump everything.

Just ask the founders.

It is about free people making informed decisions for themselves, their families, their employees, and their customers.

That’s not your job governor, but you made it yours and now you won’t let go.  And your excuse is the same as any other fledgling despot. “I will make you safe, just give up a little more liberty or give it up a bit longer.”

Time’s up.

Most of New Hampshire can go back to work. But most importantly, New Hampshire counties, towns, and its citizens should be free to take the information and advice you provide and then decide for themselves what to do with it and accept whatever results come from that.

No one is demanding people go back to work, or shop at stores with or without social distancing. We are saying that they should be free to choose to or not.

There is a Rally this Saturday. You can sign the petition here. And please share it with your email lists and on social media.

Let the governor know that we appreciate the State using its resources to leverage and organize a response, should we need one, but that is where their power ends. It’s your job, your savings, your choices, your life.

Take it back, and then keep it.

Author

  • Steve MacDonald

    Steve is a long-time New Hampshire resident, award-winning blogger, and a member of the Board of Directors of The 603 Alliance. He is the owner of Grok Media LLC and the Managing Editor, Executive Editor, assistant editor, Editor, content curator, complaint department, Op-ed editor, gatekeeper (most likely to miss typos because he has no editor), and contributor at GraniteGrok.com. Steve is also a former board member of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire, The Republican Volunteer Coalition, has worked for or with many state and local campaigns and grassroots groups, and is a past contributor to the Franklin Center for Public Policy.

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