According to Gallup, America’s trust in the federal government has steadily declined over the past fifty years. In May 1972, 70 percent of Americans had a “great deal” or a “fair amount” of trust that the federal government could successfully deal with domestic problems. In September 2019, that number had dropped to 50 percent.
Yet, with the coronavirus pandemic, Americans suddenly expect government to successfully deal with the problem. They fail to realize that government is an agency of force. Everything it does is ultimately backed up with threats of fines or prison. Disobey a government edict, and somebody with a gun will eventually arrive at your doorstep to show you the errors of your ways.
And force has been the government’s predominant response to the coronavirus. Across the land, governments have forced businesses and schools to close, they have forced us to stay in our homes, they have forced us to disrupt our lives on an unprecedented scale.
A proper government only uses force in retaliation against those who initiate its use, those who violate the rights of others. A proper government uses force against thieves, rapists, murders, kidnappers, and their ilk–criminals who initiate force to compel others to act differently than they would voluntarily choose. A proper government punishes the guilty and protects the innocent.
But the force being used by government today is not directed at those who have violated anyone’s rights. It is not directed at criminals. It is directed at everyone.
The result of this uncontrolled use of force is fear and panic. But fundamentally, the fear and panic is not being caused by the coronavirus. It is being caused by government using force to shut down the economy and control our lives. It is being caused by the uncertainty about what new edicts and mandates will be imposed upon us.
Many Americans like to complain about government, believing that all politicians are liars and crooks. When a problem materializes, real or imagined, they scream that legislators should “do something” to resolve it. They believe that any action, including irrational and destructive action, is better than non-action. They believe that the very institution that they decry will suddenly save them.
Government is certainly doing something in response to the pandemic. It is halting life as we knew it and destroying countless lives. But at least government is doing something.