Imagine a world where the Governor controls your every action, choice, right, and freedom. This may sound like the plot of a George Orwellian dystopian novel, but it is happening right now in the name of “public safety.”
recently, Uniform Law CommissionThe ULC, a powerful organization that has put forward a number of radical proposals over the past century, has introduced a new model bill, the Public Health Emergency Authorities Act. The committee proposed the bill in response to the “underpreparedness” of federal and local authorities in the COVID-19 pandemic. The ULC said: Model bill would improve states' preparedness Prepare for public health emergencies by clarifying “the Governor's authority to declare a public health emergency and to issue orders to respond to that emergency.”
The biggest problem with PHEAA is that it gives the Governor unprecedented, unlimited power without oversight from the Legislature.
The model bill would give the Governor the power to declare a public health emergency in his state without oversight from the Legislature. So what constitutes a public health emergency? Model Bill Languagewhich could range from infectious disease to a chemical spill that could pose a “substantial risk of serious harm” to state residents. All that's unclear, right? With vague guidelines like these, how do we know if the governor's emergency declaration is based on a genuine threat or just an overreaction to the latest Netflix documentary?
Of further concern, PHEAA would allow governors to declare and implement public health emergencies based on “what little information is available at the time,” including the premise of an “unknown disease.”
In other words, with minimal information, the Governor would be able to enact unilateral measures such as business and school closures, surveillance, quarantine, testing, suspension of laws, and other regulations, and would have access to workplace, school, and electronic security systems through public notification, etc.
Once a public health emergency is declared, PHEAA allows the Governor to renew the emergency declaration as many times as necessary. The bill states, “There are no limits on the number of times the Governor may renew an initial or previously renewed declaration of an unexpired public health emergency.” So if you were hoping for a break from “temporary” dictatorship, don't be.
The biggest problem with PHEAA is that it gives the Governor unprecedented, unlimited powers without oversight from the Legislature. Moreover, the bill allows the Governor to take clearly authoritarian measures, such as seizing resources and property, restricting personal movement, and depleting animal populations.
“Sister RevolutionThe Revolution was a revolution that took place in America and France in the late 18th century. While the American War of Independence was based on the noble desire to secure religious freedom and sovereignty from an unaccountable monarchy, the French Revolution sought to abolish all truths of the past in the name of “science” and “reason.”
The French Revolution, unlike the American Revolution, ultimately degenerated into mass violence, hysteria, corruption, and conspiracy under the Committee of Public Safety. Giving the Governor the power to act as a temporary tyrant may give some Americans a sense of security, but it tramples on the God-given rights of all Americans under the Constitution.
If we are so willing to give up our basic freedoms, what else are we willing to sacrifice to the radical leaders of our time? Ironically, Benjamin Franklin foresaw this, warning, “No man is willing to give up essential liberties to obtain a moment of security, deserves neither liberty nor security.”
PHEAA may provide a temporary sense of relief, but is it worth sacrificing our fundamental freedoms? Not at all.
