States and local municipalities are telling churches they can’t meet – and in some cases, that they can’t even gather in the parking lot in separate cars. Kentucky’s Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, has shuttered churches, closed public parks, and put in travel restrictions. In Michigan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer – also a Democrat – has banned sales of plants, seeds, and garden equipment; and she has micromanaged what kind of watercraft are allowed on lakes in her state.
Gary Bauer of American Values says America has never seen such a massive power grab – but it’s in line with the “progressive playbook,” he adds.
“The forces in our society that want to restrict liberty – particularly religious liberty – always use a crisis to advance their agenda,” he begins.
The motto of the left, he suggests, might well be “Give us an inch and we’ll take a mile.”
“Imagine if we had a liberal administration going right now – or if one gets in office in January of next year – how this [violation of liberties would] absolutely soar out of control because of a love of power and a love of big government. You get these traditional politicians back in and I think we’ve got something to be concerned about.”
“You might think, ‘Well, this is just temporary. I’m going to give up this liberty just because of this brief emergency we’re in,” Bauer continues – then he warns: “That ends up becoming a precedent – and left-wing judges, who tend to make up law as they go, will take that precedent and use it to continue to deny you your liberty.”
Bauer argues that the country needs to open up, get back to work, restart the economy, and reclaim the birthrights that Americans possess. “It will help us avoid what nobody wants,” he concludes, “which is a complete collapse of the economic system – [and that’s] possible if we keep going down the road that the left wants us to go down now.”
Here’s the plan, says Trump
On Thursday evening, President Donald Trump outlined a three-phase plan for reopening the American economy, having told governors (during a Thursday afternoon conference call) “You’re going to call your own shots.” Thus far, three separate “pacts” of governors – one in the Northeast, one on the West Coast, and one in the Midwest – have been formed to coordinate on reopening their state economies. Those three pacts comprise 17 states and are home to nearly half the U.S. population.
Dan Celia of Financial Issues Stewardship Ministries calls Trump’s plan “a great start [and] a good plan.” But its success, he argues, depends on how the governors respond.
“It’s all going to come down to everybody following the rules and the governors picking the right time and not being too quick to get back,” says Celia. “But every day this economy is shut down is going to probably add months to the recovery.”
Celia argues the key component has to be testing, adding that that will make people feel more comfortable being out or at work.
“Abbott Laboratories announced that they are ramping up production on this quick test,” he concludes. “They’re going to get it out to corporate America, to corporations, to anybody who wants it to get tested. It’s going to give consumers confidence to get back out and start shopping.”