America Rises Up Against Lockdown

Across the country, US citizens are protesting the lockdown and stay-at-home orders imposed by the government. A battle is brewing between those who’d like to open up to save the economy. Those fearful of a worsening of the pandemic. It appears this battle will be drawn along party lines.

Americans are sick of staying home. That’s the message that protesters across the country sent this weekend. In states across the country, including Texas, Michigan and New Hampshire, citizens took to the streets to demand the lifting of pandemic-related social restrictions. The protesters have found a sympathetic ear in a very important man: the president.

Trump Ready to Open Up

Though he’s officially left the decision to reopen to individual state leaders, no one is left guessing as to how the president would like it. In response to the nationwide protests, Donald Trump tweeted, “Liberate Michigan!”

Critics called Donald Trump’s tweet an unprecedented endorsement of civil disobedience by a sitting president. Supporters say that the president is trying to prevent what could be astronomical economic costs. This can happen if the intense social distancing measures continue.

When to open back up is a matter of debate, and deals with two unknowns: how much worse the pandemic will get as we lift the lockdown, and how bad the economic costs will be if we don’t. However, citizens across the country, as well as the president, are right to be concerned about the toll this quarantine could have on the economy.

Expectations

Barclay’s Capital, an investment banking company that monitors and predicts macroeconomic trends, expects the US to be one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic. The company’s analysts expect the US economy to shrink by 6.5% in 2020. The US economy, which began the year running at full steam, is grinding to a screeching halt. For every week the lockdown continues, businesses inch toward failure. Additionally, millions of Americans will lose their jobs, and retirement accounts teeter on the cliff of a stock market collapse.

President Trump, known for a presidential victory that shocked pollsters, isn’t one to take projections as fate. He wants to avoid ending his first term in economic turmoil. Additionally, he understands that a cautious reopening of the economy is the only avenue back to prosperity. He also knows that his signature accomplishment, as promised during his 2016 campaign, has been roaring economic growth since his tenure began.

If Donald Trump is going to win in 2020, he’ll likely need the economy back on track. If he’s going to confront China over unfair trade practices, he’ll need to negotiate from a position of economic strength, as he has over the last three years. His reelection, and his legacy, depend on a powerful American economy in the years to come.

However, not everyone shares Donald Trump’s vision for the United States, and certainly not his interests.

Pandemic Response Along Party Lines

Predictably, the dilemma of when to open up the economy has taken on a political tone. This is true especially since Donald Trump made clear his support for lifting the lockdown.

Democratic leaders, including governors and congressmen, are up in arms over what they consider to be a premature rush to return to normal. They argue that the quarantine measures are necessary to slow the spread of the virus, but their opposition to the president’s position is predictable.

Most Republican leaders are coming out in favor of lifting the measures as soon as possible. They cite the economy and personal freedoms as the highest priorities to consider.

The positions make sense, given the philosophies of liberals and conservatives. Democrats generally favor more government control over individuals’ actions, in the interest of what they consider a greater social justice. Republicans, on the other hand, put a stronger emphasis on economic growth and personal liberties. They prefer to let people carry their own weight, and make their own choices.

The decision we face will determine the economic and public health costs of the months and perhaps years to come. However, it's importance may be even greater than that. The true choice is between turning to the government to take control of our lives in uncertain times or to take the wheel ourselves and face the future as free men.

Up Next:

• Protesters Rally Against Washington Stay-At-Home Orders
• Trump Says Some States Will Soon Lift Coronavirus Restrictions to Reopen Economy
• Trump Reveals Plan to Reopen U.S. Economy