It’s getting tough to stomach. They treat us like irresponsible children

Governors and mayors throughout the country are abusing their emergency powers, thinking they can get away with almost any lock-down executive order … in the name of protecting the people against the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so, they are steadily eroding our rights and civil liberties.

Why? Because, of course, they know better than we do. And it’s happening here in our Ocean State, as well.

Instead of recognizing us as responsible adults, who, if properly informed, will look out for our own health by following reasonable hygiene, social-distancing and stay-at-home guidelines … political leaders are imposing severe and sometimes unconstitutional mandates, with harsh penalties.

State troopers and the National Guard are detaining travelers at points of entry, demanding personal information. An April executive order allows the state to track-down and forcibly impose quarantines on individuals suspected of being near someone else who may be infected.

The police were called when a RI church put “take out” palms on a table for Palm Sunday. People are being arrested on golf courses, even when social distancing.

The sanctity of your precious vote is also under attack with the governor’s executive order suspending election laws to validate the identity of people voting by mail. Even under existing law, the opportunity for mail ballot fraud is enormous.

Another order requires employees and customers to wear facemasks, under penalty of law: The worst part of the governor’s “facemask” order is the encouragement of civilians to rat-out each other for government persecution.

And the governor has threatened even more restrictions on our lives, stating that when we do go back to work, it will be done with many new regulations, potentially including tracking our private cell-phone data so they can keep a database of where we are going and who we meet.

By whose order will these dictates be implemented? It won’t be from the cowardly General Assembly, hiding at their homes (at least through the time of this writing) and refusing to fulfill their constitutional duty to serve as a check on executive power.

Does the governor have the constitutional right to unilaterally impose mandates on the private sector? Most legal analysts say no — and related lawsuits are springing up across the nation. If she tries to govern as a queen, this is tyranny … rule of the few, over the many, without the consent of the people or their elected representatives.

First, the governor wanted to “control” the spread. Now she wants “zero” spread … but this cannot be accomplished without even more severe restrictions on our movements and freedoms.

This is not America. Public health does not have to mean a deterioration of civil rights; we can have it both ways if the government would place even a minimal measure of trust in its own people … but they don’t. Government elitists disdain the very people who elected them, as being inferior, seeking to corral us like sheep, instead of treating us like responsible human beings.

In fact, a study out of Kansas shows that states that trusted their people and merely issued strong public-health guidelines had fewer COVID-19 cases per capita than states with government mandated lock-downs.

I believe we are a vigilant and proud people, more than capable of answering a public health call, if only we are asked … not coerced. Peer pressure, combined with a clear bully-pulpit message, is a far better way to respond. But despotic, one-size-fits all government mandates, turning citizen against citizen for government punishment, and torching our constitution and economy …  is not acceptable. This is more characteristic of a police-state than a free-society.

The absurdity of little government tyrants, drunk on power, about to order even more harsh control over our lives and freedoms, especially when we are on the downside of the “curve” will indeed get very tough to stomach.