, Columnist
After a Bad Year for Freedom, Try Liberalism
A pandemic is by necessity a time for restrictions and Big Government. But if emergency measures become the new normal, liberty dies.
A bad year for liberty.
Photographer: Sean Gallup/Getty Images
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It’s been a terrible year for personal freedom. And I’m not just saying that because I happen to find myself in yet another lockdown.
Like war or other disasters, a pandemic shifts priorities. In 2020, individual liberty seemed less important and public health appeared most urgent. State paternalism suddenly looked surprisingly acceptable, or at least necessary.