Reopen America - April 2020

Some of the largest expansions of government power and unconstitutional abuses have come during times of pressing crises, not unlike the coronavirus. The government routinely tries to paper over these abuses by saying they are temporary, and that anyone who resists is guilty of making the present crisis worse. It’s the same story over and over again.

Generally, in looking for examples of sound free-market policies, one’s first instinct would probably not be Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Yes, the same governor who just last week imposed perhaps the most draconian state-wide quarantine order yet, literally telling Michiganders that they are not even allowed to walk across the street to visit their neighbors except for specifically outlined reasons.

Our country’s golden goose has been wounded, not by hubris but by a virus.

FreedomWorks recently announced the launch of the American Freedom Initiative (AFI), a collaboration headed by former acting U.S. Attorney General Matt Whitaker. This project aims to help relieve injustices committed against Americans under the criminal justice system and the regulatory state. As part of this project, we will shine a spotlight on some of the individuals the AFI has identified under its Administrative Abuse Project that have been the victims of federal regulatory overreach.

While many states like New York and Texas have been hard at work attempting to aid restaurants and other small businesses by taking such deregulatory measures as allowing the delivery of alcohol, Pennsylvania has decided to go in the opposite direction. Instead of expanding operations of liquor stores, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) -- the three-member panel with total control over Pennsylvania’s state-controlled liquor industry -- has closed all the liquor stores in Pennsylvania.