About This Blog

Ludwig von Mises (1881-1973) was the greatest economist of my time. His greatest works can be accessed here at no charge.

Mises believed that property, freedom and peace are and should be the hallmarks of a satisfying and prosperous society. I agree. Mises proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the prospect for general and individual prosperity is maximized, indeed, is only possible, if the principle of private property reigns supreme. What's yours is yours. What's mine is mine. When the line between yours and mine is smudged, the door to conflict opens. Without freedom (individual liberty of action) the principle of private property is neutered and the free market, which is the child of property and freedom and the mother of prosperity and satisfaction, cannot exist. Peace is the goal of a prosperous and satisfying society of free individuals, not peace which is purchased by submission to the enemies of property and freedom, but peace which results from the unyielding defense of these principles against all who challenge them.

In this blog I measure American society against the metrics of property, freedom and peace.

Sunday, April 12, 2020

Enough Is Enough


In ASSEMBLY   April 12, 2020

DECLARATION
By the PEOPLE of the
STATE OF WISCONSIN
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA



When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for Wisconsinites to ignore the Order of their duly-elected Governor who has over-stepped his Constitutional authority by effectively locking down the State of Wisconsin, and to resume their normal, daily activities and exercise their individual rights which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to ignore the Governor’s Order.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and Property.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any unconstitutional Order becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to ignore it, and to return the power of decision-making and acting to each individual Wisconsinite, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their own Safety, Health and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Orders of duly-elected Governors should not be ignored for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience has shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by defying the authority of the government to which they are accustomed. But when the Government abuses and usurps the power of the people and issues an Order which places the people under absolute Despotism, it is their right and their duty to throw off such an unjust and unconstitutional Order, and to exercise the principle of individual liberty for their future security. -- Such has been the patient sufferance of Wisconsinites under the Governor’s “Safer at Home” Order; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to ignore this Order. Issued by the present Governor of Wisconsin this Order has the real consequence of having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over the citizens of Wisconsin. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world:

He has refused the wise counsel of prominent epidemiologists who argue against draconian public lockdowns as an effective measure to control Covid-19, and has, instead, followed the advice of federal medical bureaucrats who make draconian lockdown recommendations based on computer models that have wildly overstated the mortality of Covid-19.

He has decreed that his Order should apply to each and every county in the State regardless of population density and other environmental factors, and has refused to allow local governments and individuals, under penalty of law enforcement, to ignore his Order according to their better judgment, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has inflicted on 5,850,000 Wisconsin citizens undue and unbearable economic, social and psychological hardship in order to mitigate the deadly consequences of Covid-19 which has so far claimed the lives of 0.002% of the population.

He has asserted that the number of people needing medical care due to COVID-19 will significantly exceed the amount of available healthcare resources in the State of Wisconsin, which has proven NOT to be the case.

He has decreed that Wisconsinites must avoid direct physical contact with each other and keep at least six feet apart, and has declared that this policy is the ONLY effective means of slowing the rate of infection, but has made this declaration without a shred of supporting scientific evidence and without adequate widespread public antibody testing to determine the extent of the infection’s spread among Wisconsin citizens.

He has decreed that the citizens of Wisconsin must cease non-essential travel, business, and social interactions, and he has issued his Order, which is fraught with arbitrary assumptions and inconsistent guidelines, without moral and constitutional authority.

CONTRARY TO OUR RIGHTS AS FREE CITIZENS OF WISCONSIN AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, OUR GOVERNOR HAS UNCONSTITUTIONALLY VIOLATED OUR RIGHTS AND LIBERTY SPECIFICALLY AS FOLLOWS:

He has ordered us to stay in our homes or at our place of residence.

He has ordered us to maintain social distancing of at least six (6) feet from any other person.

He has decreed that all for-profit and non-profit businesses with a facility in Wisconsin shall cease all
Activities, with the exception of “essential” businesses, which he defines and stipulates in an imperious, illegal and arbitrary manner.

He has decreed that “essential” business men and women shall enforce upon their employees and customers six-foot social distancing, “including but not limited to when any customers are standing in line” to purchase products or services.

He has, contrary to the Bill of Rights of the US Constitution, abridged our right to assembly by prohibiting all public and private gatherings of any number of people that are not part of a single household or living unit.

He has closed all public and private schools and libraries.

He has closed all places of public amusement and activity indoors and outdoors including amusement parks, carnivals, water parks, licensed public or private swimming pools, splash pads, aquariums, zoos, museums, arcades, fairs, children's play centers, playgrounds, funplexes, theme parks, bowling alleys, movie and other theaters, concert and music halls, country clubs, social clubs, and gyms and fitness centers.

He has closed all salons and spas including hair salons, barber shops, nail salons, day spas, electrolysis providers, waxing salons, eyebrow-care establishments, tattoo parlors, body art establishments, and tanning facilities.

He has prohibited all forms of travel except for “essential” travel, which he defines and stipulates in an imperious, illegal and arbitrary manner.

He has imperiously decreed that certain of our actions will be “permitted” under his Order, and that any and all of these “permitted” actions must comply with federal DHS and CDC guidelines.

He has closed our restaurants.

He has closed our taverns.

He has decreed that no more than 10 individuals in the same room may attend a wedding, a funeral or a religious service.

He has decreed that his “Safer at Home” Order shall be enforceable by any local law enforcement official, including county sheriffs, and that violation or obstruction of his Order is punishable by up to 30 days imprisonment, or up to $250 fine, or both.

He has decreed that his Order will be in effect until April 24 but has not stipulated whether it will be re-issued or how many times it will be re-issued.

We, therefore, the People of the State of Wisconsin, in this general petition, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good citizens as undersigned below, solemnly publish and declare, That the people of the State of Wisconsin are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent individuals; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the Governor’s “Safer at Home” Order, and that his unconstitutional, onerous and authoritarian Order is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent Citizens, we have full Power to go about our personal business as is our right according to the US Constitution, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent citizens may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
Citizens of Wisconsin
Bankrupt Business Owners    Unemployed Wisconsinites      Hairstylists      Barbers      
Restaurant Employees    Massage Therapists
Day Spa Workers       Movie Theater Employees    Bowling Alley Employees
Athletic Club Employees        Day Care Workers    Furloughed Teachers
Hotel Workers            Zoo Employees           Library Workers



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