Opinion: Freedom comes with the burden of responsibility

Does the governor have the right to make us wear facemasks, stay 6 feet apart and avoid crowds because some people are getting sick and dying from a contagious disease?

It’s a fair question. But probably not the most pressing question we should be considering today.

A better one is whether we should wear facemasks, stay 6 feet apart, and follow other “safe practices” recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.

Ultimately, we each get to decide the answers to those questions. Just ask Curry County Commissioner Seth Martin.

“I have yet to wear a mask, and I have no intention of wearing a mask,” Martin said at last week’s commission meeting.

Yes, there may be consequences in disobeying state laws or mandates or orders or whatever they’re calling these new pandemic-era rules. But that’s always been the case with government and the rabble — us — it seeks to control.

Does the government have the right to make us wear seatbelts, stop at red lights, drive on the right side of the road at regulated speeds? We get to make those decisions as well ... with a potential for consequences, including fines from the government and the deaths of others.

Because freedom, right?

The city of Portales implemented a rarely used rule last week — residents can only water their lawns on specific days at specific times. Does City Hall really have the authority to tell you when or if you can water your grass? Don’t you have the right to use all the water you want, since you’re paying to use that water?

It’s a fair question. Again, probably the better question is should we be watering the grass every day amidst warnings the entire city could be without water if we’re not careful.

Most of us agree laws should be debated and voted on, with our voices heard throughout that process, before they’re implemented. At least that’s how the Portales water conservation resolution, approved by the City Council in 2014, and our nation’s traffic laws have evolved.

But these “executive orders” related to COVID-19 are for dictators, not for leaders of free countries, right?

Some of us think we have far too many laws anyway, that one size does not fit all, that individual liberty should always trump majority rules.

Let freedom ring, we say.

Some of us also think freedom comes with a heavy burden of responsibility — to ensure freedom for all. You are not free to harm someone else. And you should help others when you can.

Ultimately, our courts will decide whether these virus laws — created on a whim by illogical politicians — are unconstitutional. Even if they hold up, we will always have the option of ignoring them, risking fines and the lives of others, and fighting for our freedom as we understand it.

That’s the position taken by Commissioner Martin.

“If you’re fearful of (COVID-19),” he said, “I encourage you to wear your mask to protect yourself from me because I’m not going to protect you from myself.”

Martin went on to say he wants everyone to stay healthy, so don’t think he’s a bad guy. Maybe he heard somewhere that the coronavirus is a hoax or maybe his medical advisors told him it’s only spread through the Internet, or maybe he’s just resigned to the fact that we’re all going to die anyway, from something.

But some of us would argue Martin is taking advantage of freedom without worrying about the burden of its responsibility.

God bless America.

And watch out for people who don’t stop at red lights.

— David Stevens

Publisher