Protectionism’s Double-Edged Sword

Coronavirus (COVID-19) has swept across the globe, scourging cities and rural communities alike.  To date there are sixteen documented cases in Dutchess County.  Government rightfully wants to “flatten the curve” of contagion, but some of the measures which government has taken are doing us considerable harm.

The most obvious example is seen at your local supermarket.  On March 7th the Governor ramped up the state of emergency which he had first declared on January 20th.  This triggered the Price Gouging law, capping the price which retailers could charge for many essential items, like milk, bread and sanitizer.  These being items for which the public’s demand had surged, shoppers all rushed to supermarkets to stock up on as many units as they could buy before other shoppers could do the same.  Whereas government advises against the congregation of many people into confined spaces, those long lines of shoppers breathing on each other which you saw last week at supermarkets are exactly what the government’s tinkering with the economy had produced. 

Mainstream media has also played its role in supporting government’s folly.  The press abounds with stories of villainous price gougers scandalously stockpiling supplies to sell at higher prices.  Seemingly it is bad for a supplier to “hoard” items for re-sale at mark-ups, but it’s good for a shopper to buy far more cartloads of Lysol than the shopper can personally use, only to deny the product to other shoppers!

What is lost in all this havoc is that government’s consumer protectionism harmfully restricts consumers’ freedoms.  By denying us the right to pay more for those items we want, government has prevented competing retailers from maintaining their supply, resulting in shelves ominously emptied in ways not seen even during Hurricane Sandy.  Some establishments like Costco have shoppers waiting for hours in rationing lines.  Maybe the extra buck you’ll pay for Kleenex is worth less to you than the hour you’d wait in line to buy it, and you alone should have that choice!  Maybe you’d happily pay that extra buck to ensure the constant supply of needed items rather than resort to fisticuffs with your neighbors in the aisles over the last roll of toilet paper.

Daniel Donnelly, Amenia
Dutchess County Libertarian Party’s Vice-Chair

March 26th, 2020