Palm Beach Libertarians Find Government Orders ‘Dehumanizing’

Boynton Beach, Fla - May 26, 2020 - The Libertarian Party of Palm Beach County (LP Palm Beach) has found the government enforced shutdown of county private businesses dehumanizing to not only business owners but to all county residents. “To suggest anyone working in Palm Beach County is ‘non-essential’ is demoralizing and arbitrary,” said LP Palm Beach Chair Karl Dickey.

LP Palm Beach suggests the shutdown of public parks and beaches as well as selective private businesses was unwarranted. When it came to private businesses, it should have been up to individual business owners how best to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Some businesses would have decided for themselves whether remain open or close, whether to have patrons wear masks, etc. Instead, elected officials arbitrarily would “allow” some crowded stores open while not allowing residents or visitors to practice social distancing on the state, county, and city beaches and parks. Such government force has been haphazard and has instilled unwarranted fear in county residents. 

What has become clear throughout the pandemic, county and Florida’s governor overstepped their constitutional authority.  Elected officials take an oath to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution and instead trampled over it by violating the constitutional rights of its citizens. 

“We know elected officials have been wrong on the science throughout this pandemic. In the late ‘60s we didn’t use government force to shut down the economy, restrict movements of Americans, end social gatherings for the H3N2 pandemic. We should not be doing so today,” Dickey added.

“You don’t need to have draconian measures from the government if people are accurately informed about what is going on,” said Nicholas Sarwark, Libertarian Party National Chair. “We need to do what is necessary to keep people safe, but we also need to remember that we are Americans and we have made it through a lot of crises before, and our political system, our way of life, our Constitution can’t be let go just because there is a terrible illness spreading through the country.”