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> Why should we even allow our government to tell us ever again what products are “essential” and what are not? Because, on average, the calculation for each i

> Why should we even allow our government to tell us ever again what products are “essential” and what are not? Because, on average, the calculation for each individual does not line up with the calculation for society as a whole and people are going to make decisions that harm others. Yes, you going to your dentist is not likely to make a difference. Everyone going to their dentist, hair dresser, etc as if it's business as usual will, and the negative impacts of your actions will not only be felt by you. If government's role is to protect us from each other, then this is well in line with what they should be doing. I'd agree that specifically how they've done it in the US is... not good. But I don't see the general concept as being without merit.

ed25519FUUU 6y ago
> Because, on average, the calculation for each individual does not line up with the calculation for society as a whole and people are going to make decisions that harm others. Absolutely. But that's the problem with these thoughts. They're aren't wrong, but using them as a foundation for limiting a population can have an outsized negative impact worse than the thing they're trying to prevent. In this case with hindsight we can now say it wasn't wise, as some states dramatically limited what items a person could buy, and some didn't. In some place you had "critical personnel" driving across state lines just to buy work boots.