Reigning by Hysteria: The Imagined Climate and Covid Threats Are Starting to Fade
By Tilak Doshi
Former President Ronald Reagan once said that the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help". He meant that government "aid" often leads to worse outcomes for the alleged beneficiaries. Not only have many governments been incredibly inefficient in achieving the purported goals of helping citizens, but they have also often proven to be malicious in their intentions: the "help" offered was a cover to stay in power.
Liberal democracies have a limited repertoire of state-sanctioned carrots and sticks, and none of these allow governments to easily ignore citizens' rights enshrined in law, such as habeas corpus or the right to a trial in a court of law. There are certain norms that govern government actions in modern liberal democracies, and they cannot be easily ignored. We call these standards civilization.
Nevertheless, we have seen a new form of practical politics in our lives, as observed by the great essayist H.L. Mencken. He said, in so many words, that our governments fabricate imaginary bogeymen (hobgoblins) – creatures of the mind that can be mischievous, frightening, and even dangerous – and then wait for citizens to call for safety.
https://www.climategate.nl/2025/01/regeren-door-hysterie-de-klimaat-en-covid-hobgoblins-beginnen-te-vervagen/
