I'm John Bachelors.

This is the new John Bachelors show on CBS Audio Network, John Tamney, the columnist,

the editor, and now the author, John Tamney, when politicians panic, the new coronavirus,

expert opinion, and a tragic lapse of reason.

The markets have now reacted late March of 2020, but government is getting into the contest.

Government in the States, Mr. Cuomo, Mr. Britsker, Mr. Newsom, and the other governors

have issued orders.

It is not clear at this point that the American people that these orders are going to be enforced

by police power, although the state governments have that option, the city governments have

that option.

It looks that the governors are counting on Americans to do the right thing.

For how long is an open question?

There are different expectations, but at no point, and Mr. Tamney, I check with you on

this because my memory is dim and your book states very clearly that the governors indicated

early on that this would not last a long time.

Did they give a timeline, John?

How long the lockdowns?

They talked about two weeks.

That was the word because the view was if people would go and hide for two weeks that

will flatten the curve and that will give hospitals the times to adjust.

As we know through history, once you hand over that kind of power to someone else, it's

rarely given back and it certainly wasn't in this instance.

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