On my regular morning walk with Kara I saw even fewer people and cars than yesterday. 2 cars, 3 people plus 5 men in a lawn crew (not exercising “social distancing”). That and the very low voter turnout in Illinois convince me that Illinoisans in general and Chicagoans in particular are beginning to take the advice they’ve received seriously. IMO they’re misapplying and misinterpreting it but they’re taking it seriously.
I have never been prouder of Illinois Gov. Pritzker than when he refused to eliminate in-person voting, going on to point out that was beyond his legal authority. When I cast my primary vote I was the only voter in the polling place and there were only two election judges, the minimum number legally required, one bold man in his 70s and a young woman.
As I said to my siblings (via text) last night, I have laid in a plentiful stock of single malt American whiskies. When we run out we will be forced to subsist on food and water. I have enough food to last us for months.
Last night in recognition of St. Patrick’s Day I made baked salmon and colcannon. Corned beef and cabbage are American. Salmon is Irish as is colcannon. I slimmed the recipe down a bit. For two
2 medium red potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 small leek, sliced fine
2 cups of green cabbage, sliced and chopped fine
1/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 pats butter
Salt and pepper
I microwaved the potatoes in a small amount of water until they were quite soft, about eight minutes. While the potatoes were cooking I sauteed the leeks and cabbage in the olive oil until they just started to brown. Then I added a couple of tablespoons of water, covered the pan, turned down the heat, and continued to steam the vegetables for three minutes, checking occasionally to ensure they did not burn.
While the leeks and cabbage were steaming I mashed the potatoes, adding just enough milk to make them smooth and palatable. Then I mixed the mashed potatoes, cabbage, and leeks, adding salt and pepper to taste. I topped each serving with a pat of butter.
I don’t know if you saw this at Capitol Fax, but the governor’s executive order identifies the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act as the source of his powers, not the particular statutes we were looking at earlier.
https://capitolfax.com/2020/03/16/where-do-pritzkers-emergency-powers-come-from/#comments
The main issue that I foresaw was a written notice requirement that might be easier for schools, than other stores, but I suppose restaurants and bars are licensed through local public health departments as well.
My assumptions are that the state has very broad powers in the face of contagious disease, that the legal issues will have been well researched, though the wrinkles may not be disclosed, and the judges, having also decided to restrict access to the legal system under these conditions are likely to be quite hardened.
Sean Trende is not a medical expert – but he does bring an interesting point about false positive and false negatives with regard to testing — just from probability theory.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2020/03/18/the_perils_of_mass_coronavirus_testing_142693.html
Has anyone actually disclosed what are the accuracy of these tests, through the whole process of collecting a sample, handing by technicians et al? My presumption is that requires an alternate method of testing that does not exist yet….
Interesting post at the Volokh Conspiracy/Reason, Can the Government Just Close My Favorite Bar?
Short story made long, yes, states retain police powers that allow them to protect the herd at the cost of the individual.
BTW, locally here in boonies, very little is moving, not even loggers. Only thing similar would be Sunday AM during church services.
What the states can or cannot do even under a state of emergency is constrained by the state’s constitution, state law, and the U. S. Constitution. It is not the case that governors can just declare a state of emergency and then do anything they see fit. Their emergency powers are constrained by what their state’s laws permit.