This is not an index where we want to be 'top ten'. When Attorney General Bill Barr warned several states that an indefinite blanket Curfew is a defacto House Arrest" it provided a brief moment of clarity in the cause of defending our civil liberties.
Civil Liberties define who we are, in the USA. It's the proudest patriotic claim of the past 244 years. Without civil liberties ensconced in constitutional stone, our nation is no different from any cheap populist society which blows in the wind of time. Sooner Politics searched the vast databanks of America's great think tanks, to find reliable data on the various state orders, to provide some sort of index to compare the states. |
Click on each state, to see their unique score.
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We want to know which states have best resisted the temptation of the rulers, to assert control on the behavior of lawful citizens, without the full statutory process of legislation in a meaningful representative democratic process.
The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF, started by Henry J. Kaiser) has been devoted to the study of public health policy. Just yesterday, they published State Data and Policy Actions to Address Coronavirus. The publication included a chart of State Social Distancing Actions. From their spreadsheet we were able to compare the 51 jurisdictions of 7 unique criteria of emergency orders restricting public freedoms. When we applied scores in each criteria to reflect the levels of restrictions, we were able to accrue a unique score for each jurisdiction, as they stand on May 18th, 2020. The KFF had no part in creating the scores or weighting criteria which Sooner Politics decided to include. |
This score is only as accurate as the data which the Kaiser Family Foundation provides the public. We did find some inaccurate listing of Oklahoma's public policy, so it's reasonable to assume other states have either incorrect or outdated info, as well. For instance, it's not accurate to say that public schools are closed. Their buildings may largely be locked, but some public instruction is continuing in Oklahoma. Other states are also using 'distance learning models' but we don't have that data.
It's also incorrect to say Oklahoma has a state restriction on social gatherings of 10 or more. In fact, much of the governor's 'orders' are not even true mandates punishable by criminal courts. Most of his executive order known as Open Up & Recover Safely 'OURS' is written in the language of a 'best-practices' format; with words like 'should' and 'it's preferable'.
The map we constructed is also a bit surprising. The largely Democrat state of Wisconsin has one of the lowest scores, while the Republican state of Ohio is among the most egregious limiters of civil rights. In the Wisconsin case, it mostly because of a supreme court 4-3 ruling that the governor overstepped constitutional powers in adding severe restrictions. So currently little restrictions are enforceable.
It's also incorrect to say Oklahoma has a state restriction on social gatherings of 10 or more. In fact, much of the governor's 'orders' are not even true mandates punishable by criminal courts. Most of his executive order known as Open Up & Recover Safely 'OURS' is written in the language of a 'best-practices' format; with words like 'should' and 'it's preferable'.
The map we constructed is also a bit surprising. The largely Democrat state of Wisconsin has one of the lowest scores, while the Republican state of Ohio is among the most egregious limiters of civil rights. In the Wisconsin case, it mostly because of a supreme court 4-3 ruling that the governor overstepped constitutional powers in adding severe restrictions. So currently little restrictions are enforceable.
